The Honors College

• Keith Garbutt, PhD—Dean
• Richard Frohock, PhD—Associate Dean
• John Andrews, PhD—Teaching Assistant Professor
• Stephanie Miller, PhD—Teaching Associate Professor
• Ebonie Hill—Program Manager
• Shelly Schauer—Administrative Assistant
• Katie Parr—Honors Academic Counselor
• Braxton Sherment—Honors Academic Counselor
• Aryanna Tapp—Honors Academic Counselor
• Christine Thomas, PhD—Honors Academic Counselor
• Bella Vu—Honors Academic Counselor
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• Oklahoma State University is an active member of the National Collegiate Honors Council and the Great Plains Honors Council. The Honors College Degree is composed of a university-wide General Honors component and specialized upper-division components at the departmental or college levels. The Honors College provides academically talented students with the opportunity to study, conduct research and exchange ideas in an exciting and supportive academic environment. Honors sections are offered in many general education courses, and special honors seminars, add-ons and interdisciplinary honors courses also are available. Honors classes are taught by outstanding faculty members and the classes are small in size to facilitate active student involvement. Additionally, the honors experiential learning program allows students to earn honors credit for meaningful, substantive activities that take them beyond the classroom. A wide range of specified activities (arranged under the headings Academics, Arts, Leadership, Study Away, and Service) can qualify for honors points (equivalent to hours) that can be applied toward the general honors award (GHA), to maintain active status, and/or toward additional hours needed for the honors degree after completion of the GHA and departmental/college awards.

Completion of the requirements for the General Honors Award leads to special designation on the student's OSU transcript, as does completion of the requirements for the Departmental or College Honors Award in the student's academic major. Students who earn a minimum of 36 honors credit hours and complete the Departmental or College Honors Award, as well as the General Honors Award, with a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average at graduation, receive the Honors College Degree, including a special entry on their transcripts and special honors diplomas.

Additional advantages for active participants in The Honors College (minimum of three honors credit hours per semester and nine honors credit hours for each two consecutive semesters for freshmen and sophomores and three honors credit hours per semester for juniors and seniors) include use of The Honors College Study Lounge in Old Central, extended check-out privileges for library materials, priority enrollment for the following semester and an honors housing option in Stout Hall (on a rooms-available basis).

Admission of new freshmen to The Honors College is based on a high school unweighted grade-point average of 3.85 or higher OR high school unweighted grade-point average of 3.75 and an ACT composite score of 27 (or comparable SAT score). If a student has a high school unweighted grade-point average of at least 3.75 and does not have a standardized test score or would like to be considered for Honors College admission without a standardized test score being taken into consideration, the student may petition for admission. The petition form is available when the student applies to The Honors College through the OSU admissions application. Students other than new freshmen may be admitted to The Honors College on the basis of their graduation/retention grade-point average (7-59 hours earned: 3.30; 60-93 hours earned: 3.40; 94 or more hours earned: 3.50). Transfer freshmen must have completed at least seven college credit hours (not including concurrent enrollment while in high school) to be eligible on the basis of college performance if they do not have the required high school grade-point average and ACT score. In addition to meeting the Honors criteria, admission to The Honors College is contingent on space being available. Please apply as early as possible for the best consideration. Students must be admitted to OSU to apply to The Honors College. Apply online at admissions.okstate.edu/apply. There is no additional fee to apply to The Honors College. Honors eligibility is subject to periodic review, so be sure to check with The Honors College for current requirements.

For additional information about The Honors College, interested students should consult the Dean or Program Manager of The Honors College, 101 Old Central or visit https://honors.okstate.edu. 

OSU-Tulsa Honors Award

This award was created for OSU-Tulsa students and is ideal for transfer students. In general, the OSU-Tulsa Honors Award requires a minimum of 21 honors credit hours with a grade of “A” or “B”, including a 3-hour thesis prep and 3-hour thesis or creative component, with a cumulative graduation/retention GPA of 3.50 or higher. Up to nine of the 21 honors credit hours can be transferred in from eligible honors programs. Students who earn the OSU-Tulsa Honors Award receive a certificate and the award is posted to their undergraduate transcripts.

For additional information about the OSU-Tulsa Honors Award, interested students should consult the Program Manager of The Honors College, 101 Old Central or visit https://honors.okstate.edu.

