Recognition of Academic Excellence

Cal State L.A. recognizes superior academic achievement by conferring honors upon students with outstanding records at an annual spring Honors Convocation and at the annual Commencement Exercises in June.

Recognition is accorded at the annual Honors Convocation to undergraduate students placed on the Dean’s List, those who were awarded Honors at Entrance and members of the General Education Honors Program,. Students receiving Special Recognition in Graduate Studies are also honored. Also recognized at the Honors Convocation are recipients of academic scholarship awards and juniors and seniors elected to membership in national honor societies. The requirements for Honors at Entrance, Dean’s List, and Certificate of Honor and Special Recognition in Graduate Studies awards are as follows:

Honors at Entrance

First-time freshmen who enter with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on their high school record.

President’s Scholars Program

The President’s Scholarship is the most prestigious award offered by the University to incoming freshmen. Recipients receive $5,000 annually for a maximum of four years based on continuous full-time enrollment and academic performance. Besides the scholarship, President’s Scholars receive free on-campus parking, free admission to on-campus cultural and athletics events, priority registration, membership in the General Education Honors Program and are recognized at an annual reception with the University President. See the Scholarships section for full details.

Dean’s List

Undergraduate students who earn a 3.4 grade point average or higher for a quarter in which they complete 12 or more units of traditionally graded course work and who rank in the upper five percent of students in academic achievement within their college. The preceding eligibility criteria also apply to graduate students seeking a second or subsequent baccalaureate. Students will not be added retroactively to the Dean’s List on the basis of completion of work in which the original grade was IC (Incomplete).

Graduation with Honors

Baccalaureate graduates of Cal State L.A. who maintain an outstanding scholarship record while earning the degree receive special recognition upon graduation. Ten percent of the graduates in each college will receive honors: the top 1% will receive summa cum laude, the next 4% will receive magna cum laude, and the next 5% will receive cum laude. These percentages will be calculated only once for each academic year. The academic year is defined as summer, fall, winter, and spring quarters. At the beginning of each summer quarter, grade point average requirements for graduation with honors will be set by the Registrar’s office. These averages will be determined for each college by applying existing policy to students who have graduated during the past three years.* During the following four quarters (summer, fall, winter, spring) all students attaining these minimum grade point averages will be awarded the corresponding honors at graduation independent of how many students received such honors. Special majors will be included in the competition pool for honors at graduation computation in the college in which they have earned the most units toward their special major. Rehabilitation services majors in the Charter College of Education will be included in the College of Health and Human Services for competition for honors at graduation. Students pursuing an advanced degree or a teaching credential are not eligible for such honors.

^{*Detailed method: The Registrar will look at grade point averages for every student who graduated in a particular college during the past three years. The percentage cutoffs in the current policy (i.e., 1% for summa cum laude, 4% for magna cum laude and 5% for cum laude) will be applied to this combined group to determine grade point average cutoffs for each school.}

General Education Honors Program

Cal State L.A.’s General Education Honors Program provides highly qualified students with diverse, enriched intellectual activities through a separate curriculum which includes honors classes, seminars, and research. Honors courses promote intellectual curiosity, critical reading, and logical thought and writing. These courses have a lower student enrollment than other general education courses and are taught by the University’s finest professors, many of whom are nationally recognized authorities in their field of study. Honors students encounter challenging and rewarding educational experiences.

The General Education Honors Program:

• Facilitates student participation in the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) and the Western Regional Honors Council (WRHC).
• Provides high-potential students an opportunity to participate in intellectually demanding and academically challenging General education courses.
• Offers opportunities for greater interaction with peers and involvement in interdisciplinary learning.
• Identifies Cal State L.A. resources through which high-potential students can receive academic, personal, and career counseling to help them better define and reach their goals.
• Creates opportunities for high-potential students and faculty members to establish closer educational relationships.
• Prepares students for participation in upper division departmental honors programs.

General Education Honors Program Students are offered the following special opportunities:

• Special sections of general education courses. Participation in courses appropriately modified in content, methodology, and level of enrichment for the high potential student.
• Honor societies. Coordination of membership with other honors organizations.
• Priority registration privileges. Students are allowed priority registration privileges.
• Waiver of prerequisites. With department or division approval, students with appropriate background may be allowed to enroll in upper division courses without having met the usual lower division prerequisites.
• Club membership. All program students are invited to hold membership in the General Education Honors Club.

Honors classes that meet general education requirements are available each quarter. These classes are designated as General Education Honors Program courses and enrollment is restricted to honors program students. All courses seek to explore more advanced and sophisticated areas of knowledge than regular general education offerings, although they meet general education requirements. A higher level of achievement is expected. Honors Program students are required to complete at least 24 units of these courses with a minimum B (3.0) grade point average to earn a General Education Honors Program certificate.

For further information, contact the Program Director, Honors Program office, in the Library, Palmer Wing, and phone (323)343-4960.

Departmental Honors Programs

Further recognition of academic excellence is accorded through Cal State L.A.’s departmental honors programs, offered presently in anthropology, biology, chemistry, child development, and physics. Students who maintain a superior grade point average and have faculty recommendation are permitted to enroll in an honors program in their elected major. Considerable freedom is provided students and their advisers in designing enriched programs of study. This may include deviation from traditional course patterns to permit additional work in subjects related to the major, more intensive study in subject areas of special interest, and participation in special colloquia, independent study, individual research, and honors theses.

Students who complete these honors programs receive citations of departmental honors on their transcripts and diplomas.

National Honor Societies

Chapters of more than twenty national honor societies have been chartered at Cal State L.A. to accord recognition to students who demonstrate superior scholarship and leadership in academic areas. A specific minimum grade point average, ranging from 3.0 to 3.85, is required for initiation into each of these honor societies.

Career Placement Information

The campus may furnish, upon request, information about the employment of students who graduate from programs or courses of study preparing students for a particular career field. Any such data provided must be in a form that does not allow for the identification of any individual student. This information includes data concerning the average starting salary and the percentage of previously enrolled students who obtained employment. The information may include data collected from either graduates of the campus or graduates of all campuses in the California State University system. Copies of the published information are available in the Cal State L.A. Office of University Admissions, Student Affairs 101.