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Honors Year-by-Year Planning

Suggested Honors Course Sequences

Most Honors students work toward the University Honors Minor and diploma distinction. To earn University Honors, you take an HNRS topic seminar (3 hrs.), engage in research or design-thinking (3 hrs.), and choose additional (12 hrs.) directed elective courses or experiences to reach 18 honors credits.

You may choose to complete the directed elective courses in emphasis areas such as leadership, law & public policy, or departmental honors in the major. 

  • To choose a path: Choose, change or add an Honors College track in the Change of Major app in your MyWSU portal.
  • To find courses: Visit the Schedule of Courses page on the Registrar's site. Type "honors" in the keyword box to see a full list of department honors and honors college courses. Remember there are many ways to earn honors credits - not only through courses that are listed on the schedule! Visit the Types of Honors Courses page to learn more.
  • To find tools for planning: Visit the Honors College forms page, and talk with the honors academic advisor.

Below are suggested Honors course sequences to integrate your Honors curriculum into your overall plan of study. 

 

Year One: Explore!

Explore! Gain general knowledge and experiences such as research or service-learning in Honors. Take at least 3 honors course credits. Attend campus events, including Honors events, and visit multiple student organizations to find your student community.

  • Take at least one Honors First-Year Seminar (WSUN) or Honors General Education Seminar (HNRS) Course = 3 credits toward Emory Lindquist Honors Scholar track and University Honors Minor plus credit toward your university general education requirements.
    • Introductory courses designed specifically for new students are numbered as 100-level. Course topics will vary by semester. Recent courses include: 
      • HNRS 102 and 103, Honors Colloquium (Fall and Spring)
      • FYHN 102F Facts, Opinions and Why They Matter (Fall)
      • HNRS 105G, War: Strategic Studies (Fall)
      • HNRS 153T Big Bang, Black Holes and the Fate of the Universe (Fall)
    • Choose an H-suffix department honors or 300-level HNRS seminar course, such as:
      • ECON 201H Principles of Macroeconomics Honors (Fall)
      • COMM 111H Public Speaking Honors (Fall and Spring)
      • FREN 210 H Intermediate French Honors (Fall and Spring)
      • MATH 242H Calculus II Honors (Spring)
      • ARTS 211H Introduction to Community and Social Practice Honors (Spring)
      • HNRS 310x First Year Research Experience: Introduction to STEM Research (for Spring FYRE program students)
      • HNRS 306K, Black Lives Matter and Other Marginalized Perspectives (Spring)
  • + Take additional general education courses and prerequisite courses for your academic major to complete 30 credits for the year.

Year Two: Get innovative!

Get innovative! Complete an independent or collaborative honors research project. Find student organizations in your major or an area of interest, and become a change agent in student government or the honors student council.

You can continue work toward the general Lindquist Honors Scholar distinction (12 credits) and/or start interdisciplinary honors study in leadership or law & public policy (12 credits). Talk to a faculty advisor about the option of earning honors in your major. Consider the multi-disciplinary Honors Baccalaureate degree (36 credits in 2-3 academic areas you select). 

  • Take HNRS 486: Honors Collaborative Research or HNRS 485: Honors Research and Creative Activity Seminar (Fall and Spring) = 3 credits toward  Lindquist Honors Scholar and University Honors Minor or the design-your-own Honors Interdisciplinary track
  • Choose an additional HNRS-prefix or H-suffix department courses, such as:
    • HNRS 352 Survey of Law and Public Policy (Fall) = 3 credits toward the Honors Law & Public Policy track or an elective credit toward the Lindquist Honors Scholar or University Honors Minor
    • HNRS 351 Survey of Leadership (Spring) = 3 credits toward the Honors Leadership track or an elective credit toward the Lindquist Honors Scholar or University Honors Minor
    • HNRS 305V Language and Community Honors (Spring)
    • MGMT 462H High Performance Leadership Honors (Spring)
    • ENGR 501H Engineer as Leader Honors (Spring)
    • PHIL 311H Philosophy of Law Honors (Spring)
    • POLS 352H Law and Political Power Honors (Spring)
    • PHS 410H Health Communication Honors (Spring)
  • or Complete an Honors Option Agreement to request to turn a regular course into an Honors course = 3 honors elective credits or credit toward a design-your-own honors track.
  • + Take additional general education courses and academic major courses to complete 30 years for the year.

Year Three: Discover your professional passions!

Discover your professional passions. Engage in specialized study in honors in your major coursework through an Honors Option Agreement, in an interdisciplinary area outside of your major, or beyond the classroom through study abroad or presenting research at a professional conference. Transfer students usually start here!

  • Take 3-6 honors credits to stay on track for the University Honors distinction (18 honors credits).
  • Start an honors interdisciplinary track in leadership or law & public policy (12 credits). Any interdisciplinary honors or departmental honors (in your major) track counts toward University Honors.
  • Earn Honors credit for applied learning, including:
    • Lead for Tomorrow (Spring and Summer presession - travel)
    • HNRS 481N Honors Internship (Fall, Spring, & Summer)
  • Apply for a Cohen Enhancement Scholarship to study abroad, go on national student exchange, travel to present your research/creative activity at a conference, or take a nonprofit internship.
  • Talk to a faculty advisor about earning honors in your major.
  • + Take additional general education and academic major courses to complete 30 credits for the year.

Year Four: Consider your Honors legacy!

Consider what you want your Honors legacy to be. Find an internship or or leadership role in the community. Become a proud Cohen Honors graduate!

Not yet ready to graduate? Super seniors complete their degree in five years!

  • Complete any remaining coursework and earn an overall GPA of 3.25 to earn an honors college distinction on your transcript and/or diploma. 
  • HNRS 491 Honors Baccalaureate thesis work (Fall and Spring). Any student may choose to complete an Honors thesis. All HB students must complete a thesis project.
  • + Take additional general education and academic major courses to complete 30 credits for the year.

 

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