Oklahoma Scholar Leadership Enrichment Program

The Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP) is a statewide academic program designed to develop scholarship and leadership abilities of outstanding students. Students study in intensive, five-day seminars with a distinguished scholar and are selected from Oklahoma's 21 four-year colleges and universities. OSU's sophomore, junior and senior students with a 3.00 GPA are eligible to apply. OSLEP seminars are taken for three hours of credit. The only cost to students is the tuition—the program provides books and room and board during the seminar. The seminars are graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis and are transferred to OSU as Pass/Fail. Application should be made as early in the academic year as possible. Further information and application materials may be obtained from The Honors College, 101 Old Central.

Henry Bellmon Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research

• Jessica Sullins—Director
• Latasha Tasci—Program Manager
• Justin Jones—Administrative Assistant

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  OSU has long been a national leader and innovator in scholar development and, more recently, undergraduate research. For over 25 years, this office has prepared students for the future, whether in competition for prestigious national/international fellowships, admission to top graduate schools, securing highly competitive jobs, or attaining the skills required to grow as a leader. We offer diverse programs, targeted to a wide range of majors, year classifications, and interests to elevate a large number of students’ undergraduate experience. This office enhances undergraduate opportunity, encourages student-faculty mentoring, and promotes retention through five primary areas:

1. Scholarship/Fellowship Success
   Outstanding students can compete for a wide range of prestigious national and international scholarships as sophomores, juniors and seniors at OSU, such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, Udall, and others. In addition, there is a host of lesser-known but still valuable opportunities that require students to prepare competitive applications. This office monitors student progress, provides important information, supplies support, and plans courses and activities that can lead to success in these areas. Interested students can contact the office to inquire about opportunities and strategies. Often faculty will nominate candidates who have been performing at a high level academically and displaying other qualities through leadership and community service. Early identification of freshmen and sophomores is especially important for the student to gain the most from these programs.
2. Writers' Workshop
   All successful applicants who are awarded with an OSU institutional nomination for the Truman, Goldwater and Udall scholarships receive an invitation to participate in the annual Burns and Ann Hargis Writers’ Workshop at the OSU Doel Reed Center in Taos, New Mexico. Significant scholarship support is provided for each nominee to participate in the workshop, which is held during the last week of students’ winter break (early January). OSU faculty and staff from the office join forces to mentor student nominees and to provide feedback on their national application materials.
3. Undergraduate Research
   An incentive for the kinds of students who are considered OSU’s best and brightest, the Lew Wentz Foundation and generous donors provide substantial private funding to OSU for several scholarship programs that are managed in this office. The programs include:
   Freshman Research Scholars Program—whereby top entering students can begin their careers with a scholarship for orientation to research ($1,000 each);
   Wentz Research Scholars Program—an opportunity for undergraduates to plan and perform high-level research under the direction of a faculty mentor ($4,500 each);
   Purdie Research Scholars Program—support for undergraduate research in chemistry, geology, or physics ($6,500 each);
   ​Undergraduate Research Scholar Transcript Designation—Thanks to opportunities in undergraduate research at OSU, those receiving degrees can qualify for the "Undergraduate Research Scholar" designation on the transcript, a valuable achievement. To be considered, the student must:
   1. For a minimum of two semesters, be engaged in and make intellectual contributions to a research or creative project under the direction of a faculty member and/or faculty-led team; and either
   2. Disseminate the results of their research or creative project at a peer-reviewed state, regional or national conference and/or juried artistic venue such as an art exhibition, concert or festival; or
   3. Publish (or accept for publication) their research project in (1) a peer-reviewed research or professional journal, or (2) an OCES fact sheet or similar educational publication, or (3) have used their research as the basis for development and implementation of peer-reviewed educational programming.
4. Cambridge Scholars Program
   This two-week summer program brings up to 22 of OSU’s top students to the University of Cambridge, UK for a special short course taught by OSU faculty. The program also provides substantial scholarship support for students.
   The benefits of participating in the Cambridge Scholars Program are numerous, especially if the course topic in a given year is of substantial interest to the student. Additional benefits include gaining a better understanding of British education in general and the education system at Cambridge in particular. Many program alumni have gone on to apply for graduate school at the University and have been successful.
5. Individual and Institutional Recognition
   This office strives to promote scholarship and undergraduate ​research at the highest level at OSU through the formal recognition of both individual students and faculty, as well as through the promotion of the University as a whole. Visit the Halligan Hall of Scholars in the Student Union atrium for more information.

For further information on all programs, please contact the office at 405-744-7313 or visit academicaffairs.okstate.edu/scholars.