Academic Honors

Graduation Honors

Students certified as graduates who have consistently maintained a high average and have successfully completed all requirements for the bachelor’s degree will have the degree awarded cum laude (with honors). To be considered for such honors, a student must have earned at least 60 credits (in addition to credits earned S/U) in residence. Courses which are only graded S/U may be counted as part of the 60 credits required to be taken “for grade” in the determination of graduation with honors as long as the course fulfills a major requirement.

  • Students who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 and have taken at least 60 credits at St. John Fisher College, as noted above, will be awarded the bachelor’s degree, cum laude.
  • Students who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.70 and have taken at least 60 credits at St. John Fisher College, as noted above, will be awarded the bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude.
  • Students who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.85 and have taken at least 60 credits at St. John Fisher College, as noted above, will be awarded the bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude.

Honors in Major

In order for the statement “with honors in (major)” to be added to a transcript, the student must:

  • Qualify and be awarded a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, or higher
  • Complete an honors project approved by a faculty supervisor, the department chair, and the provost and present and defend the project at a colloquium
  • Declare the intent to develop an honors project prior to the beginning of the senior year

See individual departments for additional requirements.

Dean’s List

Each semester, a list of students who have excelled academically is produced. To be eligible, a student must have:

  • A 3.50 or higher term GPA
  • No grade lower than “C”
  • At least 12 undergraduate credit hours earned in residence in addition to credits earned S/U
  • No grades of “U”, “UA”, or “I”

The Dean’s List students will be identified at the end of each semester when academic standing is determined and again at the end of the six-week Incomplete grade period.

Students with approved ADA Accommodated Part-Time status are eligible for the Dean’s List as long as they meet all Dean’s List criteria, even though they may not carry full-time credit loads.

Students engaged in student teaching during a semester may be eligible to be named to the Dean’s List provided they receive the grade of “S” for student teaching, obtain a grade no lower than “B” in a regular course (if they are enrolled in one), and have been on the Dean’s List for two semesters prior to their student teaching semester.

All students with approved incomplete grade extensions or in Foreign Study or Washington Semester Programs are eligible for the Dean’s List when their grades are submitted as long as the incomplete grades did not first change to grades of “F” or default grades.

Honors Program

To be eligible for consideration for this program, students must rank in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class, have graduated with a high school average of at least 90 percent, and have a combined SAT score of 1100. Each year, 30 outstanding high school students are selected as Honors students.

Transfer students are also eligible for consideration if their cumulative grade point average is at least 3.40. If they have earned 12 credit hours or fewer at another college, they must have a high school average of 90 percent and a combined SAT score of 1150.

To graduate from the St. John Fisher College Honors Program, a student must take a minimum of six honors courses (the minimum for transfer students varies by the number of semesters at the College), maintain a minimum 3.30 cumulative grade point average each semester, and be a full-time student. Honors students receive a yearly $3,000 scholarship.

Honor Societies

The national social science honor society, Pi Gamma Mu, has recognized and admitted to membership St. John Fisher College. The society, established to encourage studies in the entire field of social sciences and to promote relations between colleges and universities, initiated members of the faculty and students of the College in 1959.

In March 1965, the Gamma Tau Chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma, a national honor society, was established at St. John Fisher College. Membership in the society is open to both faculty and students. Its objectives are to recognize academic accomplishments, to foster scholarly activities, and to provide an intellectual meeting ground for its members.

A chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, an international honor society in history, was established at St. John Fisher College in the spring of 1971. It encourages excellence in historical research by both faculty and students.

Outstanding seniors showing ability to do independent scientific research are eligible for election to associate membership in the Rochester Chapter of Sigma Xi, a national honor society devoted to the encouragement of original research in science.

Membership in Alpha Mu Gamma, the national collegiate foreign language honor society, is offered to students who demonstrate outstanding achievement in foreign language study at the College. Alpha Mu Gamma encourages the study of foreign languages in several ways: e.g., student publication; scholarship awards; the reception of foreign students, and national; local and regional meetings.

Pi Delta Phi, the national French honor society, has the Eta Nu Chapter at the College.

Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society in economics, established the Alpha-Omicron Chapter at St. John Fisher College in 1976. The objectives of Omicron Delta Epsilon are recognition of outstanding academic achievements in economics and the establishment of closer ties between students and faculty in economics.

Alpha Sigma Lambda, the national continuing education honor society, has the Delta Mu Chapter at the College.

A chapter of Epsilon Chi Omicron, the national honor society in international business management, was established at St. John Fisher College in 1988. The purpose of the society is to recognize and encourage scholastic achievement and excellence in the field of international business management.

The International Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau, Delta Sigma Chapter, recognizes the achievement of academic scholarship of superior quality. Because achievement of superior scholarship demonstrates leadership, creativity, and overall ability in nursing, membership at this level is based upon the student’s grade point average.