Program OptionsHonors programThe honors program offers challenging experiences of unusual breadth in the arts and humanities and in the social-behavioral and natural sciences. By stressing liberal studies in the freshman and sophomore year, interdisciplinary study in the junior year, and independent study in the senior year, the honors program enables students to develop both broad and focused intellectual interests.
The honors program further enriches the experiences of its members by creating opportunities for them to develop a sense of community and to meet faculty and guests of the university in informal settings.
Students with high ACT scores are invited to participate in the honors program during the freshman year. Formal admission to the program is granted at the end of the freshman year to students who have achieved a 3.3 GPA.
Students in the honors program are expected to enroll in DAS 110 Introduction to the Honors Program and ENGL 110 Honors English I. Students must complete: two seminars, one in social sciences or humanities and one in the natural sciences or mathematics; an interdisciplinary colloquium; and research leading to a senior thesis, an independent creative/research project, under the supervision of a faculty member of the student's choice. Honors sections of regular Arts and Sciences classes are also available each semester.
The senior study culminates in an honors thesis or other documentation of performance, which is filed with the director. This project is invaluable as evidence of a student's ability to organize and complete a study independently. It provides evidence of capability to do well in graduate studies and may enable the student to strengthen significantly an application to graduate school. It may also help make the case for a scholarship application or serve as the impetus for more detailed investigation later in the student's career.
A student who has a grade point average of 3.3 and who receives a positive evaluation by the director may be admitted to the honors program as late as the beginning of the junior year. Students who wish to be considered for late admission should contact the director.
For more information, contact the director of the honors program, College of Arts and Sciences, Office of the Dean.
Certificate in the study of the arts and sciences through primary texts
This program of study provides students with an opportunity to take part in a conversation with some of the best thinkers humankind has produced. The study of primary texts or original works in areas such as philosophy, politics, literature, and the sciences encourages critical thinking. In addition, there is a growing acknowledgment among employers that the type of training this certificate provides develops lifelong learners and future leaders. This program also gives students who want to pursue graduate education early experience in grappling with original works such as they will inevitably encounter in graduate school.
The certificate is an 18-hour program of study that students can tailor to their interests and needs. At least nine hours must be at the 500 level or above. Selected courses must cover at least three academic disciplines. Transfer courses that can be documented to have substantial primary text content may be accepted for the program, but at least half of the courses must be completed at K-State.
Students must submit to the director an essay on a question listed on the certificate website and/or approved by a participating professor. This essay will be kept on file until students are taking or have completed their final course in the program, whereupon they will be asked to revisit the question and improve the essay as a capstone assignment. In order to receive the certificate, students must have a minimum 2.75 GPA in the program at the time they graduate.
Students can count certificate courses towards the fulfillment of other College of Arts and Sciences requirements. As long as they are also designated as university general education in the line schedule, courses taken for the certificate can also be counted toward the 18 hours of UGE needed to graduate. Certificate courses that also fit the basic or distribution requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences can be used to fulfill those requirements. Certificate courses that also happen to be a part of a student's major or minor can be counted for fulfillment of the requirements of both the certificate and the major or minor.
Since many courses that can be used to fulfill the certificate requirement are already being offered, some students may have already made progress toward fulfilling the requirements before the program was formally approved in spring 2001. If they are currently enrolled at K-State such students will be given full credit for those courses. Students who think they have fulfilled part or all of the requirements for this certificate are urged to contact the director.
Students should notify the director of their interest in the program as soon as possible in their college career. The director will provide advising and provide information on scholarships, groups, and activities and events of interest. The director and participating faculty will keep a list of courses for the next semester available for students. Students will also be able to find a list of applicable courses and other information on the certificate website.
Study abroad
The Office of Study Abroad should be the first stop for students who wish to study in another country for a year, a semester, a summer, or an intersession.
In addition to a number of good language programs, there are opportunities to study almost every subject from art to zoology in Africa, Asia, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. Every attempt is made to ensure the best match between the interests of a student and the ingredients of a program sponsored by K-State or by another institution.
Students may apply for scholarships, such as the Fulbright or the Pearson, or scholarship-exchanges, such as the K-State/Justus Liebig year abroad. Through the International Student Exchange Program it is possible to study for a semester or a year at one of 100 colleges and universities outside the U.S. for the same cost as tuition, room, and board at K-State. Financial aid from almost every agency is applicable to all credit-earning programs.
Cooperative education
Secondary teacher certification
By combining a traditional academic major with teaching certification, students can be assured of varied choices after graduation. By pursuing an arts and sciences major, students also have the option of working toward a bachelor of arts degree and studying a foreign language. In addition, the teaching certification will qualify graduates to teach in a public secondary school. For specific certification requirements in secondary education, see the College of Education section of this catalog.
Women in engineering and science program
WESP activities include on-campus speakers, career exploration panels, workforce preparation programs, and social events to facilitate student and faculty contact. Students are also encouraged to become involved in WESP's ongoing research and outreach programs to middle and high school girls. For more information, contact the program director, Dr. Suzanne E. Franks, by phone (785-532-3395) or by e-mail at wesp@ksu.edu. More information about WESP is available at www.ksu.edu/wesp.
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