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Honors Program Requirements

Students may pursue one, two, or all three types of Honors. 
View Frequently Asked Questions here.

Foundation Honors (12 credits total)

  • Complete 9 credits of HNRS courses;
  • Complete 3 credits of any HNRS,WSU, Wildcat Scholar or HIEE class (scroll down for more info on HIEEs);
  • 3.3+ GPA by graduation. If below 3.3 GPA, lowest four grades will be dropped from calculation. Speak to Honors Program Coordinator for details.

Foundation Honors may be completed with an Associate's or Bachelor's degree.

University Honors (18 credits total)

  • Complete 12 credits of HNRS courses (Courses taken for Foundation Honors may count toward University Honors);
  • Complete 4 credits of any HNRS,WSU, Wildcat Scholar or HIEE class;
  • Complete HNRS 4990 (1 credit each) - Honors Reflective Seminar;
  • 3.3+ GPA by graduation;
  • Complete 2 of the 3 engaged student options below:
Habits of Inquiry & Lifelong Learning Research & Scholarship Citizenship, Local to Global

Attend any four Honors Program events or events held by departments outside your major college.

AND

Attend 2 events: WSU Diversity Conference, Intermountain Sustainability Summit, or other event as approved by Honors Director.		 Give a presentation or performance at any local, regional, or national conference or performance venue.

OR

Publish an original work in a local, regional, or national refereed journal.		 Engage in at least 30 hours of service over a continuous period of time with a single campus organization or CCEL-registered community partner.

OR

Serve in Leadership for at least one semester for HSAB, WSUSA, Clubs & Orgs, EA, or CCEL registered community partner.

Departmental Honors

This option is available to students majoring in departments with designated Departmental Honors contracts. Every department has different requirements. Please view the list of current Departmental Honors contracts and Departmental Honors Advisors to view requirements and advisors. 

Which type of Honors is right for me?

This depends on how much time you have remaining before graduation.

A good rule of thumb is: 

1 - 2 semesters left: Consider Departmental Honors
3 - 4 semester left: Consider Foundation and/or Departmental Honors
4 - 8 semesters left: Consider Foundation, Departmental, and/or University Honors

View this flowchart to help you decide which Honors is right for you.

What is a HIEE?

HIEE is a High Impact Education Experience. High Impact Educational Experiences promote student learning through curricular and co-curricular activities that are intentionally designed to foster active and integrative student engagement by utilizing multiple impact strategies.

Attribute

Abbreviation

Description
Community Engaged Learning CEL Students will engage in meaningful community engagement that is connected to their specific course’s academic objectives. CEL Website
Course Based Research CRE Students will engage in a significant research, scholarly, or creative works experience as a major component of this course. CRE Website
Global Learning Experience GLB Students will develop global knowledge, global skills or global attitude as one of the learning outcomes/goals of the course. GLB Website
Internship INT Students will spend the bulk of their time engaging with industry professionals in experiential learning. INT Website
Sustainability SUS Students will concentrate on sustainability, including its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, or examine an issue or topic using sustainability as a lens. SUS Website