Newcomb-Tulane College: General Information
Academic Year 2008-2009
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petitioned course. Honors credit is also given for graduate-level courses, and
three-hour Independent Study courses. There are some science courses for which
students are automatically given Honors credit. Please check with the Honors
Program office for a list of these classes.
Honors Colloquia
Each semester Tulane offers a limited number of honors colloquia. These
colloquia, which are interdisciplinary in subject and approach, may be initiated by
students or by faculty and are designed around some integrating factor: a theme, a
period, a creative work, or a problem. Usually the colloquium meets once a week,
in a seminar format, with emphasis upon class discussion. To be eligible for
enrollment in an honors colloquium, a student must be a member of the Tulane
Honors Program, on the Dean's List, or a candidate for a degree with
departmental honors.
Open Curriculum
An open curriculum option is available to students in the Honors Program who
have at least two full semesters remaining before graduation. With the approval of
the Honors Committee and under its guidance, a student may construct all
curricular elements except the core curriculum.
Programs, Events, and Post-graduate Scholarships
The Honors Program sponsors a number of intellectual and cultural programs
during the school year featuring Tulane faculty members and visiting dignitaries
as participants. The program also sponsors social events to bring scholars and the
Honors faculty together informally. Scholars may receive individual academic
advising and career planning from the director of the program and from members
of the Honors faculty.
The coordinator of fellowships works under the auspices of the Honors Program
to help identify promising candidates for fellowships and scholarships such as the
Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill, Truman, and Goldwater, and to assist them in
preparing their applications, supporting materials, and interview strategies.
Graduating with University Honors
To be eligible for University Honors (magna cum laude, and summa cum laude) a
student must fulfill all the requirements of the Honors Program. A student who at
the time of graduation has achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least
3.600, has completed the Honors Program, and has fulfilled the requirements for
departmental honors is awarded the degree magna cum laude. A student who at
the time of graduation has achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least
3.800, has completed the Honors Program, and has fulfilled the requirements for
departmental honors is awarded the degree summa cum laude. Only Tulane
credits are computed in the cumulative grade-point average for Honors
candidates. A student completing two degrees may be awarded University Honors
for both degrees. Eligibility for Honors for each degree will be determined by
grades earned in all course work counting toward the respective degree.