Wofford College provides opportunities for qualified students to broaden their educational experience through creative independent study in the area of their current coursework or major field through honors courses.

At the discretion of the faculty, a student may undertake a six-hour independent course of study in the senior year to graduate with honors in his or her major. Honors Courses are subject to the following regulations:

1. Eligibility to undertake Honors Courses is restricted to students having a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0 OR grades of 'B' or higher in all courses taken at Wofford during the preceding two semesters.
2. The timeline and procedures are as follows:
   1. By the end of April, the student will submit a short letter of intent to the Department Chair, including the name of the instructor (Thesis Committee Chair), the topic and a short description of the project.  The Department Chair will notify the Curriculum Committee by its final meeting of the academic year prior to the start of the course.
   2. In September, before the end of the drop/add period for the fall semester, the Chair of the Thesis Committee will verify that the student intends to remain in the course.
   3. By October at midterm (or at any point prior to this time if preferred by the Thesis Committee Chair), the student will submit a complete proposal to all Thesis Committee members, and the Thesis Committee chair will assign a midterm grade of H/P/U.  
   4. In December, the Thesis Committee chair will assign a semester grade of H/P/U for the fall semester coursework. 
   5. After the successful defense of the Honors Thesis, the student submits the thesis to the Thesis Committee Chair, who will assign a grade of H/P/U and forward the thesis to the Dean of the Library.
3. An Honors Course may be undertaken only in the senior year and will carry six hours of credit over two semesters. Final grade options are H, P, U, WS, and WU. The Honors Course may count toward major requirements with the approval of the major adviser. When successfully completed, the course will be identified on the student’s transcript as an Honors Course.
4. A student may be removed from an Honors Course at any time if in the judgment of the instructor and the major adviser the student’s work is not of sufficient merit to justify continuation.
5. Each student completing an Honors Course shall prepare and submit to the instructor three copies of a written report describing the work done in the course. The student will then undergo a final oral examination by a committee of three faculty members, appointed by the major adviser, and including the course instructor (as chairman) and preferably one person from another discipline. The length of the examination generally shall not exceed one hour. The major adviser will retain one copy of the final report and submit one copy to the Curriculum Committee for review. The Curriculum Committee copy then will be deposited in the college archives.
6. Students will graduate with “high honors” in their major when they earn a grade of “honors” in the Honors Course and achieve a grade-point average of at least 3.75 in the major. The distinction will be noted on the student's transcript.
7. Students will graduate with “honors” in their major when they earn a grade of “honors” in the Honors Course and achieve a grade-point average of at least 3.50 but less than 3.75 in the major. The distinction will be noted on the student's transcript.
8. A grade of “pass” in the Honors Course does not qualify students for graduation with honors in the major regardless of their grade-point average in the major.