The Flory Honors Program is for students who:
- have outstanding academic records and find excitement and stimulation in the learning process
- want to develop the skills for independent inquiry and research necessary for excelling in graduate and professional schools
- crave the opportunity to be creative and to develop the capacity to meet new challenges
- want to push the boundaries of knowledge and explore uncharted intellectual territory
- want to be part of a social and academic community of motivated learners
The Flory Honors Program is an honors program consisting of stimulating and interesting opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. In the curricular element of the program, students who matriculate as first-year students take a minimum of five honors designated courses, plus an honors project and the capstone seminar (IDS-470H: Senior Capstone Seminar), for seven courses total. First year students begin the program with an honors section of FILA-150 (FILA Seminar), the College's first-year seminar. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5.
Students who matriculate as transfer students complete the following requirements based on the number of credits transferred.
- Students who matriculate with at least 30 transfer credits must complete 6 honors designated 3 credit courses (including capstone and honors project) prior to graduation. A minimum GPA of 3.5 is required.
- Students who matriculate with at least 60 transfer credits must complete 4 honors designated 3 credit courses (including capstone and honors project) prior to graduation. A minimum GPA of 3.5 is required.
Incoming first-year and transfer students who have been offered admission into the College and present a strong record of academic achievement will be invited to join the Flory Honors program.
First-year students will need:
- A cumulative high school GPA of 3.8 or higher
- To display a strong academic curriculum
- An SAT score of 1270 or ACT score of 27 or higher
- Applicants can apply test-optional and be considered for the Flory Honors program
Transfer students will need:
- A cumulative post-secondary GPA of 3.8 or higher
- At least 24 post-secondary credits
Current BC students with at least a 3.5 cumulative BC GPA may be nominated by a BC professor for membership.
Flory Honors Program Course Options
A variety of options are offered for completing the honors course requirements. The most common path is taking an honors section of an existing course offered for the general education, major or elective credit. Honors courses are different in that they provide greater opportunity for students to develop their capacities for creativity, independent learning and leadership.
In addition to honors designated courses, another possibility is completing an honors upgrade to a non-honors course. In an honors upgrade, students work closely with faculty to build an additional honors component to the course that expands upon the course material in creative and challenging ways.