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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 benefit from special offerings by other enrichment programs like the VMI Center for Undergraduate Research and Institute Writing Program. Special opportunities, including meetings with distinguished guests on Post and trips to sites of interest, are organized especially for them.
Honors Cadets are carefully mentored for academic success and post-graduate aspirations. They are prime candidates for prestigious postgraduate awards such as the Marshall, Rhodes, Gates Cambridge, Truman, and Goldwater scholarships, as well as admissions agreements with top-tier graduate programs in law and medicine.
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 current cadet with a cumulative GPA ≥ 3.5 and who has completed at least one but not more than four semesters of study at the time of application.
Continuance in the program requires maintenance of a cumulative GPA ≥ 3.5 and satisfactory 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.
Photographer and Author Presents at VMI
VMI welcomes photographer Anna Gage Norton, Thursday, April 2 at 4:30 p.m. in Pogue Auditorium, Marshall Library. Norton will discuss her forthcoming book, “On Nochaway,” a long-term photo-documentary project about her family’s efforts to reestablish the longleaf pine ecosystem.
Honors Week: Exploring Global Rivalries and Climate Change
During VMI’s Honors Week, Earl Filgo ’25 presented his thesis exploring how international rivalries impact global cooperation on climate change. A future U.S. Army military intelligence officer, Filgo combined national security, diplomacy, and environmental concerns in his research.