Honors College Brochure

F L O R I D A I N T E R N A T I O N A L U N I V E R S I T Y

The Honors College is the center for academic excellence at Florida International University.

We provide innovative educational and character-building enhancements that develop top

students into tomorrow’s leaders. Our seminars allow students to explore cutting-edge

pedagogy that fosters intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, problem solving, and leadership

skills. A pioneer in community involvement, the Honors College offers engagement

opportunities for students to take learning beyond the classroom, and contribute to the

quality and development of the University’s underserved surrounding communities. We are a

small community with a big outreach; offering a personal environment with unlimited potential

where all our students can excel. The Honors College is Worlds Ahead!

EXPLORE. ENGAGE. EXCEL.

Opportunities in the Honors College:

• Priority registration

• Notation on transcript: “Graduated through the Honors College”

• Kaplan exam prep course discounts

• Guaranteed Interviews for the FIU College of Medicine

• Accelerated 3 + 3 Program with the College of Law

• Exclusive scholarships

• Individual advising

• Study abroad opportunities

• Undergraduate research opportunities

• Access to exclusively listed jobs and internships

• Community service opportunities

• Leadership training

• Small classes and close relationships with professors

• Mentoring through partnerships with community and business leaders

• Extended library privileges

• Student information technology centers

• Honors Place living and learning communities

• Excellence lectures and colloquia with leading scholars and policy makers

• National and regional conference participation

• Honors Convocation Contest recognizing student excellence in the arts

• Awards Assembly for graduating seniors

• Special recognition at commencement

• Honors Alumni Association

T H E H O N O R S C O L L E G E

EXPLORE“ The courses challenged me to think outside the box and helped me set high standards for myself.”

Faculty Fellows Honors faculty are carefully selected from more than a thousand faculty members at the university for their accomplishments as teachers and scholars. For a listing of the current Honors College Faculty Fellows visit our website, http://honors.fiu.edu/fac_faculty.htm

The Honors College CurriculumStudents may pursue any major available at the university and at the same time complete the Honors curriculum. In most cases, participation in the Honors College does not increase the number of credits required for graduation. In their first two years, students enroll in a year-long Honors seminar designed to stimulate thoughtful discussion, creativity, and communications skills. In the final two years, students may choose from several options, including study abroad, an ARCH project, an honors thesis in the major, or another seminar.

All classes are interdisciplinary and many are team-taught. Professors generally meet with the same small group of students throughout the year. The curriculum emphasizes critical, integrative, and creative thinking; group and independent research; oral presentation; international awareness; close contact between students and faculty; and integration of class work with the broader community. The seminars bring together professors of different disciplines to offer the opportunity to explore the “big questions” of human existence.

ARCH Advanced Research and Creativity in Honors allows talented undergraduate students to conduct individual research with faculty at FIU. Students can choose an ARCH project in their third or fourth year to fulfill one year’s 6 credit Honors requirement. The program is also open to sophomores for zero credit. Students are paired with a faculty mentor and work on a project for a year. The project is then presented at our annual conference and published online. It will also be considered for publication in Saraswati, the Honors College online research journal.

The program contributes to academic and intellectual development, provides an opportunity to develop skills that prove useful in any career, and offers an opportunity to meet and work with leading experts.


“The Honors College provided me with a broader and more rounded cultural and educational experience.”

The Honors College has been conducting study abroad programs since 1994. Our programs fulfill one year (6 credits) of Honors College upper division requirements. These programs offer students the opportunity to experience immersion in another culture while pursuing a rigorous academic program integrated with the Honors curriculum.

The AmazonThis program is an innovative and interdisciplinary service research course that culminates with four weeks in modern accommodations in the Amazon rainforest of Peru, including twenty-days at biological research stations in the ecologically diverse upper Amazon rainforest region, where students work directly with indigenous peoples on previously

planned research projects that benefit the tribe. An additional five days are spent in Iquitos, Peru.

France: Art, War, and Human Rights This program, led by dynamic Honors professor John Bailly, focuses on an interdisciplinary examination of France’s dramatic political, intellectual, and cultural conflicts. Starting in Paris, it allows students to discover the Louvre, the Orsay, Les Invalides, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and other museums and monuments. Participants will also learn from castles of the Loire, the beaches of Normandy, and the city of Strasbourg.

Italy: Empire, Renaissance, and Individualism This program takes participants to Rome, Pompeii, Napoli, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, and Venice. Participants visit major sites of cultural importance in each city, including the Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Forum, the Sistine Chapel. The course recreates history through the stories of individuals and relating those stories to our own. The program covers fields such as history, anthropology, architecture, religious studies, and art history.

