Credit Requirements
To view a complete Honors requirement summary, click here to download the PDF. You can also click here for a quick guide to graduating with Honors (PDF).
Students admitted to the Honors Program as incoming freshmen typically must complete 30 Honors course credits to graduate with Honors*.
At least 12 of these 30 credits should be upper-level (300- and above) Honors credits, including an Honors Capstone.
There are five ways to earn upper-level Honors credits:
- Honors upper-level classes (300-400)
- Honors supplements to non-Honors upper-level courses
- Honors colloquia (HNRS 300, HNRS 301, and HNRS 302)
- Honors independent study courses (HNRS 490)
- Graduate-level classes (500 and above)
The Honors Capstone is a major project, usually completed during the senior year. Students must complete 3 to 6 Honors Capstone credits depending on whether they would like to graduate with University Honors in their major or with General University Honors.
The number of Capstone credits will, in turn, determine the total number of upper-level Honors course credits a student must complete to fulfill the required 12 upper-level credits. For example, if a student is completing a 3-credit Capstone, he or she must complete 9 more upper-level Honors credits. If they arecompleting a 6-credit Capstone, the student will need only 6 upper-level Honors credits.
* Self-nominating and transfer students are asked to complete between 21 and 27 Honors credits. The number of credits will be determined by the number of semesters the student has spent outside of the University Honors Program.
