The following table sets out an example of how to achieve the requirements for graduating from the  Honors Program.

The Freshman year courses are required for all Honors students.  HON 2510 is currently (Spring 2023) not required for Honors students but it is strongly recommended.

The Honors Program is designed to provide high-achieving students the opportunity to investigate their major in an interdisciplinary way. 

In the fall semester of freshman year, honors students take a seminar that is designed to introduce them to interdisciplinary thought.  These are writing intensive courses with a focus on logic and structure in writing.  Recent topics include Science in the Movies, Dungeons Dragons in Art and Business, and History of the Beatles. 

In the spring term of freshman year, we turn to the issue of diversity.  Our world is a complicated place, with a remarkable range of diversity.  Our world is also a small place where these diverse peoples find themselves living and working side-by-side. To promote dialogue and understanding, honors students take a course called Dialogues on Diversity. This is a discussion-based course that provides students the opportunity to learn how to have conversations that can be difficult, but must be based in calm, reasonable, kind thought. 

In the sophomore year, students will take at least two Honors designated courses in the General Education Core, one of which should be Honors 2510 The World of Work.  This can be taken in either term of the Sophomore year.  Students in The World of Work explore all aspects of work from the application process through to promotions and retention. the The Honors General Education courses are those such as Music Appreciation, United States History, Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Biology, and so on.  Honors sections of these courses are designated with an H following the course number, e.g., PHIL 1030 H, and they are restricted to Honors Program students.  If you enjoy these courses and want to do more than the required two, you are certainly welcome to do so.

You are also welcome to take any HON 300 course that is being offered. We have offered courses such as Biblical Archaeology, Taylor Swift and the Romantic Tradition in American Poetry, a History of Popular Culture, and many others.

In the junior year, honors students will take two courses, typically one each semester, in their major that have been designated by the department as Honors courses. The Honors students will complete an extra set of assignments. Honors students may find themselves working more closely with their faculty members, perhaps on an on-going research project. 

The senior year is reserved for the completion of a thesis, a project, or a performance that serves as the culminating experience of an honors student's undergraduate academic career.  Students register for HON 4050 in the fall and again in the spring if necessary.  Whatever project the student undertakes, it will have a public component, whether that be a public defense of a thesis, a public performance in music or theater, or a presentation of art or perhaps a poster session that represents an honors student's research.

Instead of the thesis option, students may choose instead to take two upper-division Honors courses. 

Other means of earning honors credits:

Honors students may also elect to do extra work for any class via an Honors Contract. Contracts should be reserved for exceptional circumstances. Such a contract sets forth the responsibilities of the faculty member and the student.  Honors contracts can be done for any class.  Speak with the Director of Honors for more information on these. 

Faculty members occasionally offer topics courses in their area of specialization for honors students.  For example, a professor of History might offer a course on The History of Travel, or a Physics professor might teach a seminar on Einstein's papers.