Graduation with Honors

LATIN HONORS

All graduating seniors are eligible for Latin honors designations on their transcripts if their complete academic records show at least 54 calculable credits (not pass/fail) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and meet one or more of the following criteria:

1.  to receive degrees summa cum laude, students’ GPAs must place them among the top 5 percent of the graduating class of their school or college;

2.  to receive degrees magna cum laude, students’ GPAs must place them among the top 10 percent but not among the top 5 percent of the graduating class of their school or college;

3.  to receive degrees cum laude, students’ GPAs must place them among the top 25 percent but not among the top 10 percent of the graduating class of their school or college.

At the start of the fall semester, the Registrar’s Office will post on its website (www.umass.edu/registrar) the GPA needed to secure a place in the top 5, 10, and 25 percent in each school or college, based on the average of the previous three years’ graduating classes.

COMMONWEALTH HONORS COLLEGE GRADUATION DISTINCTIONS

Academic recognitions may also be earned through Commonwealth Honors College (CHC).  These honors mark accomplishments beyond achievement of a high GPA.  To be eligible for any of the following recognitions, Commonwealth Honors College Scholar (possibly with a level of distinction), Departmental Honors, Multidisciplinary Honors, and General Studies Honors, a student is required to be admitted to Commonwealth Honors College, complete the appropriate honors requirements, and meet the minimum Commonwealth Honors College residency requirement of 45 graded (not pass/fail) UMass Amherst credits (not transferred).

Diploma Honors

The following four Commonwealth Honors College Scholar distinctions are awarded for successful completion of the full honors college curriculum, which is comprised of General Studies Honors courses plus either Departmental Honors or Multidisciplinary Honors coursework.

Commonwealth Honors College Scholar is awarded upon successful completion of Commonwealth Honors College requirements with an overall GPA of 3.400 or higher, all required honors courses passed with grades of B or higher, and completion of a 6-credit honors thesis or project with grades of B or higher, including submission of thesis or project manuscript and documentation to Commonwealth Honors College.  This recognition appears on the diploma as "Commonwealth Honors College Scholar" and is also noted on the transcript.

Commonwealth Honors College Scholar with Distinction is awarded upon successful completion of Commonwealth Honors College requirements with an overall GPA of 3.400 or higher, all required honors courses passed with grades of B or higher, and completion of a 6-credit honors thesis or project experience with grades of B+ or higher, including submission of thesis or project manuscript and documentation to Commonwealth Honors College.  This recognition appears on the diploma as "Commonwealth Honors College Scholar with Distinction" and is also noted on the transcript.

Commonwealth Honors College Scholar with Great Distinction is awarded upon successful completion of Commonwealth Honors College requirements with an overall GPA of 3.600 or higher, all required honors courses passed with grades of B or higher, and completion of a 6-credit honors thesis or project with grades of A- or A, including submission of thesis or project manuscript and documentation to Commonwealth Honors College.  This recognition appears on the diploma as "Commonwealth Honors College Scholar with Great Distinction" and is also noted on the transcript.

Commonwealth Honors College Scholar with Greatest Distinction is awarded upon successful completion of Commonwealth Honors College requirements with an overall GPA of 3.800 or higher, all required honors courses passed with grades of B or higher, and completion of a 6-credit honors thesis or project with grades of A- or A, including submission of thesis or project manuscript and documentation to Commonwealth Honors College.  This recognition appears on the diploma as "Commonwealth Honors College Scholar with Greatest Distinction" and is also noted on the transcript.

Transcript Honors

In addition to the above which appear on both the diploma and transcript, the following honors appear on the transcript alone.

Departmental Honors is awarded to students who enter Commonwealth Honors College and complete an approved honors sub-plan within their major. Departmental Honors admissions criteria and requirements for completion vary by department and may exceed the minimum criteria set by Commonwealth Honors College, i.e., a 3.400 or higher final overall GPA, and earned grades of B or higher in four departmentally-focused honors courses, including an honors course at or above the 300 level, plus the honors thesis or project and its manuscript formatted to Commonwealth Honors College standards. Students may apply to participate in Commonwealth Honors College Departmental Honors regardless of whether they have participated in the General Studies Honors option. This distinction appears on the transcript as "Departmental Honors."

Multidisciplinary Honors is another Commonwealth Honors College partial curriculum option that students may pursue regardless of their participation in the General Studies Honors option.  Multidisciplinary Honors allows students the opportunity to concentrate their upper-level honors courses outside their major(s) or between two or more disciplines.  Multidisciplinary Honors require a minimum final overall GPA of 3.400 and grades of B or higher earned in four honors courses, including one at or above the 300-level, plus the 6-or-more-credit honors thesis or project and its manuscript formatted to Commonwealth Honors College standards.  This distinction appears on the transcript as "Multidisciplinary Honors.”

General Studies Honors is awarded to Commonwealth Honors College students who by graduation have completed the Commonwealth Honors College General Studies Honors curriculum with earned grades of B or higher, earned grades of B or higher in their General Education integrative experiences, and final overall graduation GPAs of 3.400 or higher, and who do NOT complete either Departmental Honors or Multidisciplinary Honors.  This distinction appears on the transcript as "General Studies Honors."

More detailed information on honors college requirements is located in the Commonwealth Honors College section of this Guide and on the honors college website at www.honors.umass.edu/curriculum-overview.