Academic Standards & Requirements

The Honors Curriculum

The Honors curriculum includes honors courses, the Honors Community Engagement experience, and the Honors Capstone Project. Honors students enroll in designated sections of the university’s core curriculum and complete a minimum of 18 credits of Honors coursework. These credits may be fulfilled through the following courses:

  • HONR 100  Foundations of Honors
  • HONR 101  Honors Scientific Investigations*
  • HONR 102  Honors Challenges of Democracy*
  • HONR 103  Honors Human Behavior in Perspective*
  • HONR 104  Honors Literature, Philosophy, and the Examined Life*
  • HONR 105  Honors Aesthetics in Context: the Artistic Impulse*
  • HONR 220  Place as Text
  • HONR 300  Community Engagement Seminar
  • HONR 400  Honors Capstone Seminar
  • HONR 410  Honors Independent Study
  • HONR 430  Special Topics in Honors
  • WTNG 102-H  Honors How Writing Works*
  • An additional WTNG course at the 230-level or above*
  • 1 additional honors credit will be earned upon successful completion of a capstone project in a student’s field of study

(*) These courses fulfill a University requirement for General Education. 

The Honors Community Engagement Experience

The Honors Program prepares students to be Citizen Scholars through a reflective Community
Engagement experience typically completed during the junior year. Honors students and faculty partner with local and global communities to exchange ideas and address real problems. The Community Engagement experience may take the form of a course-based service project, a faculty-led service trip or alternative spring break, or a pre-approved independent community engagement project.

The Honors Capstone Project

Your senior capstone is an opportunity to deeply explore your intellectual and/or creative interests and present them to a public audience during your final semester at RWU. The Honors Capstone is based on a significant academic project such as a thesis or senior project in the major, or a major capstone course. You may pursue your capstone in your major, minor, or as an interdisciplinary project with the approval of an identified faculty member. The Honors Capstone involves three components:

  • The Capstone Project itself
  • A written critical reflection, which supplements the project
  • A public oral presentation, typically completed at the RWU Student Academic Showcase (SASH) in April 

Academic Requirements

To maintain good standing in the Honors Program, students must make progress towards completing the required 18 credits of Honors coursework, and must also maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 in all classes at the University. The Community Engagement requirement should be fulfilled prior to the student’s final semester. Honors Capstone plans must be declared by October 1st of the student’s graduation year. Attendance at Senior Capstone presentations (SASH) is also required for all members of the Program who are in residence at the University.