Nepal This unique service-learning trip will take you to the home of Mount Everest, the Buddha, and the exotic city of Katmandu. While you will have plenty of time to explore this ancient and culturally rich land, you will also have an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of its economically disadvantaged children. For part of the trip, you will actually live with a Nepali family while tutoring or performing other desperately needed services in a mountain village.*

China Explore the culture and history of this fast-rising economic power. Faculty with years of experience in China will lead you on a journey of discovery through this fascinating country.*

*Details of these trips are pending.

For more information on all of our programs please go to http://honors.fiu.edu/study_abrd_programs.htm.



ENGAGE“ Through community service opportunities and lectures, I have grown not only as a professional, but also as a human being.”

Sweetwater Partnership This innovative partnership is a collaborative community service program between the Honors College and the City of Sweetwater designed to:• Engage students in a variety of projects that improve the quality of life of Sweetwater

residents• Provide students with internship opportunities to develop leadership skills, practice

civic engagement, and learn about the management and governance of a small city.• Help to integrate FIU more fully into the Sweetwater community, form a model for

future town-gown partnerships, and strengthen university-government relations.

Programs already in place include the following:• Internships in the office of the Mayor of Sweetwater and other sites.• Tutoring, an athletic program for girls, teaching about the Everglades, and an

Evening with the Arts at the Sweetwater Elementary School.• Tutoring, a Thanksgiving bash, and internships at The Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park.• Computer classes for senior citizens, environmental projects, and citizenship classes.


“ The Honors College provided me with a small community of high-achieving students with whom I formed close relationships.”

Honors Community STUDENT GROUPSBeing a part of the Honors College is not only about what classes you take or what programs you attend; it is also about being engaged with your peers. The Honors College offers a wide array of student organizations for you to explore that will enrich your experience and allow you to excel during your time at FIU.

Depending on your interests, you can join one or all of the Honors College student organizations. Each one offers a different set of programs and activities through which you will meet new people, learn leadership skills and find your niche in Honors. Other groups help prepare you for graduate and professional schools and future careers.

GEP – Gamma Epsilon Phi Honors Society - Modesto Maidique Campus

TSA – Tau Sigma Alpha Honors Society - Biscayne Bay Campus

MUSE – Mentoring University Students for Excellence

STITCH – Pre-medical Students Taking Initiatives Through Collaborations in Honors

PLC – Pre-Law Community

HOW – Helping Our World

Honors College Residence Halls Voted “Best Living and Learning Community” in the state of Florida by Florida Leader magazine, Honors Place is a close-knit and welcoming community of Honors College students who live and learn together. Honors College students who would like to live on campus may choose from two options: Honors Place in Lakeview Hall at Modesto A. Maidique Campus (for first-year Honors students) or Honors Place in Everglades Hall at Modesto A. Maidique Campus (for Honors students sophomore level and above).


EXCEL“ We don’t settle for what is expected.”

PRE-PROFESSIONAL BENEFITS

Benefits for Pre-Med Students Students interested in medical school will have a special advantage if they are members of the Honors College. All students who successfully graduate through the Honors College, meet minimum medical school requirements, and apply to FIU’s Wertheim College of Medicine will be guaranteed an interview for admission. Of the over 4,000 applications to the medical school, only a few hundred will receive interviews. In addition, pre-medical students can take advantage of the MCAT discount with Kaplan, and the group for pre-med students, STITCH.

Benefits for Pre-Law Students The Honors College offers an exciting program for students who are serious about going to law school. The Honors Accelerated 3+3 Law Program is an early admission program in which a student’s final undergrad year is the first year of law school. Honors students can take advantage of an SAT discount with Kaplan and our pre-law community which prepares them for successful admission.

Discounts on Kaplan Prep Courses To help you prepare for professional school exams, the Honors College offers exclusive discounts for preparation courses through the Kaplan program on campus. Students interested in going to medical, law, business, or graduate school can take advantage of discounts on preparation courses at up to 50% off.


Leadership Training A key to success in the 21st century job market is the development of good leadership skills. As an Honors College student, you’ll be exposed to exclusive leadership training. The one-credit leadership course and Honors Citizenship Requirements will teach you how to identify your strengths, develop your values, and get you engaged with the community.

