Incoming Honors Students
Requirement
As an incoming student, you will take one honors class during your first semester, usually a class associated with your major or one that meets a general education requirement. Your honors advisor will work with you at new student orientation to help you choose an appropriate class, if one has not already been suggested by your major advisor.
Course Selection
There are wide range of courses available and we would encourage you to look at the lists below to see what you might find interesting before you attend new student orientation. Just one word of caution: during new student orientation the availability of classes changes rapidly, so please do not set your heart on one particular class as it may not be available when you try to register. There are a lot of classes available, so make sure you have a plan B and maybe even a plan C.
Fall 2025 First Year Course List
Seminars
All students are required to take 3 hours of honors seminars as part of the requirement for the General Honors Award. Seminars are student-centered classes that allow for in-depth exploration of interdisciplinary topics. Taking a seminar during your first semester can be a really great way to move ahead in honors and get a deep feel for what it is like to get an honors education. Seminars are also a good opportunity to get to know fellow honors students, as small class sizes allow for interactive discussion.
Honors Add-ons
Honors add-ons are one-hour courses (usually meeting once a week) that pair with regular courses, and most of them are either major requirements or General Education classes. Students who take the two courses concurrently are to receive honors credit equal to the credit hours of the regular course. For example if you take AGEC 1113 with the add-on AGEC 2990 and get an A or B in both courses, then you will receive 3 honors credits.
Experiential Learning
A wide range of specified activities (arranged under the headings Academics, Arts, Leadership, Study Away, and Service) can qualify for honors points, and students can earn up to eleven points (equivalent to hours) through experiential learning activities. These points can be used toward the general honors award (GHA), to maintain active status, and/or toward additional hours needed for the honors degree after completion of the GHA and departmental/college awards. Students may earn up to three points for a single activity in a single semester and up to six honors points total in any one xL category (Arts, Academics, Leadership, etc.).
Honors Contracts
An honors contract is a mechanism for adding an honors dimension to a course or section that is not already an honors course. The contract is an agreement between the individual student and the professor in the class for which honors credit is desired. This agreement identifies a project that the student will complete under the faculty member's supervision.
Honors Award/Degree Map
Below is an outline of an honors record that will help you visualize what you are working towards.