The Honors Program is always looking for new, innovative courses that will challenge our students to think, explore, and achieve. Honors courses are designed to challenge our very best students by operating at a higher level of intellectual inquiry. The Honors Committee awards Honors designation to courses based on a combination of the criteria listed below:

• Is there rigorous grading?
• Does the course have an experiential-learning focus?
• Is there an expectation for students to engage in research?
• Is there a requirement for in-field, professional writing assignments?
• Is there a meaningful community service project in conjunction with a scholarly component (such as a paper or presentation)?
• Are there oral presentations in a symposium setting?
• Is there an expectation for creative works (performance, film, scholarly writing, blogs, journals, portfolios)?
• Are there enhanced class discussions, exercises, curricula?
• Is there a challenging reading list?
• Are there guest professionals who will visit the classroom?
• Are there educational excursions or other required attendance at appropriate events outside the classroom (such as Honors Program symposia)?
• Is there a level of inquiry to the course that is unique, challenging and extraordinary?

Your course proposal should address at least some of the above questions in illustrating why the course is worthy of the Honors designation. The Honors Committee also expects that all syllabi submitted as part of new Honors Course proposals will be in compliance with all university-wide requirements (e.g., ADA, academic integrity policy, etc.).

For more information about the expectations of Honors Courses, please see this guide.