Choosing a University Honors curriculum means choosing courses and experiences that are "measurably broader, deeper or more complex" than traditional college-level learning, in alignment with the National Collegiate Honors Council definition of Honors education. Most of the courses taken to meet University Honors requirements also fulfill general education or major requirements. 

Outcomes

University Honors students aim to uphold four honors pillars established by students in the College Charter: intellectual curiosity (I), professional purpose and ethics (P), innovative approaches to problem solving (V) and transformational engagement (T).

Honors outcomes designed to develop these qualities and prepare students for more meaningful work in their careers and community can be found on the Cohen Honors Learning Outcomes webpage.

Admission

To pursue the minor in university honors, a student must be admitted to the Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College. There are no minimum ACT/SAT or GPA requirements for admission to the Cohen Honors College. Interested students submit an online application through the link on the college website.

Program Requirements

To receive a diploma distinction of minor in university honors, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.250 and complete 18 honors credit hours comprising:

Course Title Hours
HNRS 102Honors Colloquium0
HNRS 103Honors Colloquium Portfolio0
One honors general education seminar (HNRS-prefix course) or WSUN honors first-year seminar​3
Research or Design-Thinking Experience
Select 3 credit hours from the following3
First Year Research Experience: Introduction to STEM Research
and Independent Study
Lead for Tomorrow
Making Social Impact
Honors Independent Research or Creative Activity
Honors Collaborative Research and Creative Activity Seminar
Honors Thesis
Human-Centric Design Thinking Honors
A department research methods course with an honors option agreement or completion of McNair Scholar, NASA Suits, KINBRE or equivalent program may be used to fulfill the research/design-thinking requirement. A student must submit a petition for exception form for approval to use this option.
Electives
Choose 12 credit hours from any HNRS, WSUN or H department courses, or use an honors option agreement to turn a regular course into an honors course.12
Total Credit Hours18

Students have the option of completing an area-of-emphasis within their University Honors minor by selecting an Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar, Honors Leadership, Honors Law and Public Policy, or Departmental Honors track. Track requirements are listed separately in the catalog.

Students are not required to complete an area-of-emphasis track, but students who do will receive a transcript notation listing the area of emphasis. 

A student must complete 3 unduplicated credit hours (credit hours not used toward general education or toward the student’s major requirements) in a minor program of study.