COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS:
HONORS PROGRAM
April 2022
THE PROJECT
During the first semester, one of my courses was about responding to assignments and requests from local businesses. This time it was our university itself that gave us a mission.
Mission: Conduct a competitive analysis of honors programs in other universities.
Objective: Assist and guide the redesign of the UWA Honors Program with the information collected.
WHAT IS A HONORS PROGRAM ?
Honors programs are designed for exceptionally motivated and high-achieving students who want a more in-depth and robust learning experience than you would find in regular classes.
Those particular programs are very common in the United States. For this reason, we decided to conduct the study in several states for a complete analysis. We based our research on 14 states: Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
THE STUDY
My competitive study focused on universities in West Virginia, including:
- West Virginia University
- Marshall University
- West Virginia State University
- Fairmont State
- Concord University
- Shepherd University
- University of Charleston
- West Liberty University
- Alderson Broaddus University
In order to respond to the objectives of the study, I based my research on several criteria:
- Location of the university
- Enrollment in the university
- Honor program name
- Minimum required GPA
- Minimum required ACT/SAT
- Transfer students eligible
- Scholarship/financial benefits
- Additional benefits
- Curricular components
- Graduation requirements
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE STUDY :
Small class size: enables them to explore topics in-depth and encourages student interaction.
Be part of an interdisciplinary program: visit museums, conferences, honors seminars, independent research projects, and international experience.
Education of excellence: innovative teaching and learning within an interdisciplinary curriculum motivated by creative, critical inquiry and respect for multiple thoughts, experiences, and identities.
Graduation requirements: all honors students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.3-3.5 and meet the following requirements: honors seminar and thesis project.