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The �鶹��Ƶ Honors Program is an opportunity for qualified students to participate in special courses and curricula to enhance their academic experience and earn an Honors Diploma at graduation. The benefits are substantial.

• Honors offers courses in English, history, communication, biology, fine arts, and more.  With great teachers and classes limited to 20, Honors courses offer optimum learning environments for lots of discussion and personal assistance from the instructors. These small classes also offer opportunities to make some great friends.
• In every academic major, the opportunity to earn honors “H-option” credit in courses is available. Some departments offer honors courses in the majors they sponsor.
• Credit for honors courses is noted on the student’s transcript, and graduation in the honors curriculum is rewarded with a special Honors Diploma. Participation in a university honors program provides an edge in competition for graduate and professional schools and for employment.
• Honors Program students have the privilege of Early-Priority Registration each semester, increasing the chance to make a perfect class schedule.
• Students can choose a residence hall reserved for members of the Honors Program and other academically qualified students.
• The Honors Program staff provides convenient and helpful advising regarding all honors-related questions and issues.
• The Honors Club associated with the Program provides opportunities for campus involvement, service, making friends, and student networking.

Courses in the beginning of the Honors curriculum provide an excellent foundation for the rest of a student’s academic career at �鶹��Ƶ. All students starting in the Honors Program should consider taking the Honors version of their general education English, biology, public speaking, history and art general education courses.  In classes limited to 20, students read, study, speak and write about major books, ideas, figures, artistic movements and events that have impacted Western civilization. These courses emphasize development of good study practices, skills in interpretive reading, effective speaking, and clear written expression. Students broaden their cultural knowledge and refine their communication skills.

Another unique aspect of our program is the ability to combine HONR, study abroad, honors in the major and H-option courses to earn the Honors diploma.

Here’s the complete list:

Accounting 3957: Ethics for Accounting

Art 4917: Honors in Art

Communication 2117: Honors Public Speaking

English 1017: Freshman Composition Honors

English 1027: Critical Reading and Writing Honors

English 2107: Honors studies in Literature

English 2917: Tragedy and Comedy

English 2927: Modern Fiction

General Biology 1517: General Biology I Honors

General Biology 1537: General Biology II Honors

History 1017: History of Western Civilization until the Renaissance

History 1027: History of Western Civilization since the Renaissance

History 2017: American History to 1877

History 2027: American History since 1877

Honors 1917: Honors Interdisciplinary Arts

Honors 2007: Interdisciplinary Honors Mentoring

Honors 3047: Ideas and Issues in Pure and Applied Sciences

Honors 3057: Ideas and Issues in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Honors 3117: Ideas in Conflict I – Ancient and Classical

Honors 3127: Ideas in Conflict II – Medieval and Renaissance

Honors 3137: Ideas in Conflict III – Enlightenment and Romantic

Honors 3147: Ideas in Conflict IV – Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Honors 4017: Ideas and Issues in Arts and Humanities

Honors 4027: Ideas and Issues in Business and Finance

Honors 4417: Interdisciplinary Independent Study

Honors 3007: Honors Senior Thesis

Industrial Technology 4927: Research and Development

Mathematics 1757: Honors Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry

Mathematics 2007: Honors Calculus I

Physics 1917: General Physics Honors

Physics 1937: General Physics Lab Honors

Psychology 1167: General Psychology for Honors I

Psychology 1177: General Psychology for Honors II

Psychology 2317: Honors Research

Psychology 3477: Honors Seminar: Issues in Psychology

Psychology 3677: Senior Honors Research in Psychology

Psychology 4677: Honors Thesis in Psychology

Spanish 1017: Elementary Spanish I for the Honors Student

Spanish 1027: Elementary Spanish II for the Honors Student

No. Honors courses replace the regular version of courses already required for your major. Taking them will not lengthen the time it will take you to graduate. 

The Honors Thesis is a research project that every honors student completes with the guidance of a faculty member and then presents before an audience of peers in the senior year. Each student personally designs a project to complete in an upper-division course in his or her major and then presents the results.

Usually students work on the project over two semesters – designing the project with a faculty director and gathering data over one semester, and writing and reporting results over the next.  H-option courses can be used to help lay the ground work for a solid thesis.

Please check the University Catalog or call the Honors Office (985-549-2135) to find out more about the two stages of the thesis and the proper time to enroll in Honors 3007, a one-hour course offered every semester to facilitate a variety of presentations.

Graduates of �鶹��Ƶ’s Honors Program have praised their Senior Thesis experience for the confidence it gave them to do further research and the advantage of having it on their record when they applied for graduate, law, and medical schools and for jobs.

Students who do not elect to join the Honors Program but meet the course prerequisites printed in the Catalog may take any Honors course without joining. Students who are in the Program should take the courses that are indicated for the particular curriculum paths they choose to follow.

There are several ways in which participation in the Honors Program is recognized.

Every honors course taken is identified on the student’s transcript.

