GENERAL HONORS
The regulations of the following three paragraphs apply to the awarding on
graduation of the degree of Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude, magna cum laude,
or cum laude:
A student with final average exactly matching or exceeding the final
cumulative average of the lowest standing of the past three academic year’s top
5% of graduates will be awarded the degree summa cum laude.
A student with lower standing but with final average exactly matching or
exceeding the final cumulative average of the lowest standing of the past three
academic year’s top 15% of graduates will be awarded the degree magna cum
laude.
A student with lower standing but with final average exactly matching or
exceeding the final cumulative average of the lowest standing of the past three
academic year’s top 35% of graduates will be awarded the degree cum laude.
The lowest averages for these three groups of graduates in the three
academic years 2004-2005 through 2006-2007 were, in descending order, 3.87,
3.75, and 3.57. Accordingly, these values govern the awarding of the
corresponding honors in 2007-2008.
A Senior Fellow may be eligible for these honors by application of the
regulations already given, provided that the Committee on Senior Fellowships
certifies that the level of his or her work during the fellowship year
justifies the awarding of the honor.
The two students who attain the first and second highest standings for the
college course shall be given respectively valedictory and salutatory honors
(which shall not necessarily consist of appointments as commencement speakers).
No student shall be eligible for salutatory or valedictory honors who has not
been for at least three years a student at Dartmouth College.
HONORS IN THE MAJOR
Students with sufficiently high grade point averages overall and in their
major may be admitted to the corresponding Honors Program. For details of
admission and requirements see the section on Degree Requirements. To be
certified for graduation, they like other students must complete in at least
passing fashion all of the courses of their major along with any other
requirements normally specified by the department or program.
Those graduating honors candidates who achieve at least a B+ average in the
work of the Honors Program (but not necessarily an overall minimum B+ average
in the major) will have officially completed the Honors Program and will so
earn Honors in their major. If the department or program deems that the student
has performed outstanding independent work, it may assign High Honors in the
major by an individual vote.
Honors or High Honors in the major will be entered on a student’s permanent
record, e.g., Honors in History or High Honors in Chemistry. No entry will be
made concerning Honors or completion of an Honors Program for a student who
does not achieve the indicated B+ average in the work of the Honors
Program.
A number of departments and programs have described fully their Honors
Programs in the description of their majors; others refer to this statement and
to the general requirements for the Honors Program.
HONOR LIST
At the close of the spring term an Honor List is calculated for all the
classes, based upon the work of the year starting the previous summer, and
divided into three groups; to be included, students must have been enrolled for
at least two of the terms, have received at least five regularly recorded
grades (i.e., other than CT, NC, or NR), and have no standing of Incomplete in
any course for the year. The regulations of the following three paragraphs
apply:
An eligible student with annual average exactly matching or
exceeding the annual average of the lowest standing of the previous year’s top
5% of eligible students will be placed in the first honor group (i.e., will be
designated as a Rufus Choate Scholar) for the year.
An eligible student with lower standing but with annual average
exactly matching or exceeding the annual average of the lowest standing of the
previous year’s top 15% of eligible students will be placed in the second honor
group for the year.
An eligible student with lower standing but with annual average
exactly matching or exceeding the annual average of the lowest standing of the
previous year’s top 35% of eligible students will be placed in the third honor
group for the year.
Approximately January 1 in the current academic year the annual averages for
the past academic year of all the eligible students of that year (as defined in
the first paragraph) will be examined and the lowest annual averages for the
students in the top 5%, top 15%, and top 35% will be determined. These values
accordingly govern the placement in honor groups for 2007-2008. Preliminary
examination suggests that the required averages will closely approximate, in
descending order, 3.93, 3.81, and 3.63.
PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an honorary society, originally founded at the
College of William and Mary in 1776, in which membership is conferred for high
scholastic standing only. The Alpha of New Hampshire was established at
Dartmouth in 1787, being the fourth oldest chapter in the country. Membership
is determined by vote of the chapter according to scholarship record, no
initiative being taken by the student. The president of the chapter is Lynn
Higgins, and the secretary-treasurer is Kate Soule.
The following persons are eligible for regular membership:
a) Any undergraduate who on October 15 of the fall term three years after
matriculation has completed at least eight R (Residence) or O (Off-Campus)
terms at Dartmouth College, and who then ranks in cumulative average among the
twenty highest in that category. To be considered on October 15, such a student
should have completed (with final grades) all courses for previous terms; if
such is impossible, the student may present the reasons to the Chapter
Secretary for due consideration.
b) Any student who at the time of graduation from Dartmouth College has a
cumulative average no lower than the average achieved by graduates within the
top tenth of those graduating in the preceding three academic years. If the
application of this figure results in the selection of less than ten percent of
the graduating class, additional students will be invited to join Phi Beta
Kappa to bring the total membership to ten percent of the graduating class.
Note: The cumulative average required of candidates during the academic year
2007-2008 is 3.80, which was the dividing line for the top tenth of those
graduated in the academic years 2004-2005 to 2006-2007.
THE SOCIETY OF SIGMA XI
Sigma Xi is a scientific honor society, originally established at Cornell
University in 1886. Its mission is to honor scientific accomplishments, to
encourage and enhance the worldwide appreciation and support of original
investigation in science and technology, and to foster a creative and dynamic
interaction among science, technology, and society. A fundamental
responsibility of the Society is honoring research scientists or those with
aptitude for research. Candidates are nominated by full members of Sigma Xi.
Membership is determined by a vote of the Dartmouth College chapter’s Committee
on Admissions. The president of the Dartmouth College chapter is Dean E.
Wilcox, the vice-president is Jacqueline A. Sinclair, the treasurer is Charles
P. Daghlian, and the secretary is Susan Taylor.
The following persons are eligible for associate and full membership:
(a) Associate Membership. Nominees for Associate Member should be seniors or
early graduate (e.g., master’s) students who have demonstrated strong aptitude
for scientific research. They must have done research that has resulted in an
excellent written report, which should be available to the Committee on
Admissions if requested. They should also have a demonstrated interest in
further study and/or research in a pure or applied science.
(b) Full Membership. Nominees for election or promotion to Member should be
graduate students in the final stage of a Ph.D. program, or those who have
already completed the Ph.D. (including postdoctoral associates and faculty
members). They should have demonstrated noteworthy achievement in research, as
evidenced by a completed Ph.D. dissertation or at least two published papers on
their research, at least one of which lists the nominee as the principal
author.
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