Honors College – Division of Undergraduate Programs

The Honors College at Winston-Salem State University offers academically talented students a well-rounded education that combines academic studies with cultural enrichment and service to the community.

Through an intensive curriculum and a variety of leadership opportunities, students in the Honors College at WSSU receive the best education possible while preparing for graduate studies or a career. Serving more than 250 students, the Honors College provides the additional advantages of cultural enrichment activities and academic support, as well as internship, co-op and study-abroad experiences.

The Honors College recognizes students for their academic achievement while challenging them to maintain a high standard of excellence. Several program features and activities are designed to ensure that this goal is met:

Personalized Instruction
Student Honors Organization (SHO)
Honors Summer Session Abroad
Honors Summer Advancement Program (HSAP)
Local, Regional and National Honors Conferences
Honors Housing in Rams Commons Residence Hall
Student Leadership Institute

The Honors College ensures that scholars have a relevant, challenging, rewarding experience. It promotes a lifelong, disciplined approach to knowledge and scholarship through inquiry and exploration. Through quality educational experiences and co-curricular activities, scholars are ready to be creative and critical-thinking leaders in their professions and communities.

Admission to the program is categorized as full or associate. Upon admission to WSSU, Chancellor’s Scholars, Achievement Scholars and Bass Scholars are full members of the Honors College. Continuing freshmen and sophomores who have recently completed at least 15 hours of college work at the university and have maintained a grade point average of at least 3.25 and a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 on all work completed at other institutions may apply for full admission to the program. Associate admission is offered to students within 60 hours of graduation who have not taken any honors courses but who have recently completed at least 15 hours at the university and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25.

Honors Societies

Students interested in membership in honor societies should contact the appropriate academic department for additional information.

Alpha Beta Xi Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi

Kappa Delta Pi, founded in 1911 at the University of Illinois, promotes excellence in and recognizes outstanding contributions to education. The International Honor Society in Education endeavors to maintain a high degree of professional fellowship among its members, to quicken professional growth, and to honor achievement in educational work. To these ends, Alpha Beta Xi shall invite to membership persons who exhibit commendable professional qualities, worthy educational ideals, and sound scholarship. Students invited to join KDP are from the top twenty percent of those students entering the field of education. A service project involving local schools is part of the commitment to membership.

Alpha Chi Omicron

Alpha Chi Omicron Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) was established at Winston-Salem State University on April 4, 2005. CSI is the international honor society for students, professional counselors and counselor educators. The mission of CSI is to promote scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership and excellence in counseling, and to recognize high attainment in the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in the profession of counseling. Chapters must be formed at regionally accredited universities that have counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP or CORE .

Alpha Epsilon Rho (AERho)

Alpha Epsilon Rho (AERho) is the honor society within the National Broadcasting Society (NBS). AERho members are considered the best of the best student broadcasters. NBSAERho was originally formed in 1943. Some 40,000 students have joined the membership rolls of NBS-AERho through its nearly 60 years of existence. Today, the thousands of NBSAERho alumni who are media professionals provide a nationwide network of industry contacts. The mission of NBS-AERho is to enhance the development of college and university students involved in broadcasting, cable, Internet communication, telecommunications, and other electronic media. The goals of NBS-AERho are: to promote and recognize academic excellence; to provide opportunities for leadership; to provide exposure to the electronic media industries; to assist in career preparation; to provide opportunities for the development of members through advanced media education programs at the local, district, regional and national levels. Both organizations have been chartered in the Mass Communications Department since 1991.

Alpha Kappa Mu

The purpose of Alpha Kappa Mu (AKM) National Honor Society is to promote high scholarship, encourage sincere and zealous endeavor in all fields of knowledge and service, cultivate a high order of personal living, and develop an appreciation for scholarly work and scholarly endeavor in others. Students inducted into AKM must have a 3.3 cumulative grade point average, present recommendations from two professors who have taught them, and complete a service project.

A general scholarship honor society open to juniors and seniors in all academic disciplines, AKM was founded at Tennessee A & I College (now Tennessee State University) in Nashville on November 26, 1937. Fourteen years later, the Kappa Epsilon Chapter was established at Winston-Salem State University, making 2001 the chapter’s golden anniversary year.

