Honors Core Program

A total of 16 credit hours make up the Honors Core Program course requirements. In addition, students must maintain:

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to remain in “good standing” with the program
A cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher to graduate as a “University Honors Scholar”

Honors Core Program Requirements

All University Honors Foundation Requirements listed below must be completed (9 credits total):

HNRS A192: Honors Seminar: Enduring Books (3 credits)—An honors seminar focusing on the directed reading of a single book of enduring significance. The seminar will focus on the art of reading a text closely and grappling with its significance—i.e., the idea of coming to grips with how to live with the aid of one of the great books—while at the same time honing the student’s abilities in listening, writing and speaking. Topics change every semester.
HNRS A292: Honors Seminar in Social Science (3 credits)—By examining selected topics from a social science perspective, students are exposed to a broad range of social issues and develop skills to examine and evaluate their world. The seminar emphasizes research findings and skills, including the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. Both oral and written communication are key components of this course. Topics and instructors change every semester.
HNRS A310: Community Service: Theory and Practice (3 credits)—This course includes guided volunteer service with a cultural organization or government agency. Students explore questions of service, community, and self through investigating several key questions.

Successful completion of the Honors Foundation requirements (HNRS 192, 292 & 310) will satisfy 3 credits of Humanities and 3 credits of Social Sciences under the General Education Requirements.

Honors Senior Project/Thesis Requirements (Honors Core):

Junior year is a time for students to deepen their coursework in their chosen fields of study. University Honors students take a thesis preparation seminar to help them begin planning for their Honors thesis.

HNRS A392: Honors Thesis Seminar (1 credit)—This course is an in-depth application of discipline research skills to a particular problem in concert with development of understanding the research problems addressed and research methods used by different disciplines.

In their senior year, Honors students have a variety of capstone senior thesis experiences to choose from:

HNRS A397/A497: Honors Independent Study (3-6 credits)—A course proposed by the student or Honors Instructor and approved by the University Honors Dean. Students are required to complete all lower-division Honors courses in order to register for this course.

HNRS A490: Senior Honors Seminar (6 credits)—A two-semester-long interdisciplinary seminar. Topics change every year. Registration for this course is in the fall semester only. Final grades will appear on the fall semester transcript after successful completion of the course at the end of the spring semester.
HNRS A499: Honors Thesis (3-6 credits)—The focus of this course is to articulate a researchable idea or develop a creative idea to fruition appropriate to the student’s discipline. Students design or undertake a method of information gathering or creative presentation or performance that sheds light on the articulated idea. Finally, students report findings and draw valid conclusions based on new research or demonstrate these findings through creative presentation. Students are required to complete all lower-division Honors courses in order to register for this course.

To satisfy senior requirements, a student may choose one of the following plans:

HNRS 490: Senior Honors Seminar (6 credits)
HNRS 499: Honors Thesis/Project (6 credits)
HNRS 497: Independent Study (3 credits) OR a course approved by the Honors Program Director AND HNRS 499: Honors Thesis/OR a departmental thesis/project (3 credits, minimum)
An upper-division course listed as a specific departmental honors requirement (3 credits) AND HNRS 499: Honors Thesis/Project OR a departmental thesis/project (3 credits, minimum)

Will University Honors courses count towards your degree? Yes! Read more in our Frequently Asked Questions.

Students should be placed in ENGL 111 or above before registering for HNRS courses.

"Of all my Honors courses, HNRS 310 challenged me the most because it allowed me to actually go out and work in the field that I’m majoring in.”

- Diane Swonger, University Honors Program Student