Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Click on the “APPLY” tab located in the top right bar of our main page.

You do not submit letters; we will provide your letter writers with instructions via email once you have submitted your SHC application

No, but your application must be submitted by the posted deadline

We provide our students with the opportunity to live in the Shackouls Residential Honors College; however, it is not required.

The Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College is an Honors Residential College. Honors freshmen may live anywhere on campus, but Griffis Hall is solely for Honors students. We do encourage our students to live in Griffis, Nunnelee, and Hurst Halls as they share our office, class, and meeting spaces.

Griffis, Nunnelee and Hurst Halls provide the benefits of a dynamic social life and attention to academic excellence. Griffis is home to the Honors College’s main office. All three halls are located in the Zacharias Village - convenient to Sanderson Recreation Center, Mitchell Memorial Library, Colvard Student Union, dining, and academic buildings. Rooms in the Honors halls are modular (each has private baths). Special programming in the halls helps you to get to know your fellow students easily. Griffis, Nunnelee and Hurst are home to state-of-the-art classrooms.

*Housing Priority is primarily based on a student's date of application to Mississippi State AND/OR their participation in a Living-Learning Community.

 

Please reach out to George Dunn at gdunn@honors.msstate.edu if further clarification is needed.

 

You will receive notification (of either yes or no) via the USPS mail as soon as we review your application, which may take 2-3 months.

  • To be considered a student in good standing in the Honors College while pursuing the General Honors (ß insert link to 2.0) curriculum, a student must successfully achieve the following:
    • Successful completion of one honors-level course during the first semester at MSU;
    • Successful completion of at least one 3 credit hour honors course per academic year;
    • Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or above to remain in good standing;
    • Successful completion of a Senior Capstone Experience Project.

Students who show promise of meeting the high academic standards of the Shackouls Honors College will be admitted. Students are admitted based on several criteria: high school GPA, class rank, standardized test scores, a record of academic and extracurricular involvement as shown on the MSU online scholarship resume, recommendation letters, and an application essay. No one factor alone is sufficient for admission. The typical Honors College freshman achieved approximately a 30 ACT composite score and a 3.8 high school GPA.

Our students may receive support for a variety of things, including: internships, study abroad, and conference presentations through an application process, as funds are available.

We encourage all students to study abroad, but those pursuing the Cursus Honorum curriculum are required to study abroad.

Once your application is complete (i.e. you have submitted your essay AND we have received your letters of recommendation), the Honors Advisory Committee will provide a holistic review of your application.

This may be possible, but would depend on availability of space each year.  There are no guarantees.

*Please note, Griffis Hall is solely for Honors students. Honors students can choose to live with a non-Honors roommate as space allows in any other hall on campus (though we encourage Nunnelee and Hurst) a space allows.

Please reach out to George Dunn at gdunn@honors.msstate.edu for urther clarification.

Enroll in an Honors course during orientation.  Watch for information in the mail about events that will take place prior to the start of classes.  Meet with an Honors advisor before registering for spring classes.

Undergraduate Research Symposium/Showcase Questions

Posters should be a maximum of 36 inches tall x 48 inches wide. Foam backing boards should also be no larger than 36 inches tall x 48 inches wide.

It is your responsibility to check with your research mentor as to whether or not your research project is restricted (i.e. classified, export controlled (EAR/ITAR), proprietary or other restriction). If your mentor identifies your research as restricted, the release of any information to the public must be coordinated with the Office of Research Security to obtain required authorizations before release. Severe penalties, both civil and criminal, may result if restricted information is made public without the proper authorizations.

There is no fee for students to participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and currently, there is not an acceptance process once an entry form is submitted. All students who complete the registration form with a named faculty mentor are allowed to present, although all student abstracts should be vetted by a faculty research mentor before being submitted.

Once the abstract and title of your project has been submitted, you cannot make changes to it. We understand that research is ongoing, but once the program booklet has gone to print, we are unable to make any updates.

Many undergraduates participate in faculty-guided research and creative activity throughout the year. MSU is fortunate to have many faculty that involve undergraduates in research and federally funded research programs. All undergraduates in every program of study, not just honors students, involved in research and creative works are invited and encouraged to participate in the URS.

Absolutely not. Any student involved in faculty-guided research this academic year may participate.

All undergraduates in every program of study, not just Honors students, who are involved in faculty-guided research this academic year are invited and encouraged to participate in the URS either through a poster presentation or oral presentation/performance.

Of course. Group projects are an integral part of research and are encouraged. However, as is usually the case at professional conferences, there will be a designated principal presenter. Co-authors and collaborators will be listed in the abstract booklet if included in the submission form. Prizes are awarded to the principal presenter only. Groups are encouraged to submit individual abstracts and present different posters or give separate oral presentations for the same research. A large part of the project evaluation is being able to answer questions showing a deep understanding of the work that has been done.

Students are encouraged to present their faculty-guided research in any subject matter that inspires them and that they are academically engaged in.

Students are encouraged to present creative works and performances. Creative works are considered art, sculptures, music, poems, theater pieces, etc. The student should be prepared to engage in critical discussion of the project.

Yes. You can fill out an entry form if you are a MSU undergraduate student, regardless of where you actually performed your research. Undergraduate students from other universities are also encouraged to participate and are not required to have worked with an MSU faculty mentor.

Yes. You do not have to present completed research. Many students present research that is ongoing.

Yes! Volunteers are critical to the success of the URS. If you would like to volunteer email kwright@honors.msstate.edu. You can also add your name to volunteer through the Maroon Volunteer Center.