SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Honors Studies

To create an intellectual environment that will challenge the best of students, the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences provides a comprehensive program of honor studies. From the first year to the senior year, an honors student is provided the opportunity to study with other superior students in small distinctive classes taught by highly motivated and skilled faculty members. There are also opportunities for independent study so that students can learn to work on their own and to develop their abilities and interests in ways which are not normally possible in regular college course work. Students participating in a program of honors studies also receive special academic counseling to satisfy their future career objectives. Students are offered every opportunity to achieve a high level of intellectual maturity and accomplishment. For additional information, see pages 102 and 127.

The College of Education and Health Professions Honors Program is designed to enable undergraduate students in the College who have demonstrated potential for outstanding scholarship achievement an opportunity to broaden and deepen their liberal and professional education. Education and Health Professions Honors Program students are also eligible to take honors courses in Fulbright College. The experience in the Honors Program includes but is not limited to enrollment in honors courses, an honors seminar, and a required undergraduate thesis/project. For additional information, contact the College dean's office.

Interested students should write to the Director of Honors Program in one of these two colleges.

Campus-Wide Academic Honor Societies

Golden Key is an academic honor society open to selected juniors and seniors who have a minimum 3.50 grade-point average (GPA).

Order of Omega honor society is exclusive to members of the Greek community on the University campus. Selection of members is based upon leadership in the inter-Greek activities, academic honors, and contributions to the University community. A 2.50 GPA is necessary for membership consideration.

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest honorary academic society in the country. The Phi Beta Kappa executive committee nominates potential members from seniors in the top ten percent of their class. No more than ten percent of the graduating class is considered.

Phi Eta Sigma is an academic honor society for freshman students. Membership is selected in the spring each year, and the only requirement is a 3.50 minimum GPA or better for the first semester of the freshman year.

Phi Kappa Phi is a national honor society whose primary objective is the recognition and encouragement of superior scholarship in all academic disciplines. Junior and senior undergraduate students who have a minimum GPA of 3.85 are eligible for membership. Also eligible are graduate students, registered for one year, who have a 3.85 minimum GPA.

Tau Alpha Upsilon is an honor society that honors outstanding students who live in the University of Arkansas Residence Hall system.

Who's Who, a general honor society, honors students who have excelled in scholarship, leadership, and campus activities throughout their college careers. Membership requirements are a 2.00 minimum cumulative GPA, completion of 85 credit hours, and at least two full semesters attendance at the U of A, Fayetteville, prior to application.

For other academic honor societies, see the various school and college sections of this catalog.

Campus-Wide Leadership Honor Societies

Blue Key is a service-oriented honor fraternity that recognizes outstanding scholarship, leadership, and involvement in campus activities. Applicants must be classified as juniors and meet a 2.75 minimum GPA for membership consideration.

Cardinal Key is a junior service-oriented honor society whose membership selection is based on scholarship, leadership, and community and campus activities. A 3.00 GPA requirement must be met in order to be considered for membership at the end of the sophomore year.

Cardinal XXX is a service-oriented honor society whose membership consists of a select group of sophomores. Membership selection is based on scholarship, leadership, and community and campus service. A 3.00 GPA is required for consideration and selection is made at the end of the freshman year.

Gamma Beta Phi is a service-oriented honor society established to recognize and encourage excellence in education. Membership in the organization is open to students who are in the top 20% of their class.

Mortar Board is a senior honor society that considers outstanding scholarship, leadership, and service to the campus and community when selecting members. Applicants must have a 3.00 GPA in order to be eligible for consideration.

Cooperative Education Program

Cooperative Education is a unique program offered by the Office of Career Services that allows students to alternate between going to school and working in their chosen vocation. In addition, the program allows employers the opportunity to train and evaluate future employees before offering them positions.

Employment assignments are diversified to provide students with a variety of experiences related to their major field and with work of increasing difficulty and responsibility. Although the primary objective is to supplement theoretical knowledge with practical experience, students earn full-time pay while on work assignments. This benefit produces welcome income while the students are still pursuing a degree.

Positions are available to students in many disciplines, primarily engineering, architecture and landscape architecture, business, agriculture, natural science, and mathematics. Co-op students must be in good academic standing, must be at least 18 years of age, must be making normal progress toward a degree, and must meet the specific requirements of their college (for example: the College of Engineering and Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences require completion of the freshman year, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences requires 45 credit hours (sophomore status), the Walton College of Business Administration requires completion of pre-business program requirements, and the School of Architecture requires completion of the junior year. In addition, employers may establish their own academic criteria for selecting students.

For further information contact the Director, Cooperative Education, 411 Arkansas Union, telephone (479) 575-2550.

Study Abroad

The University encourages the expansion of students' educational experiences through study abroad. Student exchange programs have been established with Kansai University of Foreign Studies (Japan), the University of Helsinki (Finland), and El Zamorano Agricultural School (Honduras). Other UA study abroad programs include summer/semester/year long programs in Austria, England, Scotland, Costa Rica, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Spain. A limited number of scholarships and travel grants are available each year for these programs.

For more information about study, work, and travel abroad, contact the Office of Study Abroad in the Fulbright Institute of International Relations, 722 W. Maple, 575-2006. Students in the Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences may contact International Agricultural Programs, HOTZ 300, 575-6857. Students in the Walton College of Business Administration may contact the WCBA Advising Center, BADM, 575-6308.

Graduate and Professional Study

The University of Arkansas is the major center for comprehensive graduate-level instruction in the state, offering students the opportunity to continue their studies or to specialize in a particular field through the Graduate School. Twenty-two different master's degrees are offered in more than 82 fields of study. Other degrees available include Educational Specialist, Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy. Doctoral degrees are offered in 25 different areas.

The School of Law on the Fayetteville campus offers a Juris Doctor degree program for qualified students with a bachelor's degree and offers the nation's only master's program in agricultural law for students with a law degree. Further information concerning professional study may be obtained by consulting the School of Law catalog or by writing the dean.