Honors Program Requirements: An Overview

Honors@CSU is designed to complement and enhance a student’s degree to promote interdisciplinary awareness, and to support research and creative endeavors. Honors encourages motivated students to enhance their academic experience through the Honors curriculum, which consists of Honors seminars, Honors courses within majors/minors, and the Honors thesis. There are two pathways through the curriculum that are designed to meet various student needs.

Curriculuar Pathways

AUCC Pathway: Track 1

All first-year students will begin as Track 1 students. This track emphasizes Honors seminars as a way to not only meet programmatic goals, but also to satisfy the majority of the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) requirements. Students will also complete two Honors courses within their discipline(s) as well as an Honors thesis.

Curriculum for Honors Track 1 Students

A simplified recommended timeline for completion of the Track 1 Honors requirements.

26 credits total, with most counting toward either degree or AUCC requirements

Series of five interdisciplinary Honors seminars:

  • HONR 192 (4 credits), taken in the first-year Fall semester.
  • HONR 193 (3 credits), taken in the first-year Spring semester.
  • HONR 292 (3 credits), taken in a student’s second year.
  • HONR 392 (3 credits), taken in a student’s third year.
  • HONR 492 (3 credits), taken in a student’s fourth year.

Talk to your Honors advisor if you need to adjust this timeline to account for early graduation, study abroad, etc.

 
  • Two discipline-specific and Honors-designated courses at the upper division (6 credits)
Honors will allow Track 1 students to count up to one 200-level class towards this requirement.
 
  • Honors thesis project

 HONR 399: Pre-Thesis (1 credit)
HONR 499: Thesis (3 credits)

Your Honors advisor can help you decide on the best timeline for scheduling your thesis courses.

Departmental Honors Pathway: Track 2

Current CSU students, transfer students, or Track 1 students who have advisor approval will follow Track 2. These students have often completed the majority of their AUCC requirements, so Track 2 places more emphasis on Honors coursework with a student’s major/minor curriculum(s). All Honors students will complete an Honors thesis.

Curriculum for Honors Track 2 Students

A simplified breakdown of the Track 2 requirements at a glance.

25 or 26 credits total, with most counting toward either degree or AUCC requirements

  • One interdisciplinary Honors seminar:
HONR 292 (3 credits)

 

This seminar has three series: A, B, and C. Each series can fulfill one of three AUCC requirements: Non-Lab Science, Arts & Humanities, and Diversity/Equity/Inclusion respectively. Work with your Honors advisor to determine which choice is best for your needs.

  • Six* discipline-specific and Honors-designated courses at the upper division (18 credits*)
 Honors will allow Track 2 students to count up to two* 200-level classes towards this requirement.

*Track 1 students who switch to Track 2 may count their HONR 192 seminar from their first semester toward these requirements, and will only need to complete 5 courses (15 credits).

  • Honors thesis project

 HONR 399: Pre-Thesis (1 credit)
HONR 499: Thesis (3 credits)

 

Your Honors advisor can help you decide on the best timeline for scheduling your thesis courses.

Program Objectives / Competencies

Honors@CSU promotes interdisciplinary awareness, practices engaged critical thinking and the application of creative solutions to complex problems, and insists upon effective communication of ideas all while maintaining and developing a level of professionalism that is reflective of the Honors community.

Program Values include professionalism, interdisciplinarity, critical thinking skills, creative problem-solving, and communication skills.

Professionalism

Students will demonstrate the ability to act ethically and positively to foster a supportive community both in an instructional environment as well as a co-curricular environment. Students will develop their emotional intelligence and refine their interpersonal skills to work effectively with others toward common goals.  

Interdisciplinarity

Students will integrate diverse ways of knowing, perspectives, experiences, and skills when approaching a topic, issue, or argument. Students will practice comparing, contrasting, and interpreting relationships between multiple disciplines. Students will identify points of intersection across differences and use those intersections to both inform and transform knowledge.

Critical Thinking

Students will engage in pursuits that create new knowledge and contribute to one or more scholarly areas. This includes the ability to:

  • advance a position with a specific thesis or hypothesis.
  • provide conclusions that acknowledge the complexities of an issue.
  • support research with sound claims, logical reasoning, and sufficient evidence. 

Creative Solutions

Students will apply creative problem-solving skills to generate innovative solutions, adapting to new challenges. Students will exercise curiosity when approaching a challenge: asking questions, exploring different perspectives, and seeking new information. Students will explore unconventional solutions, including designing projects as a response to flexible guidelines and goals.  

Communication

Students will develop theoretical and practical communication skills, including the following:

  • create messages appropriate to an audience, purpose, and context.
  • deliver effective formal presentations in front of live audiences.
  • demonstrate proficiency in effective written argument, including academic writing.

Other Expectations

As students work through their Honors curricular pathway, they are expected to uphold the following to remain in good standing in the program:

  • uphold commitment to academic integrity as defined in CSU’s Student Conduct Code.
  • maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, which is necessary to graduate from the Honors Program.
    • A 3.5 GPA or higher will result in the Honors designation on the final transcript and diploma.
  • actively work toward program completion.
Student writing an equation on a whitboard while reading from a text

If any student is struggling to meet these expectations, please meet with an Honors advisor. They are here to help and support you in successfully navigating your path through Honors@CSU.

Chart your path

Ready to Begin the Adventure? Apply to Honors@CSU!

First-Year Applicants

Discover what the application process is for students who will be starting their first-year at CSU.  

Current CSU Students

Current CSU students are also encouraged to apply to Honors@CSU.

Transfer Students

We are excited to welcome transfer students at CSU, and Honors is a possibility for you.