Academic Honors and Awards
Outstanding academic and extracurricular achievement is
readily recognized at Roanoke College. Students who attain
and maintain high levels of performance are honored each
year in many ways.
SEMESTER HONORS
The Dean's List Students are placed on the Dean's List of
Distinguished Students if their semester grade point average
for any Fall or Spring term is 3.5 or above, with no grade
below "C" in any course.The student must have been
enrolled for credit in at least four units, three of which were
for a letter grade (excluding pass/fail and audit).
Faculty's List of Honorable Mention Students whose
semester grade point average for any Fall or Spring term is at
least 3.0 but less than 3.5 and who meet the criteria for the
Dean's List stated above are recognized by the designation of
honorable mention for scholastic achievement.
Faculty's List of Notable Achievement Students are
placed on the Faculty List of Notable Achievement if their
semester grade point average for any Fall or Spring term is
3.0 or above, with no grade below "C" in any course.The
student must have been enrolled for credit in at least one
one-unit course and fewer than four one-unit courses, all of
which were for a letter grade (excluding pass/fail and audit).
These honor lists will be determined by grades as recorded at
the end of the Fall or Spring term in December and May.
Grades earned during the Summer session and May term are
not used in the compilations.
For requirements for junior and senior Scholars,
Degrees with Distinction,Valedictorian and
Salutatorian please note: The information that follows
applies to students entering beginning Fall 1999 under
the new Centers of Distinction Curriculum. Students
previously enrolled and transfers entering prior to Fall
2000 should consult the 1998-99 academic catalog for
their requirements.
JUNIOR AND SENIOR SCHOLARS
Junior Scholars A student classified as a junior as of the end
of the Fall term who has earned a minimum of 16 units at
Roanoke College with a cumulative grade point average of
3.00 or higher is awarded a certificate of recognition as a
Junior Scholar by the faculty.
Senior Scholars Annually, the department or coordinator in
each major field of concentration may recommend to the
Dean as Senior Scholar a student whose work in that field has
been most exemplary. In order to be considered, a student
must have at least a 3.2 cumulative academic average and
must have earned at least 25 units of credit, of which at least
17 units have been earned at Roanoke College. Eligibility is
determined from among currently enrolled students on the
basis of their academic records as of the end of the Fall term.
DEGREES WITH DISTINCTION
Degrees Cum Laude,Magna Cum Laude, or Summa Cum Laude
are conferred upon students who have earned a cumulative
grade point average of at least 3.4, 3.7, or 3.9, respectively, for
all courses taken at Roanoke.The student must have
completed a minimum of 17 units (excluding physical
education and co-curricular activities) at Roanoke College to
receive a degree with distinction.
HONORS IN MAJORS
Qualified students may apply for honors in their major(s) by
completing an honors project, which will consist of a
program of independent study culminating in a paper, artistic
creation, or performance. Students who meet the criteria
given below will receive the designation "Honors in (field of
study)" on their diplomas.
Students applying for major honors work must have at least a
3.4 grade point average in the major, calculated at the time of
their application for honors work. In order to receive honors,
students must have at least a 3.4 GPA in their major at
graduation.
The honors project must be sponsored by a faculty member
or members in the student's major, who will serve as the
primary advisor(s) for the project, and by a committee
composed of the primary advisor(s) and not fewer than two
additional faculty. (Advisors are encouraged to include a
faculty member from outside the student's major on the
committee.)
Honors work is undertaken in the senior year or in the
Summer prior to the senior year.While the project may be
based on previous work, e.g., a seminar paper or independent
study, it must represent a significant and original project over
and above any past work. Application for major honors work
is made the semester or Summer prior to undertaking the
project.
A student applying for major honors work must submit a
proposal to his or her committee. If the committee and
department administering the student's major approve the
proposal, permission to enroll in honors work in the
following term will be forwarded to the Associate Dean for
Academic Affairs. At the discretion of the department a
student may take one unit of honors work in one semester or
two one-half units over two semesters.The department will
determine whether honors credit may be used as an elective
in the major. The application form is available in the Office
of the Associate Dean.
The committee will evaluate the completed project based on
the final product and on an oral examination. Projects other
than research papers must include a narrative essay describing
the work.
The primary advisor(s) will assign a letter grade for the
project after consulting with the other committee members.
Students completing the one-half unit honors course will
receive a grade of "NG" at the end of the first term of the
project; upon completion of the second half-unit course, the
grade for the entire project will be assigned to both courses.
If the student does not complete the second half-unit course,
a letter grade will be assigned to the first.
Students whose projects receive a grade of "A-" or higher will
be awarded honors, provided they have a 3.4 GPA in their
major at graduation. Departments are encouraged to arrange a
public forum to allow students receiving major honors to
present their work.
VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN
The valedictorian and salutatorian of the senior class will be
selected from among those graduates who have completed at
least 22 units (excluding physical education and co-curricular
activities) while enrolled as full-time students at Roanoke
College.