Internship and EmploymentOpportunities Eighty-five percent of graduates who are hired right out of college have had previous internship experience. The Honors College provides exclusive internship and employment opportunities with partners from the community who are looking for the highest caliber graduates.

“ Being in the Honors College shows potential employers and graduate schools that you are determined and you like to challenge yourself.”


Scholarships AvailableGerald C. Grant Jr. Scholarship: Awards $1000 per year. Open to all Honors College students. Priority consideration is given to students of African-American descent.

Harvey L. Young Family Foundation Scholarship: Awards $2000 per year and is renewable. Open to Honors College students who are Florida residents and have financial need.

Jordan Castellon & Ricardo LLC Scholarship: Awards $1000 per year and is renewable. Open to all Honors College students. Priority consideration is given to students pursuing undergraduate studies in the College of Business Administration.

Lucille E. Snaith Memorial Honors College Scholarship: Awards $2500 per year and is renewable. Open to Honors College students who have financial need. Candidates must be Miami-Dade or Broward County residents and U.S. Citizens. Preference is given to incoming freshmen.

Philip and Euline Seecharan Scholarship: Awards $500 per year and is renewable. Open to international students of the Honors College who are enrolled full-time.

Sheri Anne Graham Scholarship: Awards $2000 per year and is renewable. Open to incoming freshmen in the Honors College who demonstrate financial need and intend to major in the physical and social sciences, liberal studies, or fine and performing arts. Candidates must be Miami-Dade County residents and U.S Citizens.

Tony Menendez Computer Scholarship: Awards a new laptop computer with unlimited technical support. Open to incoming freshmen in the Honors College who have financial need.

Incoming FreshmenAll high school students applying to FIU for the Fall term are evaluated for competitive, merit-based scholarship packages. Visit http://admissions.fiu.edu for information on university scholarships.

Transfer ScholarshipsFor priority consideration, the Honors College application and required materials must be submitted by February 15.

Willis Holcombe Scholarship: Award covers full cost of in-state tuition. Open to graduates of Broward College. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 is required.

Eduardo Padron Scholarship: Award covers full cost of in-state tuition. Open to graduates of Miami-Dade College. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 is required

Presidential Transfer Scholarship: Award covers full cost of in-state tuition. Available to graduates of all Florida community colleges. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 is required. Students who are interested in this award must submit a letter of recommendation from the college President.

FIU / Community College Honors Scholarship: Award provides $750 per semester for a maximum of four semesters. Open to graduates of Miami-Dade and Broward College who have received an A.A. degree. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 is required.

Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship: Each year, one outstanding member of PTK is awarded $2000 per year for a maximum of two years. Students who are interested in this award must submit a letter of recommendation from their PTK faculty advisor. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 is required.

PTK All-Florida Academic Team Scholarship: Award covers full cost of in-state tuition. Available to graduates of a Florida community college who have been identified as a member of the PTK All-Florida Academic Team.

HONORS COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPSApplications available online at: http://honors.fiu.edu/hcscholarships


HONORS COLLEGE APPLICATION(University application also must be completed: http://admissions.fiu.edu/) I plan to enter the Honors College during the fall term, 20______

Name Panther ID

Address City State Zip

Home Telephone Number Email Address

High school or college

Campus you will most likely attend: MMC BBC

Student Status: Freshman Transfer FIU Student GPA________________ SAT________________ ACT________________

Number of Prior College Credits Major

Please answer one of the following questions in an essay of approximately 500 words:

1. Some scholars say that the highest value in Western civilization today is promoting the many-sided creativity of each individual, rather than training persons to be highly specialized experts. Do you agree with this perspective? What could be the negative aspects of promoting individual creativity as the highest value?

2. Choose a currently controversial topic and discuss it in a factual, clearly argued essay. Be certain to clearly cite your sources (in-text citations are fine) and attach an appropriate bibliography.

3. If you could have lunch with any historical figure, who would it be and why?

Priority consideration deadline: February 15 Final deadline: May 1

Application Standards Incoming Freshmen •3.5weightedGPA•1850SAT(combinedReading,Math,

and Writing) •28ACT•Essay•Resume

Current FIU Students •3.3FIUGPA•Essay•Resume

Transfer Students •3.3collegeGPA•Essay•2recommendationletters•Officialtranscriptfromprevious

institutions•Resume

Please mail application to:The Honors CollegeFlorida International UniversityModesto A. Maidique Campus, DM 233Miami, FL 33199

Telephone: 305-348-4100Web: honors.fiu.edu

honors.fiu.edu

Honors College Brochure

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