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Institute Honors Program
The Institute Honors Program enriches the academic experience of VMI's outstanding cadets through activities that encourage an affinity for intellectual inquiry and develop the capacity for sophisticated engagement of issues and problems, whether ethical, civic, or professional.
Honors Cadets have access to mini-grants for special projects and activities; support for senior project/thesis research through the VMI Center for Undergraduate Research; and events organized especially for them, including meetings with distinguished guests on Post and trips to sites of interest.
Honors Cadets are viewed as VMI’s prime candidates for prestigious national awards such as the Marshall, Rhodes, Gates Cambridge, Truman, and Goldwater scholarships. Those who complete the program are certified as Distinguished Graduates with Institute Honors at commencement.
Admission / Continuance
Admission to the program is guaranteed for Institute Scholars and open by application to any other cadet with a cumulative GPA > 3.5. New cadets with exceptional high school records may apply for admission prior to matriculation. Continuation in the program requires maintenance of a cumulative GPA > 3.5 and engagement in program activities.
Requirements
- HN 100 – Honors Forum – every semester
- One HNS elective (3 credits): Honors Seminar in Science or Engineering
- One HNL elective (3 credits): Honors Seminar in the Humanities or Social Sciences
- Senior Honors Project/Thesis (6 credits)
Program admission decisions for incoming cadets are made after matriculation. Applicants will be contacted in August for interviews.
Honors Program in the News
Find out more about the cadet research projects and the Honors program in recent VMI news.
Honors Week: Exploring the Complexities of Desegregation
Patrick Kiernan '25 explored the complexities of school desegregation in his honors thesis, focusing on key Supreme Court cases from the 1960s and 1970s. His research examined the challenges of enforcing desegregation post-Brown v. Board of Education, highlighting how the process was complicated.
Honors Week: Freeman Compares Philosophers
Brooks Freeman ’25, an English major at Virginia Military Institute, sought a common core between the philosophies of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, a 13th century Middle Eastern Sufi mystic and poet, and SØren Kierkegaard, a 19th century Danish philosopher, theologian, and poet, in his honors presentation.