Four Year Program (40 credit hours total):
Approximately one-third of the 120 hours honors students earn toward graduation are taken in the Honors College. Most of these credits are associated with a sequence of honors courses designed specifically for the college, the majority of which are taken during the first two years. During this period, these students fulfill virtually all of the university's general education requirements, usually in innovative ways. In their junior and senior years, honors students also may earn honors credit for work done within their major fields, work which includes the possibility of internships, independent study projects, and advanced undergraduate research.
First Year
Students take HONORS 1100, HONORS 1200, and HONORS 1201, and one course each from the Western Traditions and Non-Western Traditions seminar series. Students may take a seminar from the American Traditions series as an elective or in place of the Western Traditions seminar.
| HONORS 1110 | Western Traditions: Humanities | 3 |
| HONORS 1200 | Freshman Symposium: Cultural Traditions I - Humanities | 3 |
| HONORS 1201 | Freshman Symposium: Cultural Traditions II - Humanities | 3 |
| HONORS 1130 | Western Traditions: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| HONORS 1230 | American Traditions: Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 | 3 |
| HONORS 1310 | Non-Western Traditions Series Humanities | 3 |
| HONORS 1330 | Non-Western Traditions Series-Social Sciences | 3 |
| 1 | Elective as an alternate to Western Traditions. |
Second Year
Students take two of the following Honors classes:
| HONORS 2010 | Inquiries in The Humanities | 3 |
| HONORS 2020 | Inquiries in the Fine and Performing Arts | 3 |
| HONORS 2030 | Inquiries in the Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| HONORS 2050 | Inquiries in the Natural Sciences | 1-3 |
| HONORS 2060 | Inquiries in Business | 3 |
| HONORS 2070 | Inquiries in Education | 3 |
| HONORS 2071 | 4 | |
| HONORS 2080 | Inquiries in Nursing | 3 |
During the first two years, honors students will take additional course work in other areas, such as mathematics, natural science, foreign language, and major prerequisite classes to satisfy various university, Honors College, and specific degree requirements.
Third and Fourth Years
Honors students in the four-year program take at least four seminars (12 credit hours) from the Advanced Seminar (3000 level series) and/or Research Seminar (HONORS 3530 or HONORS 3535). They may take more where this is compatible with their major and/or minor requirements. Honors students in the four year program who take HONORS 3100 ("Writing the City") or HONORS 3160 ("Writing in the Sciences") may present it for their honors certificate as one of their 3000-level seminars. They may also, depending on their major, present it to meet their graduation requirement for Junior-level composition.
| HONORS 3010 | Advanced Honors Seminar in the Humanities | 3 |
| HONORS 3020 | Advanced Honors Seminar in the Fine and Performing Arts | 3 |
| HONORS 3030 | Advanced Honors Seminar in the Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| HONORS 3100 | Honors Advanced Composition: Writing The City | 3 |
| HONORS 3160 | Honors Writing in the Sciences | 3 |
| HONORS 3530 | 3 | |
| HONORS 3535 | 4 |
In addition, honors students do 6 credit hours in independent study projects, normally in or closely related to their major field. These independent study projects normally carry credit in the major, but can be done as Honors College independent study or research projects (HONORS 4900, HONORS 4910, HONORS 4915). During the final year, students also take HONORS 4100, a one-hour capstone for the Honors College writing program; HONORS 4100 may be taken for two hours.
Learning Outcomes
- Through coursework comparing and contrasting diverse cultural viewpoints, academic disciplinary approaches and information, Honors students will demonstrate the ability to synthesize knowledge from various perspectives.
- Honors students will exhibit the ability to communicate effectively in speech and writing:
- by speaking in groups to present, reflect on and evaluate information and perspectives.
- by completing the written assignments required in all Honors courses that focus on various perspectives, audiences and disciplinary approaches(demonstrating effective writing that employs correct diction, syntax, usage, grammar and mechanics.
- Honors students will demonstrate skills in higher-order thinking, valuing and managing information:
- by exhibiting the ability to distinguish among opinions, facts and inferences; by identifying underlying or implicit ins assumptions; by making informed judgments; and by solving problems through applying evaluative standards.
- by locating, accessing, synthesizing and annotating information from print, electronic, and other sources; by distinguishing between scholarly and non-scholarly sources in preparation for higher-order thinking.
- by analyzing and synthesizing information from a variety of sources, applying the results to resolving complex situations and problems, and defending conclusions using relevant evidence and reasoned argument.
- by utilizing cultural, behavioral, and historical knowledge to clarify and articulate a personal value system while recognizing the ramifications of personal value decisions on the self and others.
- by identifying conflicts within and between multiple perspectives and value systems; by recognizing and analyzing ethical issues in a variety of contexts; and by employing standards of logic to formulate a reasonable position among multiple perspectives.
- Honors students will select and participate in Honors courses in various disciplines and will demonstrate essential skills and approaches relevant to those disciplines: Students participating in Honors courses in disciplines such as the social sciences, life and physical sciences that rely upon the understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts and their applications will display a level of quantitative literacy that would enable them to understand and analyze quantitative data, draw conclusions, and solve problems.
- Students participating in Honors courses in the social and behavioral sciences will exhibit understanding of themselves and the world around them through the study of the content and methodologies used by historians and social and behavioral scientists to discover, describe, explain, and predict human behavior and social systems; they will demonstrate understanding of the diversities and complexities of the cultural and social world, past and present, and come to an informed sense of self and others.
- Students participating in Honors courses in the humanities and fine arts will exhibit understanding and critical analysis of the ways in which people have addressed their condition through literature and art; they will demonstrate their understanding of these cultural works and their historical circumstances; they will formulate aesthetic judgments of these works.
- Students participating in Honors courses focusing on life and physical sciences will demonstrate knowledge of scientific principles, research procedures and empirical methods of scientific enquiry; they will display their understanding of how scientific discoveries affect and are affected by theoretical views of the world and human history.
- Honors students will complete specific Honors requirements designed to develop their awareness of career and advanced study opportunities:
- by participating in internships, independent study and undergraduate research to develop and demonstrate advanced knowledge in a discipline, professional skills, and greater understanding of career and educational goals.
- by creating an Honors Writing Portfolio that demonstrates the ability to assess their writing skills and development; by devising and revising documents for employment searches or graduate school applications to enhance their ability to formulate and pursue specific career goals.