What are SPU's ACADEMIC HONORS?

Dean's List or Quarterly Honors
Quarterly honors are awarded to those undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students in good standing who have completed at least 12 credits of work in the given quarter and attained a 3.5 or higher grade point average. Students who have earned any of the following grades will not qualify for honors: “E,” “NC,” “I” or “N”. However, once the temporary grade of “N” or “I” has been replaced by the grade earned, honors may be awarded to qualified students.

Graduation Honors
Baccalaureate degrees will be conferred with honors for undergraduate students based on the following criteria:

1. The student must have completed 75 quarter hours in residence with junior and senior standing at SPU.
2. Honors are based on the SPU GPA only.
3. All courses taken at SPU (except ESL and other courses numbered below 1000) are included in the GPA for honors and must meet the minimum grade point average required for the honor.

Honors for post-baccalaureate students require the minimum GPA in the entire work necessary for the degree, including the 45 credits required in residence at SPU.

Students must meet the graduation application deadlines to have honors appear in the Commencement program. Graduation honors are computed for the Commencement program on the basis of work completed through Winter Quarter for Spring Quarter graduates.

Students who complete degrees during Summer Quarter are not eligible for recognition until completion of all degree requirements. Their honors do not appear in the Commencement program and they are not eligible to wear honor cords during the Commencement ceremony.

Honor Grade Point Average
Cum Laude 3.50-3.74
Magna Cum Laude 3.75-3.89
Summa Cum Laude 3.90-4.00

The President's Citation
The President's Citation is awarded each year to a graduating senior who has demonstrated distinguished academic achievement in the context of a Christian liberal arts program. To be eligible for this award, the student must have taken all of his or her university work at SPU and must have adhered consistently to the ideals of the University. The president will make the selection.

Alpha Kappa Sigma
Undergraduate students who have earned 90 credits at SPU and who are in the top 10 percent of the graduating class are eligible for election to the honor society Alpha Kappa Sigma. This honor society has chapters in all the colleges of SPU's sponsoring denomination. During their senior year, candidates are recommended by an academic policies committee and elected by vote of the faculty.

Honoraries
The Ivy Honorary, a chapter of National Mortarboard Inc., selects students for membership at the end of their junior year who have distinguished themselves through scholarship, leadership and service. Other SPU honoraries include Centurions (men's service honorary), Falconettes (women' service honorary), Order of the S (athletics), Sigma Beta Delta (business), Pi Kappa Delta (speech), Alpha Psi Omega (drama), Mu Phi Epsilon (music), Lambda Iota Tau (English) and the Servant Scholar of the Year (Student Life).

Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities
A number of seniors are elected to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities each year. This honor is awarded to students who will graduate from SPU, have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above, uphold the ideals of SPU and demonstrate leadership in co-curricular activities. Candidates are recommended during their senior year by the faculty.

Graduate Student Honors
The graduate faculty elect a number of master's and doctoral students for recognition by Who's Who Among Graduate Students in American Colleges and Universities each year. This honor is awarded to candidates who will graduate from Seattle Pacific by the end of Summer Session, have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above and demonstrate outstanding scholarship, service to the community, leadership and future potential.

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