Handbook - Class of 2011 or Later

Handbook

Class of 2011 or later

Table of Contents

Business Honors Curriculum
Professional Development Events
GPR Requirements and Probation Policy
Graduating with Business Honors

Options for Receiving Business Honors Credit

Advising
Registration Details
Keeping in Touch
University Honors Program

Business Honors Curriculum

All business students enter Mays Business School in the BUAD (lower-level business) classification. Once students meet the requirements for entry into junior- and senior-level business courses (completion of 60 hours and the following eight classes- ACCT 229, ACCT 230, ECON 202, ECON 203, INFO 210, MATH 141, MATH 142, and MGMT 211) they will select Business Honors (BHNR) as their major. They may also declare a second business major at that time.

The following categories are part of the Business Honors curriculum:

  1. Students must complete 30 hours of honors course work from the following categories:
    1. BUSN 125H and MGMT 466H (6 hours)
    2. Six (6) hours of non-business honors chosen from core curriculum requirements or non-business general electives, i.e. select from humanities, sciences, math, social sciences, international electives, etc
    3. Eighteen (18) hours of business honors course work chosen from the Common Body of Knowledge. You need to take all of these courses but will chose at least 6 of the 10 courses to take as honors:ACCT 229 - Introductory Accounting- Financial
      ACCT 230 - Introductory Accounting- Managerial
      BUSN 201 - Integrated Worklife Competencies
      INFO 210 - Fundamentals of Information Systems
      MGMT 211 - Legal & Social Environment of Business
      FINC 341 - Business Finance
      INFO 303 - Statistical methods
      INFO 364 - Operations management
      MGMT 363 - The Management Process
      MKTG 321 - Marketing
  2. Required Courses
    1. BUSN 125H - Business Learning Community *
    2. MGMT 466H - Strategic Management **
    3. BUSN 484 - Internship
  3. Business Electives (Select 5 courses for a total of 15 credit hours):
    Any 300-or 400- level business course (ACCT, FINC, IBUS, INFO, MGMT, MKTG) except FINC 309/409, 341; INFO 303,309, 364; MGMT 309,363,466; MKTG 309/409, 321. At least one of these courses must be designated as writing intensive (W). Select in consultation with a department academic advisor.
  4. Double Major: Students can double major in Business Honors and one of the five other BBA business fields of study (accounting, finance, information and operations management, management, and marketing) by selecting all 15 hours of Business Electives and the 11 hours of general elective credits from one major. Triple majors are not allowed.

*Students selected for Business Honors as second semester freshmen: BUSN100 (1 credit) and BUSN 101 (2 credits) will be substituted for BUSN 125. Students who did not complete BUSN101 MUST enroll in BUSN 125 in the fall semester of their sophomore year. Students who completed BUSN 101 but not BUSN will be required to enroll in BUSN 100 in the fall semester of their sophomore year.

**Note for Professional Program students: You will receive business honors credit for MGMT 680 which you take in place of MGMT 466.

Click here to see the business honors courses currently being offered.

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Professional Development Events

Students must attend a minimum of three professional development events each academic year. These events are to be chosen from the Executive Speaker Series breakfasts and lunches with executives, professional development trips (both in-state and out-of-state), the book discussion group, the Career Skills Series, and other events offered by Business Honors.

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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:

  • 3.5 or higher - student is in good standing with the program.
  • 3.25-3.49 - the student will be placed on probation. The student can remain in their business honors classes and can pre-register for business honors classes for the semester following the semester of probation but will not have early honors registration privileges and cannot register for university honors classes. In addition, students will receive a letter from University Honors concerning their non-business honors classes. They will be dropped from their non-business honors classes unless they petition the professor teaching the course.
  • 3.25 or lower - Students will be dismissed from Business Honors and dropped from their business honors classes. They will receive a letter from the University Honors concerning their non-business honors classes and will be dropped from these classes unless they petition the professor teaching the course.

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

  • 3.5 or higher - Students are in good standing with the program but will not be granted probation again.
  • 3.25-3.49 - Students are dismissed from the program but can remain in their business honors classes. A student can appeal and request a second semester of probation.
  • 3.25 or lower - Students are dismissed form the program and will be dropped from their business honors classes.

Appeals for a second semester of probation

If, at the end of the first semester of probation, the student has not regained a 3.5 cumulative GPR, the student will be dismissed from the program. However, a second semester of probation may be requested if it is possible for the student to regain a 3.5 cumulative GPR by the end of that semester.

All appeals must be submitted in writing or by email to the director of the program. The letter should detail why the student believes the appeal should be granted. Appeals must be received by the deadline stated in the dismissal letter.

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Students 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.

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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.

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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.

AP Scores Required for Honors Credit (Microsoft Word Document)

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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.

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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.

Note for Professional Program students: You will receive credit for MGMT 680 which you take in place of MGMT 466. However, MGMT 643 (taken in lieu of MGMT 212) will not count towards your Business Honors requirements.

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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 (pdf file). 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.

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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.

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Advising

Students in the program can see a member of Business Honors staff at any time. However, the Business Honors staff members are not academic advisors. Freshman and sophomores should schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Undergraduate Program Office (UPO) to discuss course selection and other academic issues.

Upperclassmen should see an advisor in their department.

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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 Pre-registration page at 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 six 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. If not taking an honors class in the following semester, the student will need to use their regular registration time.If a student does not take an honors class in a particular semester, they will still receive both an early honors registration time and a regular registration time through NEO (assuming the student has previously completed six hours of honors coursework) and should use the appropriate registration time to register for classes for the following semester.
  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 Pre-Registration, students select the business honors courses they want and are pre-registered for those classes. Then, 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 six hours of honors credit and who are enrolling in one or more honors courses.
  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.

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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.

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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.

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