Honors College curriculum
The Honors College curriculum is meant to amplify a student’s academic, personal, and professional path while they are at the ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ. It is designed to compliment students with any major or minor and will not delay time to degree.
The Honors College offers three flexible curricular pathways that accommodate students within any major(s): the Honors Baccalaureate, the Provost’s Scholars pathway, and the 1874 Scholars pathway.
Honors Baccalaureate
The Honors Baccalaureate is the most immersive honors pathway. This pathway is well suited to first-year students that would like to engage with the Honors College throughout their undergraduate career. The Honors Baccalaureate pathway requires a total of 14 honors experiences, a minimum of 8 of those will be enhanced academic experiences and the other 6 can be the student's choice of cocurricular experiences or more enhanced academic experiences. This pathway also requires an honors introductory seminar (HON 109, HON 215, or HON 300) and an honors signature experience.
Provost's Scholars
The Provost's Scholars pathway recognizes the tremendous contributions of the Office of the Provost to honors education here at the University. The Provost's Scholars pathway offers a balanced middle ground between the other two pathways. The Provost's Scholars pathway requires a total of 12 honors experiences, a minimum of 6 of those will be enhanced academic experiences and the other 6 can be the student's choice of cocurricular experiences or more enhanced academic experiences. This pathway also requires that one of the enhanced academic experiences be an honors introductory seminar (HON 109, HON 215, or HON 300).
1874 Scholars
The 1874 Scholars pathway was named after the year the University was founded, and is the foundational honors pathway. This pathway is well suited to the needs of continuing and transfer students, as well as students whose majors may be more time-intensive. The 1874 Scholars pathway requires a total of 10 honors experiences, a minimum of 4 of those will be enhanced academic experiences and the other 6 can be the student's choice of cocurricular experiences or more enhanced academic experiences. This pathway requires that one of the enhanced academic experiences be an honors introductory seminar (HON 109, HON 215, or HON 300).
Completion of all three honors pathways is measured in honors experiences as detailed in the table below. Pathways do not require the completion of a specific number of credit hours and they are not time dependent.
| Pathway Requirements | Honors Baccalaureate | Provost’s Scholars | 1874 Scholars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honors Experiences | 14 | 12 | 10 |
| Enhanced Academic Experiences (honors courses, contracts, graduate level courses) | Minimum of 8 | Minimum of 6 | Minimum of 4 |
| Cocurricular Experiences | Maximum of 6 | Maximum of 6 | Maximum of 6 |
| Honors Introductory Seminar (HON 109, 215, 300) | Required | Required | Required |
| Honors Signature Experience (HON 494 or Honors contract on major capstone) | Required | Optional | Optional |
Any student may apply for admission to the Honors College and select any one of the three pathways; students may also move between the pathways as their courses of study dictate. Students in every honors pathway will complete a specified number of enhanced academic experiences and cocurricular experiences.
Honors experiences
Honors experiences include, but are not limited to, academic courses; co-curricular activities like creative performance, service-learning, internships, and research engagement; graduate level coursework; applying for a nationally competitive scholarship or fellowship; presenting work at an academic conference; etc.
Enhanced academic experiences. Enhanced academic experiences are equivalent to honors courses. These may be Honors College courses, honors sections of courses, honors contract courses, or graduate level courses. Learn more about honors contract courses.
Cocurricular Experiences. Cocurricular experiences include, but are not limited to, service, internships, research, professional examinations, leadership of clubs and organizations, etc.
Honors Introductory Seminar. All incoming honors students are required to enroll and complete an Honors Introductory Seminar. First-year students should take HON 109 or, if they live in the Honors LLC, HON 215. Incoming upper-division students may take HON 109, HON 215, or HON 300. These one-credit discussion-based seminars prepare students to maximize their honors experience at the ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ. Students get to engage with each other while refining their critical thinking skills with a wide range of primary source texts, including poetry, film, art, music, dance, speeches, visual texts, and electronic games. Students also practice professional development skills by learning about and applying for fellowships, scholarships, and internships. This experience is meant to allow you to integrate and apply the knowledge you gained as an undergraduate.
Honors signature experience. HON 494 Honors Signature Experience is the Honors College capstone. HON 494 is a three-credit course completed in one semester. It may be an honors thesis, creative project, service learning endeavor, or professional development plan. Students completing capstone in their majors may also satisfy the Honors Signature Experience requirement with an honors contract.