Honors Program Requirements

The Honors Program Curriculum consists of Foundational, Elective, and Culminating Honors Experiences, including the completion of a reflective ePortfolio.

To be recognized as an Honors Program Graduate, students must:

  • Achieve good standing in the program in accordance with academic standards.
  • Meet requirements for the University General Education Curriculum and for their majors and other programs of study.
  • Successfully complete one of the following Honors Pathways:

Pathway One: Comprehensive Honors Program Graduate (21 Credits)

Pathway One is for students joining the Honors Program at or near the start of their first year and who desire a robust, integrated Honors learning experience across and beyond their general education coursework.

Foundational Experiences (6 credits)

​​​Cannot be fulfilled by Honors Contract Courses.

Honors First-Year Seminar (3 credits)

Note: Students admitted to the Honors Program after their first semester at RWU and who wish to pursue Pathway One may substitute a different Honors course for HONR 110.

  • HONR 110 Honors First Year Seminar (3)

Any Honors Global Perspecives, Social Inquiry and the Humanities, or DEI Course (3 credits)

Choose One:

  • HONR 130 Honors Global Perspectives: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 130D Honors DEI Global Perspectives: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 150 Honors Humanities and Social Inquiry: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 150D Honors DEI Humanities and Social Inquiry: Variable Topics (3)

  • Any 3-credit Honors Global Perspectives, Social Inquiry and Humanities, or DEI course denoted by an HON section number. (3)

Elective Experiences (at least 9 credits)

Choose At Least Three From:

  • HONR 120 Honors Creativity and the Arts: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 130 Honors Global Perspectives: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 130D Honors DEI Global Perspectives: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 140 Honors Systems Thinking and the Sciences: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 150 Honors Humanities and Social Inquiry: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 150D Honors DEI Humanities and Social Inquiry: Variable Topics (3)

  • Any courses with HONR course prefix or HON section number not previously taken. Variable topics courses may be repeated to count as electives if the topic varies.

Culminating Experiences

Prerequisites: Junior Standing, Foundational Experiences Successfully Completed

Community Engagement

Choose One:

  • HONR 300 Community Engagement Seminar (0-3)

  • Any Honors Community Engagement course denoted by an HON section number. (0-3)

  • HONR 375 Independent Community Engagement Project (0-3)

  • Petition for a non-Honors course or non-credit-bearing experience to fulfill the Honors Community Engagement requirement. (0-3)

Sustained Inquiry

Choose One:

  • Any Honors Scholarly Inquiry course denoted by an HON section number. (0-3)
  • HONR 410 Honors Independent Study (1)
  • Petition to have a non-Honors course or non-credit-bearing experiencie to fulfill the Honors Scholarly Inquiry requirement. (0-3)

Pathway Two: Upper-Division/Transfer Honors Program Graduate (15 Credits)

Pathway Two is for students who may be joining the Honors Program later in their undergraduate careers but who are looking to broaden and deepen the remainder of their studies through engaging in Honors experiences.

Foundational Experience (3 Credits)

This requirement cannot be fulfilled by Honors Contract Courses.

Choose One:

  • HONR 130 Honors Global Perspectives: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 130D Honors DEI Global Perspectives: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 150 Honors Humanities and Social Inquiry: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 150D Honors DEI Humanities and Social Inquiry: Variable Topics (3)

  • Any Honors Global Perspecives, Social Inquiry and the Humanities, or DEI course denoted by an HON section number.

Elective Experiences (at least 9 credits)

Choose At Least Three From:

  • HONR 120 Honors Creativity and the Arts: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 130 Honors Global Perspectives: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 130D Honors DEI Global Perspectives: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 140 Honors Systems Thinking and the Sciences: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 150 Honors Humanities and Social Inquiry: Variable Topics (3)

  • HONR 150D Honors DEI Humanities and Social Inquiry: Variable Topics (3)

  • Any courses with HONR course prefix or HON section number not previously taken. Variable topics courses may be repeated to count as electives if the topic varies.

Culminating Experiences

Prerequisites: Junior Standing, Foundational Experiences Successfully Completed

Community Engagement OR Scholarly Inquiry

Choose One:

  • HONR 300 Community Engagement Seminar (0-3)

  • Any Honors Community Engagement OR Scholarly Inquiry course denoted by an HON section number. (0-3)

  • HONR 375 Independent Community Engagement Project (0-3)

  • HONR 410 Honors Independent Study (1)

  • Petition for a non-Honors course or non-credit-bearing experience to fulfill either the Honors Community Engagement or Scholarly Inquiry requirement. (0-3)

ePortfolio

Throughout their time in the Honors Program, students maintain an ePortfolio in which they reflect upon their learning in Honors courses and co- and extracurricular leadership and involvement in relation to the Honors learning outcomes. To demonstrate successful completion of the Honors Program, students register for HONR.PTFL and complete and present their ePortfolios during or after the semester when they complete their Culminating Experiences. HONR.PTFL is a 0-credit, pass/no pass course. Passing HONR.PTFL indicates successful completion of all Honors Program requirements.

  • HONR PTFL Honors ePortfolio Completion

Honors Contract Courses

Students pursuing Pathway One may complete up to 3 Honors Contract Courses (9 credits) to fulfill Elective and Culminating Experience Course Requirements. Honors Contract Courses may not fulfill the Foundational Experience Course Requirement except under exceptional, exigent circumstances, and petitions are subject to Honors Advisory Council review and Honors Director approval.

Academic Standards and Appeals

To be in good standing, Honors students:

  • Achieve a cumulative 3.3 GPA.
  • Model university standards for academic integrity and student conduct.
  • Maintain sufficient progress toward completing the Honors Curriculum, including updating their ePortfolios each academic year.
  • Demonstrate engagement by:
    • Pursuing leadership and engagement in and beyond the curriculum.
    • Annually attending Honors co- or extracurricular events, including Honors Capstone and ePortfolio Presentations.

The Honors Program Director, working with the Honors Academic Standards and Policies Committee, reviews students’ academic progress and compliance with these academic standards each semester. Students not in good standing are notified and may be required to meet with the Honors Director to develop a plan for achieving good standing. Students not in good standing may be dismissed from the Honors Program if after a year they have not achieved or demonstrated significant progress toward achieving good standing, or if at any point their performance renders them highly unlikely or incapable of achieving good standing prior to completing the program.

Students may appeal for exemptions or substitutions of Honors Program academic standards and curriculum requirements through the Honors Academic Standards and Policies Committee.