Honors College

• Cumulative GPA must remain 3.0 or higher once accepted to remain in good standing and earn a designation.
• You must take at least 1 honors class or complete 1 contract each fall-spring academic year.
• If you're awarded a book stipend, you must take Honors credit each semester.
• You must complete 12 credits of honors work with grades of B or higher and complete a degree or certificate to earn the designation.

There is no penalty for taking Honors classes or completing contracts and not completing the designation. All successfully completed classes and contracts will still be noted as Honors on the transcript

• You will not be taking extra classes — Honors classes are just small, Honors-designated course sections of classes you would take anyway. The Honors classes count toward both your degree requirements and honors requirements.

• Honors classes are NOT designed to be more difficult. The difference is how you and your peers participate in class and discuss the material. Instead of sitting passively in a lecture, you'll be in a smaller class learning how to argue and defend your opinions by using evidence from scholarly sources. 

You may earn honors credit with any combination of classes and contracts. If a student can complete Honors requirements with classes only, a contract is not required. An honors contract gives students the opportunity to create an honors experience in a class that is not a designated honors section.

• A contract is an agreement between you and your class instructor
• If you're interested in completing a contract, you must meet with honors coordinator, Jackie Barstow, to discuss options at the beginning of the contract semester. Email Jackie with days and times you are available to make an appointment.
• To earn honors contract credit, you must complete a minimum of 15 hours of work in addition to the required class work.
• Contract paperwork is due back to the honors coordinator at the end of week 5 each semester.
• Contract work allows you to study a class-related topic in greater depth. Honors contract work should be in addition to (not an extension of) regular course requirements.
• You're required to meet with the instructor at least three times outside of the regular class time to receive mentoring and academic supervision. Meetings can be face-to-face, online, or by phone. 
• The contracted course must be completed with a grade of B or better to receive honors credit for the course. The contract must be completed during the semester in which the credit is earned.

Some of our alumni enter the workforce, but those who transfer have gone to a wide variety of schools including (but not limited to!) the following for bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees:

Examples of recent honors class sections include:  

• COM210H: Honors Public Speaking     

• HIS102H: Honors World History II 

• HIS104H: Honors Western Civilization II

• HIS107H: Honors Modern American History     

• PHI108H: Honors Ethics

• PSY103H: Honors Introduction to Psychology

• SOC103H: Honors Introduction to Sociology

The Lillian Slutzker Honors College has many students who are Phi Theta Kappa members, and PTK eligibility is the same as Honors, but they are different.

The Honors College gives students the opportunity to add depth and breadth to their academic experience inside the classroom, while PTK offers research, service, leadership, and fellowship opportunities outside of the classroom.