Honors Program Curriculum
The Â鶹´«Ã½ Honors Program requires eighteen credit hours of coursework and an honors capstone. Honors students also complete four Contemplation in Action options, experiential learning options that take them out of the classroom for an honors-enhanced opportunity. Honors students enrich their core and major/minor courses to meet the credit hour requirement.
Courses
Students admitted prior to fall 2022 should refer to the pre-Core Curriculum Guide (PDF).
Students admitted starting in fall 2022 will refer to this Honors Program Curriculum Guide (PDF). The guide provides an overview of all core/major enrichment and contemplation in action options. Of those options, the following experiences are required for all honors students:
- Foundations in Honors: A co-curricular first-year experience for honors students focused on our core values of holistic learning, academic innovation, Ignatian reflection and global citizenship. Students participate in cohort-based, developmental programs supported by the Path peer mentors that span the first year.
- HR 2800 Honors Seminar (three credit hours): A cross-disciplinary course for second-year honors students, considering the common good in modern society. The course draws from a wide range of disciplinary materials and perspectives, including anthropology, art history, biology, fine and performing arts, history, literature, philosophy, social sciences, and theology.
- HR 4000 Honors Collaborative Inquiry (three credit hours): A broad-based, discussion-oriented course designed to help juniors and seniors develop awareness of and apply their disciplinary expertise to issues of national and international importance. Students may propose another upper-level honors course or contract to satisfy this requirement.
- HR 4960: Honors Senior Capstone (up to three credit hours): Complete a comprehensive research or creative project in your major/minor during senior year. May be completed as an independent project or via an existing departmental course (with appropriate honors enrichment).
Several honors-only courses are offered each semester. These are smaller sections of courses from across campus that are limited to 20 to 30 honors students. In addition, there are more than 100 honors dual-listed courses offered each semester. These courses represent a wide range of programs from all schools and colleges. Students register for the honors section of a course taken with non-honors students and complete supplemental assignments.
Both honors-only and honors dual-listed courses can count toward your honors in-class credit requirement. For a complete list of honors course offerings for the coming term, refer to .
Staying in the Program
To remain in good standing in the Honors Program, you must meet the following requirements:
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5
- Earn honors course credits or Contemplation in Action requirements each year
If your cumulative GPA drops below 3.5, you will be placed on probationary status. You will work with your honors advisor to develop an improvement plan. Students are evaluated at the conclusion of each semester. Students who fall below the minimum threshold for multiple semesters may be dismissed from the program. Each decision is made on a case-by-case basis.
If you meet all of the requirements of the Honors Program, you will graduate with an honors distinction on your transcript.
Important Documents
Online Proposals for Contracts, Internship/Research and Senior Capstone Projects
- Course contracts
For in-class credit options, including non-honors courses and senior seminar selection. - Internship and research experiences
- Senior capstone projects