Undergraduate Studies

Honors Program

What Are the Requirements for Successful Completion of the Honors Program?

Tier One (University Honors Minor):

1. Successful completion of the first-year honors seminar. This is a two-semester sequence of classes designed to provide students with a common intellectual experience and the guidance they will need in preparing research projects for the Mid-East Honors Conference. It is possible for students to enter Tier One of the HP in the second semester, provided they take an additional Honors seminar to achieve sufficient credit hours within the HP.

2. Successful completion of at least two more multidisciplinary Honors courses.

3. Regular and consistent participation and development within the Honors Program.  Examples of such participation, which should be communicated to the Honors Program offices, include,:

  • Service learning, which will ideally give students direct experience with issues they are studying in their academic curriculum, and will allow them to apply academic knowledge to issues and needs within the community.  Students are encouraged, but not required, to develop these service learning activities under the auspices of the Honors Program.
  • An internship, which will ideally give students the concrete work experience, under professional supervision, in an area related to the student's academic discipline or career interest.  Students should ideally communicate with the Career Development offices about internship preparation and processes early in their academic career.
  • Academic travel, including Study Abroad during an academic semester or year.
  • Working with the Honors Program Student Advisory Board (HPSAB) in undertaking activities designed for the betterment of the Honors Program, and in service to the Indiana University Southeast community.
  • Engaged and productive participation at such things as: Common Experience Book Discussions, Film Nights, and Honors Program recruitment events.

4. A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.4.


Tier Two (University Honors Scholar):

1. Current or transfer students will gain entry into the HP by recommendation of the faculty and/or by self-nomination.

2. Successful completion of honors course work (12-15 cr. hrs) as well as course work in one of three tracks:

  • Honors Research Minor
  • Discipline-Based Honors
  • An Individualized Honors curriculum, defined in concert with the HP director and appropriate faculty

3.Regular and consistent participation and development within the Honors Program.  Examples of such participation, which should be communicated to the Honors Program offices, include,:

  • Service learning, which will ideally give students direct experience with issues they are studying in their academic curriculum, and will allow them to apply academic knowledge to issues and needs within the community.  Students are encouraged, but not required, to develop these service learning activities under the auspices of the Honors Program.
  • An internship, which will ideally give students the concrete work experience, under professional supervision, in an area related to the student's academic discipline or career interest.  Students should ideally communicate with the Career Development offices about internship preparation and processes early in their academic career.
  • Academic travel, including Study Abroad during an academic semester or year.
  • Working with the Honors Program Student Advisory Board (HPSAB) in undertaking activities designed for the betterment of the Honors Program, and in service to the Indiana University Southeast community.
  • Engaged and productive participation at such things as: Common Experience Book Discussions, Film Nights, and Honors Program recruitment events.

Tier Three (University Honors Fellow):

Those students who successfully complete the requirements for Tier I and Tier II of the Honors Program (usually four-year students who begin during their first year) have the unique distinction of graduating as University Honors Fellows.

Honors Courses

Tier I Courses

HON-H 103 Honors Seminar:  Common Intellectual Experience I (3 cr.) - Admission to the Honors Program.  A skills course emphasizing writing, reading, speaking, thinking skills, collaborative learning, diversity, research, and the use of technology in an academic setting.  Readings and discussion of texts-in-common selected by Honors faculty and studied in preparation for possible project presentation at the Mid-East Honors Conference in the spring.  Ordinarily taken during the first semester of study at IU Southeast.  Part one of the required two-semester writing sequence for Tier One students.  For those students who do not enter Indiana University Southeast with dual credit in particular classes, Honors 103 fulfills one of two General Education requirements (Written Communications or Ethical Questions).

HON-H 104 Honors Seminar:  Common Intellectual Experience II (3 cr.) - Admission to the Honors Program.  Continuation of H103.  Builds on skills attained in the first semester with continued reading and discussion of texts-in-common.  Students will begin to envision, research, and refine projects for possible presentation at the Mid-East Honors Conference in the spring.  Ordinarily taken during the second semester of study at IU Southeast.  Part two of the required two-semester seminar sequence for Tier One students.  For those students who do not enter Indiana University Southeast with dual credit in particular classes, HONR-H 104 fulfills one General Education requirement (Oral Communication).

Tier I & II Courses

HON-H 306 Multidisciplinary Seminar in the Humanities and Social Sciences (3-6 cr.) - Admission to the Honors Program or permission of the Honors Program Director.  Topic varies with the instructor and semester.  Possible topics include Art as Literature; Death and Dying; Utopias through History.  May be repeated for up to 18 credit hours.  Please Note: Provided they meet the minimum number of courses for their HP course of study, students may take any combination of 300-level Honors Program courses they like; there is no requirement that they take both H306 and H307; students should enroll in courses that fit their intellectual interests and scheduling needs.

HON-H 307 Multidisciplinary Seminar (3-6 cr.) - Admission to the Honors Program or permission of the Honors Program Director.  Topic varies with the instructor and semester.  Topics will include those outside the humanities and social sciences.  One recent topic has been Insects and Human Society.  May be repeated for up to 18 credit hours.  Please Note: Provided they meet the minimum number of courses for their HP course of study, students may take any combination of 300-level Honors Program courses they like; there is no requirement that they take both H306 and H307; students should enroll in courses that fit their intellectual interests and scheduling needs.

HON-H 400 Honors Research Minor Seminar (1 cr.) - Required seminar for Tier Two students undertaking the research minor.  Honors seminars will encompass discussion of each student's research along with larger issues such as research strategies, publication, and ethics.  May be repeated for up to 4 credit hours.

HON-H 495 Honors Project (1 cr.) - Required seminar for Honors Program students undertaking culminating projects within the Honors Program, but not the research minor.  HON-H 495 is generally an appropriate choice for students undertaking more "hands-on" projects, such as the development of specialized web-sites, events, and other projects that are expected to underscore the student's ability to envision and complete projects outside the realm of traditional research papers.  May be repeated for up to 4 credit hours.

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