Recommended 4-Year Honors Courses Starter Plan
Please note that the Honors course requirements differ between the Honors Distinction and Honors Degree designation.
First-Year Honors Students
As a first-year student, you are required to take 12 Honors credits within your first two semesters (E.g., 6 credits in the Fall and 6 credits in the Spring). You are encouraged to create an individualized schedule that work best for your unique major and interests utilizing the General Education Honors courses.
In order to support a successful transition to both the university and the Honors Program, you are encouraged to enroll in the following Honors courses:
Fall Semester: HONS 1101-H : Honors Humanities I (partially satisfies Objective 1, substitutes for ENGL 1102)
ACAD 1104-H : Honors First Year Transition
Spring Semester: HONS 1102-H : Honors Humanities II (partially satisfies Objective 4)
Second-Year Honors Students
ACAD 1111-H : University Inquiry (taught in Fall and Spring semesters; satisfies objective 8)
You are urged to enroll in ACAD 1111 to expand critical thinking, research and writing skills, and to prepare for independent learning and research. In this course you will learn how to identify an information need, evaluate information discovered, and use information effectively and ethically. ACAD 1111 may also be taken in your first year.
Contracting Courses for Honors Credit
We also encourage you to discover and build relationships with faculty within your intended majors and minors. This may be the time you first approach a faculty member to develop an "Honors Contract" for a course. You have the opportunity to contract select courses every Fall or Spring semester during any year depending on your personal course requirements.
Third- and Fourth-Year Honors Students
HONS 3391 : Honors Interdisciplinary Seminars (multiple sections taught every Fall and Spring semester)
You have the opportunity to enroll in HONS 3391 every Fall or Spring semester during any year, but you may enjoy the course more after completing the previous Honors courses.
Seminar course offerings differ by semester and introduce you to more in-depth analysis of a particular field or subject. Seminar classes tend to be wildly popular because you are able to engage with issues in ways not normally pursued in traditional courses.
Past HONS 3391 topics have included:
"Introduction to Communication Differences and Disorders Through Film"
"Exploring Local Socio-Ecological Systems"
"The History of Humor in the United States"
"B-grade Horror Movie Monsters."
HONS 3393 : Introduction to Honors Thesis (taught in Fall and Spring semesters)
If you are pursuing an Honors Degree, you are encouraged to take HONS 3393 in the fall semester of your fourth or final year. HONS 3393 prepares you to develop, plan, and begin their Honors Thesis or Honors Project, select a thesis or project topic, identify a thesis director, begin scholarship review for the project or thesis, and develop a timeline for completing the project or thesis.
For Honors Degree Seeking Students: Your Final Year
HONS 4493 : Honors Thesis (taught in Fall and Spring semesters)
If you are pursuing an Honors Degree, you will complete your Honors Thesis during your final year. It may be a research-based senior thesis or another discipline-appropriate project. The thesis may take many forms depending upon the discipline and field in which you are working. You will want to enroll in HONS 4493 to earn credit for working on and presenting your Honors Thesis during your final year.