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As a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council, the Academic Honors Program at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) offers highly motivated undergraduates enriched studies in their academic major. Completion of honors requirements varies by academic program, but each includes opportunities for students to actively engage in more advanced study through coursework and a capstone project that can include research or creative work presented in a scholarly venue. Students completing a program's academic honors requirements are recognized at CMU's Commencement Ceremony.

Application Process and Qualifications

General: Students seeking participation in an Academic Honors Program must have earned at least 45 semester credit hours with a minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) at the time of application. An application process occurs each spring semester, and interested students should contact the Academic Department Head for the application deadline. In addition to the credit hour and GPA qualifications, an applicant also should submit:

  1. an application form obtained from the program contact shown below ; AND
  2. a summary of no more than one, single-spaced page that
    1. details the applicant's scholarly background, community and/or University service, and academic awards; AND
    2. describes briefly why s/he is applying for an academic honors program of study.

Admission to the Honors Program is competitive. Applications will be reviewed by faculty members in the appropriate program/department, and students will be notified on their acceptance status within the timeframe indicated in the program-specific information.

Chemistry Program: The following additional requirements apply to applicants for honors in chemistry.

  1. The applicant is a chemistry major.
  2. The applicant has completed at least the following courses required for the chemistry major:
    CHEM 131, 131L, 132, 132L, 311, 311L, 312, and 312L.
  3. The applicant has a GPA of at least 3.50 in all CHEM-prefix courses required for the chemistry major that are complete at the time of application.

Program Requirements

General Requirements: All students completing an Academic Honors program of study are expected to complete a senior capstone activity. The activity can range from an honor's thesis to a creative work to an undergraduate research project. Additionally, students must present the results of their activity in a scholarly venue approved by their Academic Honors Program advisor (e.g., CMU's Student Showcase, a regional meeting for the relevant discipline).

Requirements Specific to Chemistry Majors: Students must meet the following requirements to receive honors in chemistry.

  1. Completion of the chemistry major with a GPA of at least 3.50 in all courses required for the major having a CHEM prefix.
  2. Satisfactory completion of three credit hours of structured research in chemistry and three credit hours of honors research conducted under the sponsorship of a chemistry professor.
  3. Satisfactory completion of a 50-minute public presentation on honors thesis work.

Program Contact

David Weinberg
970.248.1593
[email protected]