graduation honors to students with distinguished academic records. The graduation honors are:
cum laude granted when the student's cumulative UTC GPA at the end of the final semester is 3.5.
magna cum laude granted when the student's cumulative UTC GPA at the end of the final semester is 3.7.
summa cum laude granted when the student's cumulative UTC GPA at the end of the final semester is 3.9 or higher.
Graduation honors will be inscribed on the diplomas. Institutional credit will not be counted in the grade point average for graduation or honors. Grade point averages are not rounded. These standards apply to all undergraduate degree candidates, regardless of the catalog under which they entered.
Honors Societies
Academic achievement, either in general or in specific fields, is recognized by a number of organizations:
Alpha, the scholastic honor society of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, elects to membership seniors who have maintained a very high scholastic average (3.75 or higher). Election is by vote of the faculty members of Alpha.
Alpha Lambda Delta, national honor society for women and men, elects to membership those freshmen who have a 3.5 institutional cumulative average on at least 12 graded hours in the first semester or an institutional cumulative average of 3.5 at the end of the freshman year.
Golden Key, is a national honor society for all juniors and seniors, either full or part time, who have been at UTC for one year and who have maintained at least a 3.3 institutional cumulative grade point average.
Mortar Board, a national honor society for senior women and men, elects to membership those who at the end of their junior year have a minimum institutional cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and who have demonstrated outstanding ability in leadership, scholarship, and service to the University.
Phi Eta Sigma, national honor society for men and women, elects to membership those freshmen who have a 3.5 institutional cumulative average on at least 12 graded hours in the first semester or an institutional cumulative average of 3.5 at the end of the freshman year.
Honor societies in specific areas include:
Alpha Kappa Delta (sociology)
Alpha Mu Alpha (marketing)
Beta Alpha Psi (accounting)
Beta Beta Beta (biology)
Beta Gamma Sigma (business)
Delta Omicron (music)
Delta Tau Omega (geology)
Financial Management Association (finance)
Gamma Sigma Epsilon (chemistry)
Kappa Delta Pi (education)
Kappa Omicron Phi (home economics)
Kappa Tau Alpha (communication)
Lambda Alpha Epsilon (criminal justice)
Lambda Iota Tau (literature)
Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics)
Phi Alpha Theta (history)
Pi Delta Phi (French)
Pi Gamma Mu (social sciences)
Pi Mu Epsilon (mathematics)
Pi Sigma Alpha (political science)
Psi Chi (psychology)
Scabbard and Blade (military science)
Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish)
Sigma Iota Epsilon (business management)
Sigma Pi Sigma (physics)
Sigma Theta Tau (nursing)
Sigma Xi (sciences)
Tau Beta Pi (engineering)
Upsilon Pi Epsilon (computer science)
Departmental Honors
The Departmental Honors Program allows exceptional students to receive special recognition for their academic achievements. Departmental honors is bestowed upon students who have maintained high academic standards in their course work, completed an acceptable two-semester, four-hour thesis project, and passed an oral examination. Graduation with departmental honors is recorded on the academic record and on the diploma. The departmental thesis project allows each honors candidate to deepen knowledge and increase skills in a particular discipline. Typical thesis projects include original research or literary analysis, scientific experimentation, or artistic expression. Admission to departmental thesis requires an institutional cumulative grade point average of 3.2 and a grade point average of 3.5 in the major. Any student with an institutional cumulative grade point average of 3.5 and a grade point average of 3.75 in the major may become a candidate for highest honors. The requisite GPA is required at the time of graduation for a student to be awarded Departmental Honors.
Application for departmental honors is usually made during the third semester before graduation. Forms and a full accounting of procedures and policies can be found in the current Departmental Honors Handbook, obtainable from the Director of University Honors, 202 Guerry Hall, or online at www.utc.edu/Administration/DepartmentalHonors/.
Enrolling in Graduate Courses
A senior who is within 30 credit hours of completing requirements for the bachelor's degree at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga may apply for admission to graduate courses if the applicant has an institutional cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) or higher and is recommended by the head of his or her major department. Subject to the approval of the director of the Graduate School, a student may earn up to nine credit hours of graduate credit prior to completing the bachelor's degree. Such approval must be obtained each semester by completing the special application form which is available in the Graduate School Office. Courses taken for graduate credit may not be applied toward an undergraduate degree.
