UMA Undergraduate Guide 2012-2013 Academic Policies and Regulations General Information University Graduation Requirements Graduation with Honors
Graduation with Honors
All graduating seniors are eligible for Latin honors designations on their transcripts if their complete academic records show at least 54 calculable credits (not pass/fail) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and meet one or more of the following criteria: 1. to receive degrees summa cum laude, students’ GPAs must place them among the top 5 percent of the graduating class of their school or college; 2. to receive degrees magna cum laude, students’ GPAs must place them among the top 10 percent but not among the top 5 percent of the graduating class of their school or college; 3. to receive degrees cum laude, students’ GPAs must place them among the top 25 percent but not among the top 10 percent of the graduating class of their school or college. At the start of the fall semester, the Registrar’s Office will post on its website the GPA needed to secure a place in the top 5, 10, and 25 percent in each school or college, based on the average of the previous three years’ graduating classes. The following four Commonwealth Honors College Scholar distinctions are awarded for successful completion of the full honors college curriculum, which is comprised of General Studies plus Advanced Scholarship honors coursework. Multidisciplinary Honors is another Commonwealth Honors College Advanced Scholarship option that students may pursue regardless of their participation in the Commonwealth Honors College General Studies option. Multidisciplinary Honors allows highly motivated honors students the opportunity to propose programs of study outside their major(s) or between two or more disciplines. It acknowledges a student’s acquisition of substantive knowledge and skills in multiple fields and the synthesis of that learning in the honors capstone experience. One option for completing this track is the Citizen Scholars Program. All Multidisciplinary Honors options require a minimum final overall GPA of 3.400 and grades of B or higher earned in four honors courses, including one at or above the 300-level plus the 6- or more-credit honors thesis or project and its manuscript properly formatted to Commonwealth Honors College standards. This distinction appears on the transcript as "Multidisciplinary Honors." General Studies Honors is awarded to Commonwealth Honors College students who by graduation have completed the Commonwealth Honors College General Studies curriculum with earned grades of B or higher, earned grades of B or higher in their General Education integrative experiences, and final overall GPAs of 3.400 or higher, and who do not complete one of the Commonwealth Honors College Advanced Scholarship options. This distinction appears on the transcript as "General Studies Honors." More detailed information on honors college requirements is located in the Commonwealth Honors College section of this Guide and on the honors college website at www.honors.umass.edu/curriculum-overview. |
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