Requirements

Honors Requirements
The Honors College at ACU exists to enable students to get the most out of their academic experience by creating the space for—and rewarding participation in—challenging intellectual work. There are three primary mediums by which this intellectual work is completed: Honors sections of required lower-level classes, special topic colloquium courses, and “upper-level” work with a student’s major area of study. After successfully completing the requirements, Honors students can graduate with one of two distinctions: Honors Graduate, or Honors Scholar.*

*There is another Honors option for transfer students and students who begin Honors after their freshmen year. This distinction is called Honors Associate Fellow. If you are a transfer student and are interested in investigating Honors, please contact the Honors College Academic Manager for more information.

Lower-Division Requirements
All Honors students complete the same lower-division requirements, which consist of 18 hours (6 classes) of lower-level Honors classes. Most lower-level Honors classes fit into General Education requirements; there are few extra courses. If the Honors classes offered do not fit into your schedule, we offer alternative options called “Honors Contracts,” which allow you to turn a regular class of your choice into an Honors credit.

Colloquia
All Honors students take at least two colloquia: one-hour Honors classes on special topics taught by some of the most sought after professors on campus in their specific areas of interest.

Upper-Division Requirements

Examples of Upper-Division Units:

  • Attending a conference 
  • Receiving an Honors Travel Grant
  • Leading a spring break campaign 
  • Completing an internship 
  • Participating in Undergraduate Research Festival 
  • Publication your work 
  • Serving as an officer in a student organization
  • Shadowing a professional
  • Completing an Honors Contract in 300-400 level course
  • Presenting research
  • Taking extra Honors classes or colloquiaDepending on which Honors distinction you pursue, you must complete either three (for Honors Graduate) or five (for Honors Scholar) upper-level units. To graduate as an Honors Scholar, an Honors Project Thesis must be completed in addition to the five upper-level units. See the bulleted list on the right for a few examples of upper-division units.

 

Note: The information contained here represents a broad overview of the requirements necessary to graduate with an Honors distinction.

If you are a student in Honors currently and need more information, please email Seth Shaver, Honor Coordinator