The Honors College: Putting the Pieces Together for Student Success

Honors students enjoy the best of everything—the supportive environment of our small college and the resources of our diverse university.

Be first.

Starting with a special Scholars Invitational in April, Honors College students enjoy priority course registration and personalized advising—no waiting in line and first choice of classes.

Share an experience.

Before classes even begin, our students make lifelong friends and get to know professors at the Honors Retreat—an overnight event that welcomes new students through workshops, talent shows, skits, sports, and games. Mentor groups, formed at orientation, provide students with guidance and support for navigating their first year.

Get smart(er).

Honors offers small, seminar-style classes toward both core and major course requirements. From the cornerstone course—the Human Situation—to upper-level colloquia, faculty from different disciplines bring students together in a shared conversation about great books and the ideas that shape our world.

Go explore.

Through the Office of Undergraduate Research, students participate in mentored research to gain hands-on experience in a variety of disciplines. Honors minors and programs provide access to courses, workshops, internships, and other opportunities to develop students’ talents.

Graduate with distinction.

Students complete one of the Honors curriculum tracks to earn University or Collegiate Honors at graduation, going beyond traditional Latin honors. A senior thesis may offer the capstone to an undergraduate career—and earn the additional Honors in Major designation.

See the world.

Honors College students travel the world with classmates and professors: walking in the steps of James Joyce on Bloomsday; exploring the churches in Sicily, Ireland, or Spain; and climbing the ancient steps to see the Parthenon up close.

Get social.

Students, faculty and staff, alumni, and the campus and city community attend Honors events from Convocation to The Great Conversation. Student organizations like Model Arab League, Club Theater, and Honors Ambassadors offer an opportunity to join in: students show their spirit at sporting events as a Bleacher Creatures and pie their professors at an annual fundraising event for Invisible Children.

Have a space of their own.

Comfy couches in the Honors Commons invite students to a home away from home for studying and relaxing. Students also have exclusive access to facilities in the College including a computer lab, printing services, and easy-to-locate faculty offices.