Application Semester

Students do not need to be part of the University Honors Program in order to start their HITM project. In fact, any FSU student officially admitted to their major who has at least a 3.200 GPA (both FSU and Cumulative, not rounded to the third decimal place) and will have at least 60 completed credit hours by the start of their HITM project are welcome to apply. Additional requirements are in place for specific majors, so be sure to consult your department's liaison for more details.

To learn all about applying to and preparing for the Honors in the Major Program, read the Honors in the Major Handbook. The handbook provides a thorough, more in-depth overview of the information provided below.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be a current FSU student
• Must be formally accepted into your major at the time of application
• Must have a 3.200 GPA (FSU and Cumulative, not rounded to the third decimal place) at the end of the semester of application
• Must have at least 60 completed college credits at the end of the semester of application
• Must have at least 12 completed FSU credits at the end of the semester of application
• Must have at least 2 semesters remaining until graduation

BEFORE SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION:

1. Finding a Faculty Director

The first step in beginning your application will be finding your faculty director. Your faculty director will be a full-time tenured, tenure-track, or specialized FSU faculty member in your major. If a specialized faculty member, they must have a terminal degree in the field or must have graduate faculty status. You may already have a faculty member in mind, but if you're not sure who in your department might be a good fit, you can reach out to the liaison for your department. Most departments at FSU also have faculty research interests listed on their website.

2. Choosing a Topic

Once you have recruited your faculty director you will work together to clarify a working title for your research. Although this title may be changed, it should give a clear idea of what your research will be about.

Your faculty director may also be able to share valuable insights on broadening or narrowing the scope of your research to make sure you are able to conclude your project within your anticipated timeline.

3. Setting Your Timeline

You will also need to discuss your timeline with your faculty director. You are required to complete a minimum of two semesters and six credit hours in order to earn Honors in the Major. These semesters should be consecutive, with the exception of the summer semester if you will not be on campus. You can take up to nine credit hours of HITM project work over three semesters if necessary. In addition, some departments have additional requirements students must meet, and students should consult with their departmental academic advisor for clarification about these departmental requirements. All requirements must be met and your project must be successfully defended before graduation from FSU with your bachelor's degree.

4. Project Approval

In order to officially start work on your project you must fill out the application and have it approved and signed by your faculty director, the liaison for your major, and your department chair. Once it has been approved by your department you must turn it in as a PDF via the online portal by the application deadline.

TO APPLY:

1. Click here for a PDF of the HITM application.
2. Use one of the three electronic signature options explained below.
3. Submit the application through the HITM online portal.

The deadline to apply to begin an Honors in the Major project in either Summer or Fall 2023 is Friday, April 14, 2023, by 4:30 pm Eastern. All students planning to begin their HITM project in Summer or Fall 2023 will submit their application through the HITM online portal as early as the first day of the Spring 2023 semester. Hard copies of the application will not be accepted. Only after students have been approved to begin the Honors in the Major Program can they register for the required honors thesis credit hours.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE OPTIONS

You must secure all signatures on one form. Do not submit three different PDF files, each with one signature. Also, because of how the online portal reads e-signed PDFs, you should "print" the e-signed and completed application as a new PDF before submitting so that all signatures will remain visible once you have uploaded to the online portal.

Your options for securing electronic signatures include:

• HelloSign - An e-signature platform with a free option to receive three signatures per month, or a free trial to receive unlimited signatures. Please note that if you opt for the free trial, you should choose the monthly option ($15/month) instead of the annual option ($180/year) in the event the trial ends and you are charged.
• DocuSign - An e-signature platform free to use for FSU faculty and staff. You may either ask your faculty director to circulate a form on your behalf for signatures, or you may pay $10/month for a single user account for sending out up to five documents a month.
• Electronic signatures on a PDF - All HITM forms have been formatted for electronic signatures. If your faculty director and committee members are able to sign a PDF electronically, you may circulate the same PDF file to each individual.