Beta Alpha Psi

Beta Alpha Psi is an international honorary organization for Financial Information students and professionals. The primary objective of Beta Alpha Psi is to encourage and give recognition to scholastic and professional excellence in the business information field. This includes promoting the study and practice of accounting, finance and information systems; providing opportunities for self-development, service and association among members and practicing professionals; and encouraging a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility.

Membership in Beta Alpha Psi includes those persons of good moral character who have achieved scholastic and/or professional excellence in the fields of accounting, finance, or information systems, who have been initiated by an existing chapter and who remain in good standing. Winston-Salem State’s local chapter was chartered in 2005. Initiates must obtain and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better in major courses. Additionally, they must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.0 or have a GPA of 3.25 or better in the last 30 hours of coursework.

Beta Gamma Sigma

Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in an undergraduate or master’s program accredited by AACSB International. The mission and objectives of Beta Gamma Sigma are to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business and personal and professional excellence in the practice of business; to foster an enduring commitment to the founding principles and values of honor and integrity; to encourage the pursuit of wisdom and earnestness; to support the advancement of business thought and to encourage lifelong learning; and to enhance the value of Beta Gamma Sigma for student and alumni members in their professional lives.

The top ten percent of seniors and the top seven percent of juniors enrolled in a management education program are eligible for membership in Beta Gamma Sigma.

Phi Alpha Theta

Phi Alpha Theta is a national honor society for those interested in the social sciences, especially history. It was organized in 1921 and is the largest, in number of chapters, of all honor societies holding membership in the American Association of College Honor Societies. The purpose of Phi Alpha Theta is to recognize students who have excelled in scholarship, to promote interest in history, to hold local, state and national meetings, and to sponsor college and community projects. Requirements for membership are the following: at least four history courses with an average of 3.2 or better in these courses and a 3.0 average in other courses.

Pi Gamma Mu

Pi Gamma Mu is a national honor society for those interested in all the social sciences. It was organized in 1924 and has grown steadily in number of chapters and in activities. The purpose is to recognize superior scholarship, to promote interest in the social sciences, to sponsor worthwhile projects, and to hold local, state, and national meetings. Requirements for membership are the following: at least seven social science courses with a 3.0 average in those courses and a 2.8 average in all other courses.

Psi Chi

Psi Chi is the national honor society in Psychology. The organization was founded in September 1929, to encourage, stimulate and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly psychology, and to advance the science of psychology. Membership is open only to registered undergraduate psychology majors and minors who have completed at least 3 semesters of the college courses, and 9 semesters or 14 quarter hours in psychology. Students who are elected into Psi Chi must rank in the upper 35% of their class in general scholarship and have a minimum GPA of at least 3.0 in psychology. In those instances when the upper 35% falls below a 3.0 GPA, students are to have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0.

Upsilon Pi Epsilon

Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE), the first and only existing International Honor Society for the Computing Sciences, consists of chapters in various colleges and universities in North America and overseas. The mission of UPE is to recognize academic excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the computing sciences. The two largest computer organizations in the world, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS), have endorsed UPE.

Upsilon Pi Epsilon is an honorary society whose membership consists of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in Computing Science. Prospective student members must be working toward a degree in Computing Science at the time they are considered for membership. Yet members are chosen not only for their scholastic achievement in a computing science program, but also for distinguishing themselves as true professionals by meeting the standards of the society. Membership is limited to those who can effectively achieve the original goals of the society.

Winston-Salem State University Nursing Honor Society

The Winston-Salem State University Nursing Honor Society was established in 1994. The mission of the nursing honor society is to provide leadership and scholarship in practice, education, and research. The purpose is to recognize superior academic scholarship and qualities of leadership, creativity, and overall ability in nursing. Membership is open to generic nursing students, RN-BSN students, and community nursing leaders. Criteria for student selection include: a GPA of 3.0 or higher and ranking in the top 15% of the graduating class. Criteria for selection of community nursing leaders include leadership, creative work, support for professional standards, and commitment to scholarly nursing.