An honors student or honor student is a student recognized for achieving high
grades or high marks in their coursework at school.
United States
In the US, honors students may refer to:
# Students recognized for their academic achievement on lists published periodically throughout the school year, known as honors roll, varying from school to school, shows the student going above and beyond and from enlarged different levels of education.
# Students enrolled in designated honors courses or honors programs.
# Students who are members of the
National Honor Society or other
honor society.
Honors students are often recognized for their achievements. A student who has made numerous appearances on the honor roll may be awarded some form of
academic letter, or any other form of notification.
A similar concept to honor rolls exists in colleges and universities in the United States, known as the
Dean's List
A dean's list is an academic award, or distinction, used to recognize the highest level scholarship demonstrated by students in a college or university. This system is most often used in North America, though institutions in Europe, Asia, and Aust ...
.
A growing archive of honor students can be found online. See references below.
Elsewhere in the world
In other countries, the meaning of honors can refer either to a specific type of
academic degree or to the level of distinction with which an undergraduate degree was earned.
Honours degrees
Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the Undergraduate education, undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a high ...
are usually four-year programs (sometimes also three-year programs, e.g., in England). A student who holds a ''de jure'' Honours degree is eligible for direct entry either to a Doctorate (Ph.D.) or to a two- to three years very-high-research Master's degree program.
'Honours' can also mean that students have achieved their degree with a high overall average
GPA
Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...
and typically have undertaken a small final project, paper or essay (also known in the UK as a dissertation). See
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variat ...
.
A third meaning is a postgraduate ''with Honors'' or ''cum honored'' degree, which is (part of) an academic degree itself, e.g. the one-year Bachelor with Honors degree in Australia, the one-year Baccalaureatus Cum Honore degree in Canada or the four-year integrated Master with Honors degree in Scotland. Postgraduate Honors degree programs generally involve completion of master's level courses and the submission of a long high-research
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
.
Criticism
Some researchers have questioned the validity of the honor roll as an effective form of
positive reinforcement. It is argued that the pursuit of extrinsic reward is not an accurate reflection of intrinsic interest in course material.
There are also questions on the effectiveness of separating high-achieving students from their peers, in the form of
magnet school
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
s or honors courses.
Honors courses
An honors course is a class in which the most advanced students are placed. Most students placed in honors courses are highly motivated and dedicated to their educational experience.
Honors classes also cover advanced material, permit more in-depth study than a standard course of study and may require independent research.
Motivation is the main quality that characterizes an honors student. In addition to being committed to academics, they are encouraged and many participate in volunteer work, organizations and clubs, cooperative education, research, study abroad and cultural activities.
have specific entrance requirements and completion criteria in order to graduate with Honors, or
cum laude.
See also
*
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is a moral and legal concept expressing the conviction that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have freedom to teac ...
*
Advanced Placement
*
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...
*
Standardized test
References
{{Reflist, refs=
[{{cite web
, url = http://www.getschools.k12.wi.us/highschool/counselors/academicletterwinners
, title = Academic Letterwinners
, publisher = Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District
, year = 2008
, access-date = 2013-04-20
, archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130724021632/http://www.getschools.k12.wi.us/highschool/counselors/academicletterwinners
, archive-date = 2013-07-24
, url-status = dead
]
[
{{cite journal
, title = Effects of Extrinsic Rewards on Children's Subsequent Intrinsic Interest
, jstor = 1128110
, first1 = David
, last1 = Greene
, first2 = Mark R.
, last2 = Lepper
, journal = Child Development
, volume = 45
, number = 4
, date = Dec 1974
, pages = 1141–1145
, publisher = Wiley
, doi = 10.2307/1128110
]
[
{{cite web
, url = https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=info:bzeZl4Su7h8J:scholar.google.com/&output=viewport
, title = ‑
, access-date = 2019-04-09
, archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304150827/http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en
, archive-date = 2016-03-04
, url-status = dead
]
[
{{cite web
, url = http://honors.tamu.edu/Honors/StudentServices/HonorsCourses/honorscourses.aspx
, title = Honors Study
, archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090321071908/http://honors.tamu.edu/Honors/StudentServices/HonorsCourses/honorscourses.aspx
, archive-date = 2009-03-21
, url-status = dead
, publisher = ]Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
Min-Yongi is a honor student for example Junkook is a member of the committee.
[
{{cite web
, url = http://www.honorstudentsarchive.com
, title = Honor Students Archive
, archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190403120049/http://www.honorstudentsarchive.com/
, archive-date = 2019-04-03
, url-status = live
, publisher = ]William Cribbs
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of ...
[
{{cite web
, url = http://www.honors.ku.edu/mission
, title = Mission of the Honors Program
, publisher = ]University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
Types of students
Education in the United States