Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Requirements*
The curriculum of the Honors College requires a minimum of 30 hours of honors credit, with at least 18 hours by the end of the sophomore year. The following nine hours are required:
- Honors 101 (3 hours);
- Honors 102 (3 hours);
- Honors Capstone credit (at least 3 hours).
It also is expected that most students will earn 1-6 hours of honors credit for the Capstone experience. The remaining hours are on a menu plan: students choose honors sections of regular courses, take honors recitations that accompany some departmental courses, or enroll in special honors course offerings.
Honors 101/102: These two courses will satisfy the six-hour Freshman Composition requirement. However, if you have earned those credits through AP, IB, or dual-enrollment, then you may use Hon 101/102 for other requirements. If used as humanities and social science credit, Honors 101 and 102 function differently in the various colleges and schools:
| Business, Accountancy, & Pharmacy: | 6 credit hours of humanities |
| Liberal Arts & Engineering: | 3 credit hours of humanities 3 credit hours of social science |
| Education, Applied Sciences, & Journalism: | 3 credit hours humanities 3 credit hours of elective credit |
| General Studies: | 3 credit hours of humanities and 3 hours of social science OR 6 credit hours of either humanities or social science |
GPA: Students must have a minimum of a 3.50 grade point average in order to graduate as a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors Scholar. In the service of accomplishing this goal, Honors students must attain a minimum GPA of 3.20 at the end of the freshman year, a 3.40 at the end of the sophomore year, and a 3.50 by the end of the junior year. During the senior year, students should have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA.
Honors Hours: SMBHC students must complete 12 honors hours by the end of their first year (including Hon 101 and 102), 18 cumulative hours by the end of their second year, and 30 cumulative hours (including capstone-related hours) to graduate.
Community Action: Honors students are expected to participate in ten hours of the Community Action Challenge each fall and spring semester. The college accepts a wide variety of experiences from churches, clubs and campus organizations as fulfilling this requirement. Students log their hours through UM’s GivePulse platform.
Year-by-Year Guide for Students
The following is based on a student earning a bachelor’s degree in four years (8 semesters). Students planning a different track (3 years, 4 ½ years, etc.) should consult with the Honors College staff.
By the end of each year, students should have completed the following:
*For Honors Scholars program requirements, visit the Honors Scholars program page.