Sophomore Honors Distinction: Recognition includes a notation on the transcript and a certificate awarded after the end of the fourth regular semester in college (does not count advanced placement or dual enrollment semesters):

• Completion of 15 hours of 1000- and/or 2000-level Honors credits chosen from at least three disciplines by the end of the fourth regular college semester with no grade lower than a ‘B’ in any Honors course, and
• A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Senior Honors Distinction: Students receiving this distinction will receive recognition at the Honors Recognition Ceremony and on their transcripts.  Students working toward senior honors distinction are expected to indicate their intention to the Honors Director during the first semester of the junior year (sooner if pursuing early graduation) for additional information on requirements including the following:

• Completion of upper division readiness program designed to expose students to the concept of the senior thesis and lay the groundwork for senior research later;
• Completion of nine hours of upper-level Honors coursework including at least three (3) hours of 3000- or 4000-level HONR credit, and
• A minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA.
   

Honors Diploma

• Completion of 15 hours of 1000- and/or 2000-level Honors credits chosen from at least three disciplines;
• Completion of 9 hours of upper-level Honors coursework;
• Completion of a Senior Thesis following Senior Thesis guidelines, and
• A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Honors Program students are also recognized at the annual awards convocations of the separate colleges of the university, and they often win other forms of recognition for their contributions to the life of the university. 

Any beginning freshman with an ACT Composite of 24+ and high school GPA of 3.0+ may join. University students already having 12 hours of credit or more need a university GPA of 3.0+ to join. Feel free to come by the Honors Office for any advising you may need relative to the program, its courses and its curricula. Transfer students are strongly recommended to seek advising from their start at �鶹��Ƶ in order to plan clear progress to graduation with an honors diploma.

Your membership will be official when you complete the online Application to Join the Honors Program. Once your application has been received and your eligibility has been confirmed, you will receive an email to your official �鶹��Ƶ email account, and you will be officially registered as a member of the Honors Program.

The university registration system will not let you enroll online for an honors course unless you are formally admitted to the Honors Program.  Once you’ve been admitted, you will be able to sign up for Honors classes.

A transfer student can join the Honors Program provided the student does not have more than 77 hours at the time of transfer. Credit for honors courses taken at other institutions must first be evaluated by the Honors Director before approval as substitutions for �鶹��Ƶ’s courses. During advising, substitutions for required courses in the Freshman Honors Seminar will be mapped out.

Three things contribute to a significant difference:

The limit of 20 enrolled in most honors classes facilitates discussion, student interaction with the instructor, and a sense of community that extends beyond the classroom.

Only professors recognized for their excellence in the classroom teach honors courses.

Honors courses attract students who want a more engaging and lively learning atmosphere.

In sum, Honors classes are designed for learning at its best.

Being “harder” is not what distinguishes a true Honors course. The difference is a learning environment shared with other students who have come to �鶹��Ƶ with a genuine desire to get the most from their university education. While you might be asked to do more reading in Honors courses, and you will be expected to be involved in every class, you may find that your Honors classes are actually easier in the sense that they inspire more personal focus, they create a sense of being part of a community of scholars, and they produce a sense of progress that can be a very pleasing experience for avid learners.

Given the motivational atmosphere of Honors classes, it is not surprising that national studies of university grades have shown that students of similar ability tend to make higher grades in Honors courses than in non-Honors courses. Naturally students who are in the optimum learning environment will accomplish more of their goal. This fact is worth considering if you need to maintain a grade-point minimum in order to retain a scholarship. While taking honors courses won’t automatically improve your grades, it should make you a student more capable of better grades.

For advice about requirements related to your major, you should always go to the department in which you are majoring. Consult with your departmental adviser if one is assigned to you. However,you also need to educate yourself about how to complete Honors Program core curriculum requirements in tandem with departmental curriculum requirements.

For answers to general and specific questions related to starting or progressing in the University Honors Program and synchronizing with the requirements of a particular major, you can always get helpful information and advice at the Honors Office. Come by, or call us at 985-549-2135.

Yes, but the list keeps growing. Consider twenty benefits described by honors students themselves:

• You will be with other good students in interesting courses.
• You can combine a well-rounded liberal education with studies in your major.
• You will make friends among a fine group of students and professors.
• You can live in residential housing reserved for students with strong academic motivation.
• You’ll be able to learn with some of �鶹��Ƶ’s best teaching professors.
• You will have diverse opportunities to strengthen leadership skills.
• You’ll take small seminar-type classes limited to no more than twenty students.
• For each Honors course you take, you’ll earn an “7” on your transcript.
• You will build confidence in your abilities to succeed in the face of challenges.
• You will increase your understanding of your own and other cultures.
• You can earn a Sophomore Honors Distinction Award for making early progress in the program and also an Honors Diploma at graduation.
• You will enjoy advisory assistance from the helpful professors who teach Honors courses.
• You can participate in the Honors Student Association, which sponsors a variety of academic and social events on campus.
• You will perform at the peak of your scholastic abilities.
• You can attend regional and national Honors student conferences in major U.S. cities.
• Every semester you’ll enjoy the advantage of Early-Priority Registration – a real plus when scheduling courses!
• You’ll be taking more responsibility for your own work as a college student.
• You’ll obtain an excellent education to prepare you for professional schools, graduate programs, and successful careers.
• Your Honors Diploma will give you an edge in the competition for graduate and professional schools and when you apply for career positions.

We’re in the Student Union, Suite 1119.