Course Requirements for the Honors Program

Honors students entering as freshmen must take the Pathways to Honors seminar linked to the first-year Gateways program. During their freshman and sophomore years, they must complete a minimum of two other Honors classes and then fulfill the junior/senior requirements.

Students entering in their sophomore year must take two Honors classes in addition to the junior/senior requirements.

In their junior and senior years, Honors students must take three courses, including at least one regular Honors class, from among the following:

• Regular Honors courses
• Honors enrichment tutorials
• Honors Independent Study
• Honors education abroad
• Honors Oxford semester
• Washington Center internships

Particularly for students with heavy majors or those planning on graduate school, the junior/senior portion of Honors is designed to lead students toward graduate-level research, with students being introduced to such research through the tutorial contract, continuing through research-oriented independent study and culminating in a senior research project. A significant number of Honors undergraduates have made presentations at conferences or have been published as undergraduates. Students not intending to attend graduate school are enriched through closer contact, ability to pursue questions one to one and greater understanding of professionalism in their field.