Many departments across campus partner with Honors and offer select sections elevated for Honors students in some type of capacity. Since these are mostly offered through a specific department other than HONR, we call them “departmental Honors courses.”  All honors students must take between 6-18 credits of these “departmental” Honors ourses to fulfill program requirements (Track 1 students = 6 credits; Track 2 students = 15 or 18 credits).

There are many different ways to obtain Departmental Honors Course credit.  There are stand-alone courses that some departments offer; there are breakout sections that accompany department-offered courses; and you may create a contract with an instructor of any upper-division course for honors credit.  Additionally, you may elect to take an HONR 397 variable credit offering (you may “stack” these to obtain your desired number of program-fulfilling credit), an independent study, or a 500-level graduate course.  Feel free to make an advising appointment if you need help determining what might be possible.

Many students seek Honors Contracts to fulfill these program requirements.  

Structured Mentoring Opportunities HONR classes

Honors Structured Mentoring Opportunities (SMOs) offer students a way to gain practical and/or applied experiences while earning credit that counts toward Honors Program requirements.  All honors students must take between 6-18 credits outside the honors seminars to fulfill program requirements (Track 1 students = 6 credits; Track 2 students = 15 or 18 credits).  These variable credit experiences take a hands-on, experiential approach within a specific context that takes learning beyond the classroom.  You’ll be working alongside a faculty facilitator to create an experience that will leave an impression.  

You may take as many of these experiences as you would like or as you need to fulfill program credit.  Most of the experiences are one-credit. Please note:  RamWeb is the ultimate source for accurate information such as days/time/instructor–this table is most accurate for topic.  If you have questions, please reach out to [email protected] 

TITLECLASSCRNDAYSTIMEINSTRUCTOR
Naked Trees, Killer Beetles, and Dirty Water: Local Applications397.00122466W3:00-4:15Jana Raadik-Cottrell
Newsletter397.00223785varAlyson Huff
Honors Magazine397.00323788varAshley Davies
Honors Portfolio Pilot SeriesHonors Portfolio397.00423789tbdLeah Holz

Departmental Honors Courses Offered

Many departments across campus partner with Honors and offer select sections elevated for Honors students. Since these are offered through a specific department, we call them “departmental Honors courses.”  These sections further enrich the content provided in traditional curriculum. This can involve additional research, added case studies, or more discussion. These are not “accelerated” courses; rather, the goal of these sections is to dive deeper into the content while establishing a relationship with faculty experts beyond the typical student experience in a classroom.  

There are three major types of departmental Honors courses: the standalone Honors section, the Honors breakout section, and the non-standard section. These can be easily identified as having a section number that begins with 2xx (i.e. BUS 479.220).

Departmental Honors courses for the upcoming semester are released during CSU’s Plan Ahead period, which is approximately a month prior to registration for honors students. Planned course offerings listed below are subject to change. Always check RamWeb (Aries) for final details, especially right before you are slated to register.  A good rule of thumb to identify these courses is to look at the section number–if it begins with a “.2xx,” you’re likely in the right place.

Spring 2026 Honors Stand-alone Sections

An Honors standalone section is just what it sounds like: it stands alone. You do not need to sign up for any extra breakout components to receive Honors credit for these courses. These Honors standalone sections are smaller than typical sections, and are comprised only of other Honors students. 

SUBJECTCOURSESECTCRNTITLEDAYSTIMENOTES
BUS47922010645Strategic Management - HonorsT R03:30 PM - 04:45 PM
CHEM114LH310950General Chemistry Lab II - HonorsM03:00 PM - 05:50 PM
ECON20422011793Principles of Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) - HonorsT R02:00 PM - 02:50 PMMust also register for recitation.
ECON204RH111825Principles of Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) - Honors RecitationT R02:51 PM - 03:15 PMMust also register for lecture.
ERHS22020113943Introduction to Environmental Public Health (GT-SC2)M W F09:00 AM - 09:50 AM

Spring 2026 Breakout Sections

An Honors breakout section requires you to sign up for another component in addition to the lecture in order to receive Honors credit for the course. You will typically be in the larger lecture with other students, but you will sign up for a “breakout” course as the extra component. Be extra careful when registering to ensure that you are enrolling in the correct breakout; use the color bands below to group the correct selections.  In the breakout, you will work with the instructor and a small group of Honors students for an hour each week on an enrichment component. Again, this requires that you register for an extra hour/credit in order for the course to count towards your Honors requirements.

