Maintaining Honors Status

The College of Engineering monitors the academic and curricular progress of Honors students at the end of each spring semester. Listed below are the requirements you will need to meet, depending on your progress through the curriculum.  If you fail to meet the criteria at the end of a year, you will loose your Honors Status.  You can always earn it back once you meet all criteria again and are back on track for graduating with Honors.

If you are currently not an Honors student, then you should also review the Joining Engineering Honors webpage.

The requirements for maintaining Honors status changed for students admitted Autumn Semester 2021 and later.  Please be sure to pay attention to the correct column below depending on when you were admitted to the University:

Year Admitted AU21 or Later Admitted prior to AU21
Year 1  
Year 2

Students pursuing Honors Contract

  • Update your Honors Contract in the Honors Contract Portal
  • Complete 3 more points in Schedule A (9 points total)
  • Complete 2 points in Schedule C: Service

Students pursuing Honors Research Distinction

  • Attend an undergraduate research forum
  • Submit paper (minimum 200 words) to Mike Knisley at knisley.33@osu.edu indicating:
    • Which research forum you attended
    • What you learned at the research forum
    • Possible research topics you are interested in
    • Faculty members you are interested in working with

Everybody

  • Earn at least a 3.4 GPA at end of fall and spring
  • Decide which Honors path you plan to pursue: Honors Contract or Honors Research Distinction.
    • Indicate your choice by doing at least one of the following:
    • Earn a CPHR of 3.4 or higher at the end of spring semester
      • NOTE: Starting Autumn 2020, GPA will be checked at the end of Autumn semester as well (and then again at the end of Spring).
    Year 3

    Students pursuing Honors Contract

    • Update your Honors Contract in the Honors Contract Portal
    • Complete 3 more points in Schedule A (12 points total)
    • Complete 2 more points in Schedule C: Service (4 points total)

    Students pursuing Honors Research Distinction

    Everybody

    • Earn at least a 3.4 GPA at end of fall and spring
    • Earn at least a 3.4 GPA
    • Continue to make progress on your Honors Contract or submit an Honors Research Proposal

    If you are pursuing an Honors Contract, collect verifications from components you have completed during the past year and submit to the Honors Contract advisor. If you have made significant changes to your plan, please enter revisions to your Honors Contract in the Honors Contract Portal.

    If you are pursuing an Honors Research Thesis, submit an Application for Undergraduate Research, which includes your Honors Thesis Proposal and will be reviewed for possible scholarship support. If you are not yet ready to begin your research project and submit your application by this deadline, you should work directly with the Undergraduate Research Coordinator to adjust your project timeline.

    Graduation

    Students pursuing Honors Contract

    • Update your Honors Contract in the Honors Contract Portal
    • Complete and verify the rest of your Honors Contract

    Students pursuing Honors Research Distinction

    • Complete all requirements for earning distinction 4 Fridays prior to graduation, including
      • 6 credit hours of research coursework
      • Complete Enhanced Honors Experience
      • Write thesis
      • Defend thesis
      • Submit thesis to Knowledge Bank

    Everybody

    • Graduate with a final GPA of at least 3.4 
    • Earn at least a 3.4 GPA
    • Submit your final documentation for your Honors Contract and/or Honors Research Thesis

    Students completing the Honors Contract must submit final changes in the Honors Contract Portal no later than the 2nd Friday of the semester prior to graduation. Also, final verification for the contract is due no later than the 2nd Friday of the semester of graduation. If an experience for the Honors Contract will still be in progress after the deadline, please contact the Honors Contract advisor and provide an update by the 2nd Friday deadline.

    Students completing the Honors Research Thesis must submit an Honors Thesis Defense Form and a Final Thesis to the Knowledge Bank no later than four Fridays prior to their commencement date.

    PLEASE NOTE: Starting Autumn 2020, with the exception of first year students, GPA will be checked at the end of Autumn semester and then again at the end of Spring semester.  If your GPA falls below a 3.4, you will lose Honors status until it returns to at least a 3.4.  For first year students, the first check of GPA won't happen until after Spring semester.