Curriculum Requirements

To complete the University Honors Program curriculum, students will take 36 Honors credits distributed as follows:

1. Eight Honors courses in general education, 24 credits: The Honors Program offers a variety of Honors courses in general education each semester. Most Honors courses correspond to regularly offered general education courses. For example, HON 122: Honors World History I is equivalent to HIS 105: World History I. Honors courses that don't correspond to regular general education courses can still fulfill general education requirements. (The general education categories that Honors courses fulfill are posted on the Honors course offerings.) Students usually complete most of their Honors courses in general education during their freshman and sophomore years.

Honors Writing Intensive First Year Seminar (WIFYS) is required as 3 of the 24 general education credits. This course prepares Honors students to be effective writers in their own disciplines and in the Honors Program. Students will be introduced to the elements of professional discourse in their own discipline so they are prepared to participate in that discourse as undergraduates. Students will research and write an exemplary essay in their discipline and learn about academic venues for disseminating their research, including academic conferences and journals. They will share their disciplinary findings with a wider audience by communicating the results of their research at a public forum. (Note: AP or transfer credits may fulfill the WIFYS requirement, but students will need to substitute another Honors course in general education.)

2. Three Honors seminars, 9 credits: Honors seminars will be explorations of specific topics designed to demonstrate the interconnectedness of academic disciplines. The small seminars (usually 15 to 20 students) will focus on discussion of readings and will include individual or group research projects.

Some seminars, including Honors Business and Society and Honors Introduction to Exceptionalities, meet core requirements for business and education majors, respectively, and students may occasionally be able to count other seminars toward the completion of their major requirements. Students will usually complete the Honors seminars during their junior and senior years. Students who complete undergraduate research or creative projects beyond the Honors capstone requirement may petition to substitute this experience for one or more of their Honors seminars.

3. One Honors capstone project, 3 credits: The University Honors Program's capstone project will be a major independent research or creative project. Students will usually complete the capstone during their senior year and present their work at the Honors Symposium. Options include:

• Honors Colloquium: The Honors Colloquium will explore a specific theme, and students will undertake a service-learning or research project relating to that theme from the perspective of their discipline. Students will present the results of their research at the University Honors Symposium. The Colloquium will typically be offered each fall and may also be offered as a domestic or international study course during the summer.
• Thesis: Students will register for HON 390 Honors Thesis Seminar and will undertake a research or creative project under the direction of a faculty member.
• Internship with a related research project: Students will register for internship credit, and their faculty supervisor will oversee their research project.
• Student teaching experience with a related research project: Students will register for student teaching credit, and their faculty supervisor will oversee their research project.

(For ideas for your capstone project, check out the Honors Symposium archive to see what students have done in the past.)

These curricular requirements are summarized in the advising worksheets found on the Forms page of the Honors website.