SUBJECTCOURSESECTCRNTITLEDAYSTIMENOTES
BC46523120586Molecular Regulation of Cell Function - HonorsM W03:00 PM - 04:15 PMMust also register for BC466.RH0
BC466RH113645Molecular Regulation of Cell Function-HonorsF02:00 PM - 02:50 PMMust also register for BC465.231
BMS26020114943Biomedical Sciences - HonorsM W08:00 AM - 08:50 AMMust also be enrolled in a section of BMS296. Must also register for recitation.
BMS260RH114944Biomedical Sciences - Honors RecitationF08:00 AM - 08:50 AMMust also be enrolled in a section of BMS296. Must also register for lecture.
BMS29623014929Honors - Physiological ConceptsT09:00 AM - 09:50 AMMust have concurrent registration in BMS 260
BMS29623114930Honors - Physiological ConceptsR09:00 AM - 09:50 AMMust have concurrent registration in BMS 260
BMS30520113230Domestic Animal Gross Anatomy - HonorsM W F01:00 PM - 01:50 PMMust also register for BMS 496D
BMS300AnyAnyPrinciples of Human PhysiologyMust also register for BMS 496C
BMS301AnyAnyHuman Gross AnatomyMust also register for BMS 496A
BMS302AnyAnyLaboratory in Principles of PhysiologyMust also register for BMS 496B
BMS496A23214090Honors: Human Gross AnatomyR09:00 AM - 09:50 AMMust also register for BMS 301
BMS496B23214889Honors: Physiology LabW10:00 AM - 10:50 AMMust also register for BMS 302
BMS496C23314095Honors: Physiology Case StudiesT10:00 AM - 10:50 AMMust also register for BMS 300
BMS496C23414096Honors: Physiology Case StudiesR10:00 AM - 10:50 AMMust also register for BMS 300
BMS496D23514377Honors: Animal Gross AnatomyR09:00 AM - 09:50 AMMust also register for BMS 305
BZ21423113874Animal Biology-Vertebrates - HonorsW03:30 PM - 04:20 PMMust also register for BZ 296. Department will contact with override.
BZ21423113874Animal Biology-Vertebrates - HonorsT R08:00 AM - 09:15 AMMust also register for BZ 296. Department will contact with override.
BZ22023123396Introduction to EvolutionW10:00 AM - 10:50 AMMust also register for BZ 296. Department will contact with override.
BZ22023123396Introduction to EvolutionT R02:00 PM - 03:15 PMMust also register for BZ 296. Department will contact with override.
LIFE201B23111132Introductory Genetics: Molecular/Immunological/Developmental (GT-SC2) - HonorsM W F02:00 PM - 02:50 PMMust also register for LIFE 202B.R90
LIFE201B23214224Introductory Genetics: Molecular/Immunological/Developmental (GT-SC2) - HonorsM W F03:00 PM - 03:50 PMMust also register for LIFE 202B.R91
LIFE202BRH815054Introductory Genetics Recitation-Molecular - Honors SeminarR11:00 AM - 11:50 AMMust also register for LIFE201B.232
LIFE202BRH913132Introductory Genetics Recitation-Molecular - Honors SeminarR11:00 AM - 11:50 AMMust also register for LIFE 201B.231
LIFE32022017065Ecology - HonorsF10:00 AM - 11:40 AMMust also register for BZ 496. Department will contact with override.
LIFE32022017065Ecology - HonorsM W10:00 AM - 10:50 AMMust also register for BZ 496. Department will contact with override.
MIP30020112702General Microbiology - HonorsM W F08:00 AM - 08:50 AMMust also register for MIP 303.001
MIP30020212703General Microbiology - HonorsM W F09:00 AM - 09:50 AMMust also register for MIP 303.001
MIP30320114082General Microbiology--Honors RecitationM04:00 PM - 04:50 PM

Spring 2026 Honors Non-Standard Sections

In non-standard sections, you do not need to sign up for an extra component.  You will still be in the larger lecture with students who are not in Honors; however, the instructor will work with you on a non-scheduled, enriching component relating to the class.  

SUBJECTCOURSESECTCRNTITLEDAYSTIMENOTES
CIVE26122211092Engineering Mechanics-Dynamics - HonorsM W F09:00 AM - 09:50 AM
ECE34220113236Electromagnetic Fields and Devices II - HonorsT R09:30 AM - 10:45 AM
ECE45223114927Computer Organization and Architecture - HonorsT R11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
MU15920121698Voice ClassT R01:00 PM - 01:50 PM
MU21820217174Music Theory IV - HonorsM W F09:00 AM - 09:50 AM
PSY48422018761Supervised College Teaching - HonorsR02:00 PM - 03:15 PMContact department for registration.
SPCM40823125215Applied Deliberative TechniquesT R03:30 PM - 04:45 PMContact department for registration.