Academic Opportunities – Universitywide
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- Departmental Honors Programs
- Global Leadership Center
- Learning Communities
- Office of Global Opportunities
- Office of Nationally Competitive Awards
- OHIO Honors Program
- Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fund
Departmental Honors Programs
Outstanding undergraduate students, who are not students in the Honors Tutorial College, may choose to earn departmental honors in their major program. A thesis or project is required and, depending on the major, may be either an expository or creative piece of original work, the result of supervised research, or a collection of artistic endeavors. A departmental or school supervisor helps in the decision of an appropriate project and guides you toward completion of the thesis or project. Departments and schools determine eligibility of students, and you should talk with the honors coordinator in the department or school about your interest in this program. To graduate with departmental honors, you must have satisfied the criteria required by your major department or school. You are advised to start planning this program as soon as possible.
Students who graduate with departmental honors are recognized in the commencement program, and the honor is noted on the students’ diplomas and transcripts.
Global Leadership Center
The Global Leadership Center (GLC) is an award-winning, innovative program that strives to develop internationally minded, locally engaged leaders in all walks of life. Open to all majors, the GLC brings together the resources of the various colleges at Ohio University in an interdisciplinary 19-semester–hour residential program on global issues, with a strong emphasis on real–world projects and problem–solving skills.
GLC courses are not traditional classes. Instead, students work in project teams on real–world problems and issues. For most projects, GLC student teams have international student partners. GLC students also travel together for one education-abroad experience.
For additional information, visit the GLC website at www.ohio.edu/global/glc/
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Learning Communities
A learning community (LC) is a group of students who take a common set of courses together or share a common experience around their academics. Participants in the LC develop a deeper understanding of the courses’ subject matter while they build relationships and learn together outside the classroom.
The purposes of the learning communities are to help students gain a deeper understanding of learning at the college level, to assist in the integration of course material, to increase interaction and communication between students and faculty, and to increase involvement and engagement in the campus community. All of this together results in a holistic college learning experience.
Learning communities are designed around clusters of linked courses tailored to a specific topic or major and are offered to students their first semester at Ohio University. Groups of up to 25 students are co-enrolled into two to four courses, one of which is typically a learning community seminar course taken only by the participants. The seminar becomes the hub of the community.
In most learning communities, students are enrolled in three required general education courses, as well as a freshman seminar. Learning communities include a peer mentor or learning community leader , who assists students in adjusting to college life and guides them through the exploration of Ohio University opportunities and resources. Out–of–class activities and study sessions are integrated in the experience.
Learning communities within the biological sciences and chemistry areas partner a peer-led tutoring laboratory (PLTL) with some of the more difficult science courses.
Colleges send information regarding learning communities directly to the new students admitted to their colleges. Regardless of your major program, there is a learning community designed to meet your interests. An information session and registration for many learning communities will take place during summer Bobcat Student Orientation.
For more information please visit www.ohio.edu/learningcommunities/ or contact:
Director of Learning Community Programs
Chubb Hall 060
1 Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701-2979
740.593.1953
learning.communities@ohio.edu
The Office of Global Opportunities (OGO) is dedicated to helping students fulfill their ambition to study, teach, intern, volunteer and work around world, be it in the United States or abroad. These experiences enhance a student’s degree and marketability for future employers, while pushing them to new limits as they discover more about themselves and their world. OGO can be a student’s first stop on the road to becoming a more effective and valuable member of the global workforce.
OGO supports students before, during, and after their programs in the following ways:
- Advising on choosing a global program
- Assistance with the application process: www.ohio.edu/global/goglobal/programs/forms/cfm
- Financial aid and scholarships: www.ohio.edu/global/goglobal/students/funding.cfm
- Predeparture health & safety orientations: www.ohio.edu/global/goglobal/health-safety.cfm
- Emergency support during a program
- Resume/career workshops
- and more!
A team of professional advisors and trained student peer advisors, all of whom have experienced a global opportunity, are excited to work with students to help them choose the programs that best fit their needs.
There are more than 70 Ohio University-sponsored programs to choose from, along with innumerable other programs offered through global program providers and higher education institutions. For more information about these and other opportunities, visit www.ohio.edu/global/goglobal/ or email global.opportunities@ohio.edu . Students can also attend walk-in advising hours at the OGO, Monday–Friday, 10–4 p.m., in Walter International Education Center. No appointment is necessary. All majors welcome.
OGO is a division of Global Affairs and International Studies at Ohio University.
Office of Nationally Competitive Awards
The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA) assists students with virtually all facets of applying for some of the most prestigious awards available. This includes such impressive and competitive awards as the Rhodes, Fulbright, Critical Language, Truman, Udall, and Goldwater Scholarships.
Services offered include providing specific information about scholarships and awards, mentoring and counseling students about their particular situations and candidacies, assisting with the application processes, and organizing supportive programs for students. Most national awards are merit based and extremely competitive. To be considered viable candidates, students should have at least a 3.6 GPA and be involved actively in both their studies and extracurricular activities.
ONCA is located at 35 Park Place. Call 740.597.2723 for more information or visit www.ohio.edu/honors/onca/ .
OHIO Honors Program
The OHIO Honors Program is a selective admissions program that invites students to deepen their academic engagement at Ohio University. OHIO Honors students have the opportunity to complete a blend of innovative, challenging coursework (honors curricular experiences) and carefully vetted experiential learning opportunities (honors co-curricular experiences), such as internships, research apprenticeships, and intensive community engagement projects. Students identify a concentration in one of three interdisciplinary engagement pathways: research and creative activity, community engagement, or leadership. After completing 14 qualifying honors experiences, including the OHIO Honors Engagement Lab and Senior Capstone Experience, students earn an honors designation on their transcript. The OHIO Honors Program is currently in year one of a multi-year pilot. At this time, students must be invited to apply.
Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fund and Other Research Funding Resources
The Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fund (PURF) provides small awards up to $1,500 to support the research and creative activity conducted by undergraduate students. To be eligible, students must be enrolled on the Athens or one of the regional campuses. Awards will support the direct project costs (e.g., supplies, materials, research-related travel, etc.) for current and ongoing research and creative activity and will support travel to conferences, exhibits and performances for the students to disseminate their work. The fund is administered by the Research Division and more information can be found at www.ohio.edu/research/funding.cfm
Other funding resources with awards up to $6,000 may be found at www.ohio.edu/research/funding.cfm .