Graduate with honors
Impressive GPA + influential research
Your resume and GPA clearly show you’re a driven go-getter who consistently devises innovative business solutions. And when you participate in the University of Florida Honors Program or develop an honors thesis while a student at the Warrington College of Business, so will your academic record.
Interested in challenging yourself or striving to graduate magna or summa cum laude? Discover all pathways available.
The UF Honors Program and other academic distinctions
The UF Honors Program welcomes high-achievers from across the university eager to engage in dynamic discussions with other curious, forward-thinking minds. Review all qualifications for entry, as well as other ways UF recognizes your academic performance.
The UF Honors Program
Each semester, you’ll take dedicated honors courses and meet with an Honors advisor to align your coursework with your career goals.
Making the Dean’s List
To make the Dean’s List in the Fall or Spring semester, business majors must complete 12-14 hours (no Satisfactory (“S”) or Unsatisfactory (“U”) courses) with a 3.70+ GPA or 15 hours (no S-U courses) with a 3.5+ GPA.
President’s Honor Roll
UF students will be added to the President’s Honor Roll if they earn a 4.0 GPA with at least 15 credits of graded academic coursework (no S-U) for the Fall or Spring semester or at least 12 credits of graded coursework in the Summer semester.
How to graduate with honors from Warrington
Nights studying for a major exam. Projects pushing your strategy skills further than you ever thought possible. Ideas positioning you for future thought leadership. Let every effort come through when commencement is around the corner — and later when it’s time to take the next step in your career.
Check your GPA
You’ve reached honors status when your overall UF GPA, business core GPA, and major or area of specialization GPA all fall within the ranges specified in the included table. Please note: Accounting GPAs are based on upper-division and major coursework only.
Write an honors thesis
While some recite, you rethink and reinvent. Present your original, actionable conclusions with a thesis, which can also serve as a University Scholars Program research project.
GPA for graduating with honors
BSBA and BABA students
| Honors designation | GPA requirements |
|---|---|
| Cum Laude (Honors) | 3.5 UF, core, and major GPAs |
| Magna Cum Laude (High Honors) | 3.7 UF, core, and major GPAs + thesis |
| Summa Cum Laude (Highest Honors) | 3.9 UF, core, and major GPAs + thesis |
Accounting students
| Honors designation | GPA requirements |
|---|---|
| Cum Laude (Honors) | 3.2 upper-division and major GPAs |
| Magna Cum Laude (High Honors) | 3.6 upper-division and major GPAs + thesis |
| Summa Cum Laude (Highest Honors) | 3.8 upper-division and major GPAs + thesis |
Honors thesis requirements
All interested candidates will conduct an empirical research project (observed study, survey, or experiment). Accounting students also have the option of an argumentative paper, while marketing students can choose to produce a literature review.
In all cases, you’ll build upon existing findings, use discipline-specific research methods and report your results with a formal paper, ideally ready for publication.
Determining your topic
Dive deep into your passions, or partner with a faculty member to carry out and report on their experiments.
Structure
However you choose your topic, a UF faculty member knowledgeable about the discipline will supervise your efforts, from data gathering to analysis to writing your paper.
Approval and application
Present your proposal with the Undergraduate Thesis Application to seek approval from your department. Their sign-off gives you the go-ahead to start your study.
Registration
Once your application is approved, your BSBA and BABA program Honors Coordinator will guide you in registering for a one-credit honors thesis course, taken for an “S” or “U” grade. You must be enrolled by the end of the drop/add period. Accounting students should contact their academic advisor.
Submission process
Please submit the final version of your honors thesis to your faculty advisor for approval by the university’s published deadline. Next, please review the instructions for how to submit the final version of your honors thesis to UF Libraries.
Review
Your faculty advisor assesses the content and results of your paper to determine the merits of your study. They will then notify your Honors Coordinator of your final grade, which will be added to your transcript.
Departments and Honors contacts by program
| Program | Department | Honors coordinator | Course number |
|---|---|---|---|
| BABA | Based on specialization | Dr. Erica Studer-Byrnes 333 Heavener Hall 352-273-0165 | GEB 4970 |
| BSAc | Fisher School of Accounting 210 Gerson Hall | Danielle Shu Gerson Hall 220A Brandon Case Gerson Hall 218 | ACG 4970 |
| BSBA in Finance | Department of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate 321 Stuzin Hall | Dr. Michael Ryngaert 309C Stuzin Hall 352-392-9765 | FIN 4970 |
| BSBA in Information Systems | Department of Information Systems and Operations Management 351 Stuzin Hall | Elizabeth Thomas 351 Stuzin Hall 352-846-1374 | QMB 4970 |
| BSBA in Management | Department of Management 201 Stuzin Hall | Dr. Mo Wang 211D Stuzin Hall 352-846-2054 | MAN 4970 |
| BSBA in Marketing | Department of Marketing 210 Bryan Hall | Dr. Alan Cooke 267 Stuzin Hall 352-392-0161 | MAR 4970 |
University Scholars Program
Thinking about a better business process, a revamped theory, or an integrated technology application? Realize your hypothesis as a structured study you intend to publish in the UF Journal of Undergraduate Research and present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
What does it mean to graduate with honors?
You’ve always been an above-and-beyond kind of student and will carry this tenacity and out-of-the-box thinking into the workforce. An honors thesis projects these attributes on multiple levels:
Greater depth of knowledge
Go beyond the pages of your textbook, and use data and research methodologies to uncover something unexpected (or that confirms your observations).
Faculty mentorship
Forge a relationship with a professor who’s ready to support your scholarship here and serve as a reference when you apply for jobs or graduate school.
Your diploma
You routinely exceed the baseline and don’t accept the status quo. Make that mission evident on your diploma, resume, and LinkedIn profile with an honors distinction.
A future in innovation
Aim toward the C-suite, professorship, or research and development by pursuing a Ph.D. in business. Anyone reviewing your application expects to assess what you’ve discovered and what your impact could be.
Graduate and professional studies
Thinking about an MBA, law school, an MD, or a joint degree in these areas? Published research gets your application noticed when it’s time to advance your career or take it in a different direction.
Enhance your resume
Employers embrace problem-solvers, strategizers, and convincing communicators. Your research exemplifies your mastery of these areas — and might get you fast-tracked to roles with more decision influence.