Skip to content
Thursday, February 23, 2012 | 8:17 AM CST

Handbook – Class of 2010 or Earlier

Table of contents

Business Honors curriculum

To achieve the designation of Business Honors graduate, a student must complete 24 hours of coursework. These 24 hours include:

In addition, a student must maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPR and a 3.25 honors GPR, with no less than a C in an honors course. MGMT 466 must be taken as an honors course. MGMT 680 is automatically substituted for MGMT466 Honors for students in the Professional Program of Accounting. Click here to see the business honors courses currently being offered.

(back to top)

Options for receiving Business Honors credit

In addition to completing business honors or university honors classes, there are several options for earning honors credit. Students may earn up to a maximum of fifteen honors credit hours through a combination of AP credit, Graduate courses, Honors contracting and Honors Independent Study. The following information describes how a student can qualify for these opportunities and the process for enrolling in such courses.

(back to top)

AP credit

Students who have exceeded the minimum required AP test scores, which vary according to the subject, may receive up to 6 hours of honors credit. For example, an AP score of 4 on the chemistry AP exam would count towards honors credit; however, a score of 5 is required to receive honors credit for biology. A complete list of the AP courses accepted for honors credit, along with the required scores, can be found in the appendix. Your academic advisor or the Business Honors staff can assist you in determining your AP honors credit.

(back to top)

Honors candidacy

Students completing nine credit hours of honors classroom courses at Texas A&M are designated “Honors candidates.” Honors candidates have certain privileges including the right to apply for Honors contracting, Honors independent study, the University Undergraduate Research Fellows Program, and to enroll in graduate courses for honors credit.

(back to top)

Graduate courses for undergraduate honors credit

Honors students who have completed at least nine credit hours of regular honors coursework can receive up to six hours of university honors credit for graduate coursework taken at Texas A&M. To register for graduate classes and apply credit earned towards an undergraduate degree, a student must file a written petition for approval to the course instructor, the head of the student's department, the subject matter dean, the dean of the student's college, and the University Honors Program Office. The petition can be initiated in the Business Honors Office. Graduate credit hours earned toward an undergraduate degree may not be used again toward a graduate degree.

(back to top)

Honors contracting

Contracting allows Honors candidates (see description above) to receive honors credit for a non-honors course by completing assignments or projects in addition to the regular course requirements. The following rules apply:

  1. Students must have a cumulative GPR of 3.5 or higher.
  2. Students may complete no more than nine hours of honors contracting.
  3. Students may take only one contract course per semester. Contracting is allowed in the summer only if the course is taken during the 10-week session.
  4. Students may contract only for courses not offered through the Honors Program. For example, a student may not contract for MKTG 321 because the class is offered as an honors course.
  5. Contracting is available for upper division courses (300-400 level) only.
  6. The Honors Course Contract Application (details below) must be completed and returned to the Associate Director for Honors Programs in Room 101 of the Academic Building by 5pm on the 12th class day of the semester in which the class is to be taken.

Procedure: In order to receive honors credit for a non-honors course, the student must complete the University Honors Course Contract Application. This form can be found in the appendix of the University Honors Program Handbook. In order to complete this form the student will need to meet with the professor of the course to develop a plan of study, a detailed description of tangible evidence of honors caliber work, and the basis for a grade beyond the regular course requirements. The form also requires a copy of the official course syllabus as well as the signatures of the professor and the professor's department head. Approval of the Honors Course Contract Application by the University Honors Program and completion of the requirements specified in the plan of study will insure receipt of honors credit. The student is expected to fulfill these requirements during the semester in which the class is taken. At the end of the semester the University Honors Office will email the student's professor to verify that all additional assignments were completed. Honors credit will not appear on the student's transcript until several weeks after the end of the semester.

(back to top)

Independent study

Independent study allows Honors candidates (see description above) to receive honors credit by performing research or other academic work outside of the classroom setting. This method of obtaining honors credit is accomplished by identifying a professor to serve as the student's advisor. The student and the professor then develop a semester-long plan of study to be completed by the student. The following rules apply:

  1. Students must have a cumulative GPR of 3.5 or higher.
  2. Students may complete no more than 9 hours of Independent Study.
  3. Students may take only one Independent Study course per semester. Independent Study is allowed in the summer only if the course is taken during the 10-week session.
  4. The Honors Independent Study Application (details below) must be completed and returned to the Associate Director for Honors Programs in Room 101 of the Academic Building by 5pm on the 4th class day of the semester for which study is proposed.

Procedure: In order to receive honors credit for an Independent Study course, the student must complete the Honors Independent Study Application. This form can be found in the appendix of the University Honors Program Handbook. In order to complete this form the student will need to identify a professor to serve as his or her advisor. The student then meets with the professor to develop a plan of study and a detailed description of tangible evidence of honors caliber work. The form also requires the signatures of the professor and the professor's department head. Once approval of the Honors Independent Study Application has been granted, the student should register for an Independent Study course and section within the appropriate department. Independent Study is generally listed as "485" but can also be "497" or "285." The section number must be "200" as this is the designated Honors section number. Throughout the semester the student will need to meet with the professor at least once a week to discuss the research or other academic work to be performed. The student will also need to complete the requirements specified in the designated plan of study. At the end of the semester, the University Honors Program will send an email to the professor. The professor must confirm that the course requirements were successfully completed by replying to this email. This confirmation must be received before the course is granted honors designation on the official transcript. Note: Because the Honors Independent Study Application must be completed and returned to the University Honors Program office by 5pm on the 4th class day of the semester, we recommend that the student plan the course during the semester before the Independent Study work.

