Curiosity. Courage. Exploration. Self-discovery.
These values have defined University Honors for more than half a century. Here, students encounter unfamiliar ideas, interrogate familiar ones, confront assumptions, grapple with uncertainty, forge connections, and chart new possibilities.
Our curriculum is guided by the beliefs that depth of insight requires breadth of vision, that conscientious specialization requires multidisciplinary dexterity, and that meaningful impact requires collaborative engagement.
Beginning with Gateway Seminar, through our innovative Thematic Clusters and Theory & Practice Tracks, to Vantage Point Seminar and beyond, your path in UH is yours to define. Explore the issues that intrigue you at the same time as you complete general education requirements, pursue your major, cultivate leadership skills, and network with UH alumni.
Designed to be completed in two years and pursued in tandem with students’ major and general education requirements, our 15-credit curriculum unfolds in three phases. While the first and last phases feature common experiences required of all students, the middle phase allows students considerable flexibility to explore the topics and types of courses that most intrigue them.
In addition to orienting students to University Honors and the campus at large, Gateway Seminar offers students a window into how professionals from many walks of life cultivated their passions, began and built their careers, capitalized on serendipitous opportunities, and conceive of their contributions to society. Students receive mentoring from University Honors upperclassmen, network with faculty and prospective mentors, introspect and write about their own future plans, inaugurate their e-portfolios, and begin to build community with peers in their cohort.
In the core of their academic experience in University Honors, students will select from two types of course structures: the thematic cluster and the theory and practice track.
Our curriculum culminates in our Vantage Point Seminar. Taken in the second semester of the sophomore year or the first semester of the junior year, this 2-credit course guides UH students through a process of self-inquiry as they revisit questions first explored in the Gateway Seminar, reflect on their curricular and co-curricular experiences thus far, and pivot toward completing their degree programs, maximizing their remaining time at the university, and embarking on their postgraduate lives.
After completing our 15-credit program, UH students receive their Honors Citation and typically launch into departmental and collegiate honors programs; pursue an array of curricular, co-curricular, and pre-professional opportunities on campus; compete for national and international scholarships; and aspire to leadership and servant-leadership positions both on campus and off.
But more than this, students emerge from University Honors both with a deep sense of purpose—not just for a career, but for a life well lived—and with a plan for how to realize their aspirations.
