Magna Cum Laude
What Is Magna Cum Laude?
Magna cum laude is a scholastic honorific utilized by instructive institutions to imply that a scholarly degree was earned with prominent distinction. The Latin phrase means "with great recognition."
Magna cum laude is one of three commonly involved scholarly degree praises at instructive institutions in the United States and numerous different countries. The others are summa cum laude, meaning with highest distinction, and cum laude, or "with distinction." The titles are alluded to as Latin distinctions since they hold their original Latin forms.
Understanding Magna Cum Laude
Magna cum laude is more esteemed than cum laude praises however less lofty than summa cum laude. The criteria by which every one of these distinctions is accomplished relies upon the specific requirements of every institution. The awarding of Latin distinctions is common in colleges and universities in the United States, albeit not all give them. Many high schools additionally grant Latin distinctions.
Latin distinctions are most commonly awarded related to a four year college education. Students who graduate with distinction might wear stoles of a distinct variety or another assignment during initiation functions, and their distinctions might be refered to when their names are perused. Latin distinctions are generally remembered for a student's official record.
Requirements for Magna Cum Laude
The criteria for earning Latin distinctions might incorporate the student's grade point average (GPA), class rank, number of hours completed, and recommendations from a scholastic department.
A few schools have subbed different titles, for example, "with distinction," in place of or notwithstanding the traditional Latin terms.
Note
A few colleges base their GPA requirements for Latin distinctions on a percentage of the graduating class, meaning they change consistently.
Genuine Examples of Magna Cum Laude
The scholastic limits for praises vary among scholarly institutions and even between programs at a similar institution. Texas A&M graduates, for example, must complete 60 credit hours while earning a GPA of 3.70 to 3.899 to earn their degree magna cum laude.
At certain universities, the GPA requirements for Latin distinctions change each scholastic year since they are based on a percentage of the student's class. For instance, for a student to graduate magna cum laude in engineering from the University of California Los Angeles, they must completion between the top 5% and 10% of their class in the wake of finishing 90 credits. For the 2021-2022 scholarly year, they need a GPA of no less than 3.871, while the cutoff for 2022-2023 is 3.898.
Paradoxically, at Harvard University, where Latin distinctions originated during the nineteenth century, undergraduates finishing degrees with an overall GPA in the top 20% of all graduates will receive either summa cum laude or magna cum laude distinction, with the summa honorific held for students with the highest GPAs.
Brown University, then again, doesn't involve a student's GPA in its calculation. Students are eligible for just one Latin honor, magna cum laude, upon graduation. A student accomplishes the distinction by earning a high percentage of "A" grades and "S" for distinction marks for courses. Something like 20% of a graduating class can earn magna cum laude praises.
Special Considerations
Colleges might consider other non-GPA factors in their choices to grant magna cum laude status. An institution could expect that students complete a distinctions thesis to be eligible. Others look for letters of recommendation from employees, verifying students' remarkable scholarly performance. Others specify that students must complete a certain number of advanced courses.
A few colleges, including Stanford University, don't offer Latin distinctions by any stretch of the imagination. Stanford presents a single "with distinction" title on the 15% of students with the highest GPA in each graduating class.
The Value of a Magna Cum Laude Degree
The relative value of a magna cum laude degree or one with another Latin honor is challenging to judge with regards to a job application. It might mean a great deal to an employers and nothing to other people. In any case, as new college graduates vie for jobs, having a Latin distinction on their recognition or resume certainly doesn't do any harm.
It very well might be of greater benefit when students vie for spaces in graduate school. The top law schools, for example, anticipate that students should have accomplished certain GPAs as undergraduates, the type of high denotes that are in many cases joined by Latin distinctions.
Highlights
- Numerous colleges award magna cum laude praises notwithstanding summa cum laude respects, which are above magna cum laude, and cum laude respects, which are just below.
- Magna cum laude is a scholarly honorific awarded to students who have accomplished scholastic greatness.
- The practice of awarding Latin distinctions started at Harvard during the nineteenth century and has spread to colleges and universities around the world.
