College and Departmental Honors
College Honors
Admission to the College Honors Program in Pharmacy
The College Honors Program is under the umbrella of the University Honors College. Admission to the Pharmacy Program is administered by the University Honors College. Admission to the Honors College is competitive and based on high school GPA, ACT or SAT scores, an essay, a résumé, and recommendations. Students entering directly from high school should have a minimum of a 3.5 high school GPA (4.0 scale) and a 25 ACT/1200 SAT test score. Admissions to the Honors College are granted on a space-available basis. While students may enter the College Honors program after their first year, this is rare as the program is quite difficult to complete if the Honors courses available in the first year are not taken.
BENEFITS OF THE HONORS PROGRAM
- Enriched curriculum
- Access to separate, smaller Honors courses that focus on interactive learning
- Direct and personal interaction with leading faculty
- Intensive academic advising
- Honors independent study and research options
- Opportunities to present research at national meetings and conferences
- First-priority advanced registration
- First choice of residence halls (granted for housing applications postmarked by March 31)
- Opportunities for placement into nationally ranked graduate and professional schools
The Pharmacy Honors Program provides students opportunities to enrich their educational experience with small classes and recitations, to benefit from individual advising, to register early for optimal schedule selection, and to participate in individual research projects. All College Honors students have a designated faculty Honors Program advisor. This ensures continuity of advice and personal attention. In the third or fourth year, all Honors students must choose a thesis or project and a faculty advisor under whom the thesis or project will be completed. Honors students may begin their thesis work during the pre-professional years.
Graduation with College Honors Medallion
Honors students in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences follow the Blue Track in the Jesup Scott Honors College. To receive the Honors medallion upon graduation, the following criteria must be met:
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.3
- Completion of a total of 27 semester hours of Honors courses (Honors College or any University course approved for honors). A majority are courses that Pharmacy students take as part of their normal degree requirements. No specific mix of courses is required.
- Fulfillment of all Departmental Honors requirements (see below).
The College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences requires that Honors students take the core Honors sequence of HON 1010 (Ideas and Society), HON 2010 (Multicultural Toledo), and HON 3010 (Community Engagement).
In addition to the required courses the following comprises a list of courses often elected by Pharmacy Honors Students:
Non-Pharmacy
- Honors Biology 2150 and 2170
- Economics 1200
- Sociology 1010
- Psychology 1010
- Honors Chemistry (by placement test) General and/or Organic
Pharmacy
- Physiology (PHCL 2610)
- Medicinal Chemistry I (MBC 3310)
- Physiological Chemistry I (MBC 3550), Physiological Chemistry II (MBC 3560)
- Honors Thesis MBC, PHCL, or PHPR 4960
- Honors Seminar MBC, PHCL, or PHPR 4900
Departmental Honors
A student need not be a member of the University Honors College to participate in Departmental Honors in Pharmacy. Any student may be considered for Departmental Honors in either Medicinal & Biological Chemistry, Pharmaceutical & Policy Sciences, Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, or Pharmacy Practice by meeting the following requirements in the professional division:
Graduation with Departmental Honors
- Cumulative GPA of at least 3.2
- Completion of 8 credit hours of Honors work in one department. This include 4-5 hours of Honors Thesis (4 hours minimum) and 1-3 hours of Honors Seminar (1 hour minimum). To meet the 8 hour total if needed, an additional honors course in the chosen department (MBC, PHCL, PHPR) may be taken. This can be done by taking a specific Honors section of the course or by filing an Honors Learning Contract with your faculty in the first 2 weeks of the semester.
- Honors Thesis MBC, PHCL, or PHPR 4960
- Honors Seminar MBC, PHCL, or PHPR 4900
- Honors Thesis & Seminar Information
- Completion of an acceptable written thesis under the direction of a thesis faculty advisor. The department of the faculty mentor determines the department of honors designation.
All requirements for Departmental Honors must be completed before the B.S.P.S. degree is awarded. All students graduating with College Honors meet the requirements for Departmental Honors as well.