Honors Courses
To maintain membership in the University Honors Program, students must complete at least one three-hour honors course per year. At all times, a member must hold a GPA of 3.2 or higher. To complete the program and earn the University Honors Award and official transcript certification, students must complete 24 honors hours, including HONR 401 Honors Prospectus, HONR 402 Honors Thesis and two semesters of HUMA 111 Honors Forum.
Honors students may choose from the following list of courses:
ART 111
Honors Art Appreciation. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors standing. Introduction to the visual arts. History of architecture, painting, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, printmaking, photography and graphic design. (Honors equivalent of Art 110 Art Appreciation).
BIOL 372
Honors Topics in the Biological Sciences. 2-2-0. Prerequisite: Honors standing and BIOL 320, 326 or permission of the department head. A selected topic in modern biological sciences. Spring only.
BIOL 406
Honors Colloquium in the Biological Sciences. 1-1-1. Prerequisite: Honors placement and senior standing. Lectures and discussion of current advances, underlying principles and paradigm dynamics in the biological sciences. Fall only.
ENGL 111
Honors English Composition I. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of department head. Writing in the humanities through exploration of texts related to history, the arts, literature and philosophy. (Honors equivalent of English 101).
ENGL 112
Honors English Composition II. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement, C or better in ENGL 111 or permission of department head. Independent research strategies and argumentative writing for the illumination of interrelations among disciplines, current events and questions of ethics, values and beliefs. C or better in ENGL 112 is required for graduation. (Honors equivalent of English 102).
ENGL 211
Honors Studies in Literature and Culture. 3-3-0. Prerequisites: C or better in ENGL 102 and admission to Honors Program; or permission of department head. Examination of how literature has contributed to the invention of the modern mind. (Serves as an English literature elective).
GOVT 111
Honors American National Government. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of department head. An in-depth analysis of the principles, structure and functions of the national government of the United States. Degree credit will not be given for both GOVT 101 and GOVT 105. (Honors equivalent of GOVT 101 American National Government).
HIST 105
Honors Western Civilization. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of department head. Tracing the development of western culture from the beginnings of “civilization” to the mid-seventeenth century through analyses of contemporary writings and historical interpretations. Degree credit will not be given for both HIST 101 and HIST 105. (Honors equivalent of History 101 History of Western Civilization).
HIST 106
Honors Western Civilization. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement of permission of department head. Tracing the development of western culture from the mid-seventeenth century to the present through analyses of contemporary writings and historical interpretations. Degree credit will not be given for both HIST 102 and HIST 106. (Honors equivalent of History 102 History of Western Civilization).
HIST 160
Honors World History I. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of department head. Political, intellectual, social and economic developments in world history from the ancient world to 1500. (Equivalent of History 150 World History).
HIST 161
Honors World History II. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of department head. Political, intellectual, social and economic developments in world history from 1500 to the present day. (Equivalent of History 151 World History).
HONR 350
Honors Special Topics. 3-3-0. Prerequisites: Junior standing and permission of the Honors Program Director. A selected topic in the arts, humanities or sciences. May be repeated. May substitute for elective in major at discretion of department head.
HONR 401
Honors Prospectus. 1-0-3. Prerequisites: Senior standing, 16 hours of honors course credits, permission of the department head of the student’s major, permission of the Honors Program Director. Selection and planning of directed study in an area of the major.
HONR 402
Honors Thesis. 3-0-6. Prerequisites: HONR 401, senior standing, 16 hours of honors course credits, permission of the department head of the student’s major, permission of Honors Program Director. Directed study in the major field. Product of the study to be presented to interested communities. Students must contact the department head of the major one semester prior to enrollment in this course. May be substituted for an existing required/elective course in the major at the discretion of the academic department.
HUMA 111
The Honors Forum. 1-1-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of the Honors Program Director. Lectures, discussions, recitals, concerts, exhibitions and demonstrations that reflect the interdisciplinary focus of the Honors Program. S or U assigned upon completion of course. May be repeated for credit if content differs. (To graduate from the Honors Program, students are required to take this course twice).
HUMA 381
Honors Humanities Abroad I. Prerequisites: 13 hours of honors credit, junior standing and permission of Honors Program Director. Intensive study of a European country with emphasis on culture, history and society. Requires up to four weeks of study in country. (This is the course students complete curing Honors Abroad-England.)
HUMA 481
Honors Humanities Abroad II. 6-5-2. Prerequisites: Enrollment or credit in HONR 401 and permission of Honors Program Director. Intensive study of a Latin American country with emphasis on culture, history, society and ecology. Requires up to four weeks of study in country. (This is the course students complete during Honors Abroad-Costa Rica.)
MATH 113
Honors Pre-Calculus. 3-3-0. Prerequisites: ACT math subscore of 24 or higher. Honors-based study and application of algebraic, logarithmic, exponential and trigonometric functions, including analytical geometry and systems of equations and inequalities. (Honors equivalent of Math 105 Trigonometry).
MATH 114
Honors Trigonometry. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: ACT math subscore of 24 or higher. Honors based investigation of trigonometric ratios, circular functions and graphs, solutions of triangles, inverse functions, identities and equations. (Equivalent of Math 102 Trigonometry).
MUSI 107
Honors Music Appreciation. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of department head. Social, economic and political influences on composers and their works. (Honors equivalent of Music 105 General Music Appreciation).
NURS 385
Honors Special Topics in Global Health Care. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Permission of department head. Selected topics related to health and health care. May be repeated for credit if content differs.
SOCI 155
Honors Introductory Sociology. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of department head. In-depth analysis of theories and trends of society and social action with particular reference to life in the United States today. Degree credit will not be given for both SOCI 151 and SOCI 155. (Honors equivalent of Sociology 151 Introductory Sociology).
SPCH 105
Honors Public Speaking. 3-3-0. Prerequisite: Honors placement or permission of the department head. Understanding of and practice in the basics of public speaking. Emphasis on student responsibility for the learning process, additional creative speaking assignments and research/service projects. (Honors equivalent of Speech 101 Fundamentals of Public Speaking).
To graduate from the Honors Program, students are required to complete the following with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or greater:
- 18 hours of honors courses,
- two hours of HUMA 111 Honors Forum and
- four hours of honors independent study (HONR 401 and HONR 402).
In addition to these courses, honors students may petition for honors credit in any non-honors course without an honors equivalent. See Downloadable Forms for more information.