Honors College: Honors Keystone Application

This is the application for admission to Honors Keystone in the Honors College at Southern Miss. If you are a current Honors College student, you do not need to fill out this application. You must complete the GO System’s General Application and the Honors Keystone Application to be considered for the program. The deadline to complete these applications is July 1st. (The application deadline has been extended to July 4 at 11:59 p.m. due to the holiday weekend.) References must be submitted by Wednesday, July 6 at 11:59 p.m. For more information, contact honors@usm.edu.

The Honors College offers an enriched and challenging educational experience for high-achieving, highly engaged students. As a junior and senior in the Keystone curriculum, you have the exciting opportunity to chart your own course through the design and completion of an original research project—the senior Honors Thesis. Working with Honors faculty and with a faculty adviser in your chosen discipline, you will move through a 5-hour course sequence, distributed across four semesters, that guides you through the thesis experience. Each step in the Keystone curriculum provides you with knowledge, skills, and aptitudes that prepare you for successful completion of the thesis project and the achievement of Latin Distinction.

To be eligible for admission, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.4 on at least 45 completed college credit hours and must have completed at least three full-time semesters of college. Students applying for this fall should have an anticipated graduation date of May or Fall 2024. The program is available for both Hattiesburg and Gulf Park students, and current Southern Miss students and prospective transfer students who meet the minimum criteria are encouraged to apply. All students admitted to Honors Keystone must take HON 300 (“Developing the Honors Thesis I”; 1 credit hour), in the fall semester.

Award
$1,000 annually for two years
Scopes
Special Awarding Deadline
Deadline
07/01/2023
Supplemental Questions
  1. Preferred First Name
  2. Cell Phone Number
  3. Preferred Email Address
  4. If you are a transfer student, will you have completed Honors graduation requirements from any of the following: Copiah Lincoln CC Honors College, Hinds CC Honors Institute, Itawamba CC Honors College, Jones CC Honors Institute, Meridian CC Honors College, MS Gulf Coast CC Honors College, Northeast MS CC Honors Institute, or Pearl River CC Honors Institute?
  5. IF YES: Please upload in the space below a note on letterhead from your Honors program director that certifies your status as an Honors program graduate. (Please note that a PTK certificate does not satisfy this application requirement.)
  6. The Honors College requires a letter of recommendation regarding your preparation for the Honors curriculum. After discussing your intent to apply to the Honors College with a professor from whom you have taken a recent class, please enter their contact information below. We will contact your professor with a link to the recommendation form. *The recommendation must be submitted by your professor by the July 15th deadline.*
    • Recommendation Letter from Professor for Honors Keystone
  7. Southern Miss Keystone Honors Scholars devote four semesters to developing the Honors Thesis—a comprehensively researched scholarly, creative, or applied project. Write a brief statement of purpose in which you explain why you are interested in pursuing undergraduate research, including examples of scholarly or creative areas that interest you. Discuss your preparation for the Honors Thesis experience and provide detailed examples of previous experiences with research and/or writing that have been meaningful to your development as a curious learner and critical thinker. (400 word minimum).
  8. Writing Sample
    • In the space below, please write a 150 to 200 word introduction to your chosen writing sample. For what class did you write it, why did you select this example, and what strengths do you believe it showcases?
    • Please submit an academic writing sample taken from a recent class. Your writing sample should showcase your academic and analytical writing strengths.
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