(back to top)

Professional development events

Class of 2010: You need to attend three professional development events each academic year to remain in the program. To register early with Business Honors in the fall, students must attend one event by the end of the fall semester. To register early in the spring, students must attend all three events by the time open registration begins in May.

(back to top)

GPR requirements and probation policy

If a student falls below the 3.5 cumulative GPR required to remain in Business Honors , a one-time, one-semester probation period will be automatically offered, if the GPR is at least a 3.25. Students with a cumulative GPR of 3.25 or lower will be dismissed from the program. Grades are officially checked following each fall and spring semester. First semester freshmen will be granted probation if they have at least a 3.0 GPR. After the first semester, the minimum requirement is 3.25. The following rules apply: If at the end of a semester, a student's cumulative GPR is:

If at the end of the semester of probation, a student's cumulative GPR is:

If at the end of the second semester of probation, a student's cumulative GPR is:

Note on Summer Sessions: Grades earned in the summer will not count toward the probationary period. GPRs will be calculated at the end of each spring and fall semester to determine probation/dismissals.

Probation policy for professional development events

If students fail to attend the three required events in an academic year, the following rules apply:

(back to top)

Graduating with Business Honors

Students who plan to graduate with Business Honors should check with their advisors at least every other semester to ensure proper course selection. A final check three semesters ahead of the intended graduation (i.e. middle of junior year) should be scheduled with the Business Honors staff to allow for actions that may be necessary to graduate with business honors. A student will graduate with Business Honors if the following criteria are met:

  1. All course requirements are met as explained in the sections above.
  2. Have a cumulative overall GPR of 3.5 or higher and a 3.25 honors GPR with no grade less than a “C” in an honors course.
  3. Complete an exit survey during final semester.

Exit survey

About six weeks before graduation, students are required to complete an exit survey and to schedule an exit interview with the director of the program. Transcript designation will not be authorized until this is completed.

Graduate recognition

  1. Graduates' official transcripts are marked with a Business Honors notation.
  2. Graduates are awarded a special certificate by Business Honors .
  3. Graduates are honored at an event held at the end of the fall, spring, and summer terms.

Students may use the honors audit form to track their progress.

(back to top)

Advising

Students in the program can see a member of Business Honors staff at any time. Freshmen and sophomores should schedule an appointment with Risa Meyer, the academic advisor for Business Honors students. Contact the Business Honors Office or rmeyer@mays.tamu.edu to make an appointment with Risa to discuss course selection and other academic issues. In addition, you can visit her during walk-in advising hours, Mondays and Thursdays, 9-10:30 AM. Upperclassmen should see an advisor in their department.

(back to top)

Business Honors registration details

Each semester, students in Business Honors are able to pre-register for business honors courses for the following semester. To pre-register, go to the class selection page on the website and follow the directions. Two important notes. Please read carefully:

  1. It is NOT necessary to take an honors class every semester. After completing nine hours of honors coursework, a student is always ELIGIBLE to register during early honors registration. BUT, to register during early honors registration a student MUST be registering for an honors class for the following semester AND request an early registration time through the University Honors office. If not taking an honors class in the following semester, the student will need to not request an early registration time and register with the rest of their classification of students.
  2. Students who register for an honors class during early honors registration and then later drop that class without replacing it with a different honors class will be permanently blocked from early honors registration.

During Business Honors class selection, students select the business honors courses they want and will be placed in the class on the first day of open registration. During their registration time, they register for the remainder of their courses. The process may vary slightly from one semester to the next but, the following procedures are followed:

  1. Neither Business Honors nor University Honors can override any blocks, and it is the student's responsibility to check for blocks before registration. It is advisable to do a final check the morning of or the afternoon before your registration time. Check for blocks on myrecord.tamu.edu.
  2. The Business Honors Office will only contact students if they were not able to put them in a requested class or section. Unless students hear from the staff, they should assume that they were placed in the honors course requested.
  3. Business Honors has a "no forcing" policy and strictly enforces it.
  4. Student workers should not fill out a student worker registration form if they want to register during early honors registration.
  5. Early registration privileges are offered to students who are currently enrolled in an honors class or who have previously earned nine hours of honors credit and who are enrolling in one or more honors courses. If the student plans on registering for an honors course (in or out of the business school), the student MUST request an early registration time through University Honors.
  6. The online schedule of courses, which can be found at courses.tamu.edu, has crucial information about early honors registration.
  7. Students who are participating in a study abroad, internship or other activity that takes them away from College Station may participate in pre-registration for business honors classes. They must meet the established deadlines.

(back to top)

Keeping in touch

E-mail will be the primary form of communication between the Business Honors staff and students in the program. Each student is responsible for all information sent out and thus it is extremely important that Business Honors has a correct neo e-mail address. The student Neo account is the address Business Honors correspondence is sent to. The Business Honors Website will keep students informed of upcoming meetings and deadlines.

(back to top)

University Honors Program

In addition to graduating with Business Honors, a student may earn University Honors and/or Foundation Honors. Scholarships, the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program, and many other opportunities are available through the University Honors Program. Check their website at honors.tamu.edu or call (979) 845-1957 for more information.

(back to top)