Need a refresher on the requirements for your Honors College program? Check out the information on this page to help you stay on track with your Honors requirements. More specific information and degree audit forms can be found on the Student Forms page.
Be sure to contact your Honors College advisor if you have any specific questions regarding your Honors College program.
The Four-Year program in Honors requires a minimum of 40 credit hours in Honors (including 6 credit hours of independent study or research), distributed as follows:
Honors 1200 (3 credits). Cultural Traditions I
Honors 1xxx (3 credits). One other associated seminar, from the list of freshman seminar courses. Offerings will vary each semester, Honors 1110, 1130, 1230, 1310, 1330.
Honors 1100 (3 credits). Freshman Composition (may be fulfilled by Advanced credit)
Honors 1201 (3 credits). Cultural Traditions II
Honors 1xxx (3 credits). One other associated seminar, from the list of freshman seminar courses. Offerings will vary each semester, Honors 1110, 1130, 1230, 1310, 1330.
Note: Students taking an American or Western traditions course during one semester will take a non-western traditions course in the other semester, thus fulfilling the University's cultural diversity requirement.
During the second (Sophomore) year, Honors students will take at least two courses from the 2010-2080 range of 'Inquiries' courses. However many Inquiries courses are taken, one should be in an area outside the disciplinary range of the student's intended undergraduate major. All Inquiries courses are 3 credit courses. Some students may seek permission to take a 3000 level course during their sophomore year.
The general Inquiries course numbers are:
Honors 2010: Inquiries in the Humanities.
Honors 2020: Inquiries in the Fine and Performing Arts.
Honors 2030: Inquiries in the Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Honors 2040: Inquiries in Mathematics and Computer Science.
Honors 2050: Inquiries in the Natural Sciences.
Honors 2060: Inquiries in Business.
Honors 2070: Inquiries in Education.
Honors 2080: Inquiries in Nursing.
During these years, students must take at least one three-credit Honors seminar per semester, or a minimum of four in all (12 credit hours). Normally, all these courses will be chosen from the 3000-range of advanced Honors seminars, though permission may be given to take up to two additional 2010-2080 "Inquiries" courses. As with the Honors 2010-2080 courses, all Honors 3000 level courses are 3 credit hours. Students may take more than four advanced Honors seminars during their Junior and Senior years, but they should insure that the additional Honors seminars do not interfere with meeting the requirements of their major and minor departments.
Honors students on the Four-Year program may elect to meet their advanced composition writing requirement (e.g. English 3100) through Honors 3100, "Writing the City," or through Honors 3120, "Business Writing," or Honors 3160, "Writing in the Sciences," normally in their Junior year. In addition, all Honors students are required, in their final (Senior) year, to take Honors 4100, the one or two-credit hour 'Portfolio' course in the Writing Program.
In addition, all Honors students must take 6 credit hours of independent work (independent study, internship, or supervised research) during their junior and senior years. For further details on Independent Study programs and options, please read Appendix D of the Student Handbook, which also includes appropriate application forms.
Many independent study, research and internship projects will normally be undertaken under an appropriate course number in a UMSL department or division, but where it is preferred (or necessary) will be given an Honors course number, as follows:
Honors 4900: Honors Independent Study
Honors 4910: Honors Internship
Students that are admitted into the Honors College and already have between one and three semesters of college coursework completed would enter into the Two-Plus Program. The total number of credit hours for this program are determined on a case-by-case basis. Students would need at least 18 credit hours of Honors seminars and would still need to complete 6 credit hours of Independent Study/Internship/Undergraduate Research and 1 credit hour of Writing Portfolio.
Honors students on the Two-Plus program may elect to meet their advanced composition writing requirement (e.g. English 3100) through Honors 3100, "Writing the City," or through Honors 3120, "Business Writing," or Honors 3160, "Writing in the Sciences," normally in their Junior year. In addition, all Honors students are required, in their final (Senior) year, to take Honors 4100, the one or two-credit hour 'Portfolio' course in the Writing Program.
In addition, all Honors students must take 6 credit hours of independent work (independent study, internship, or supervised research) during their junior and senior years. For further details on Independent Study programs and options, please read Appendix D of the Student Handbook, which also includes appropriate application forms.
Many independent study, research and internship projects will normally be undertaken under an appropriate course number in a UMSL department or division, but where it is preferred (or necessary) will be given an Honors course number, as follows:
Honors 4900: Honors Independent Study
Honors 4910: Honors Internship
Most transfer students will enter Pierre Laclede Honors College at the beginning of their Junior year. During the course of the Two-Year program, students must take a minimum of 22 credit hours in Honors, distributed as follows.
All transfer students must take Honors 3100, "Writing the City," Honors 3120, "Business Writing," or Honors 3160 "Writing in the Sciences" (normally during their first year), through which they will meet their advanced composition graduation requirement, unless their major requires a specific junior-level writing requirement (i.e. English majors must take English 3090 rather than Honors 3100).
In addition, transfer students take one Honors seminar per semester, four in all, including at least one chosen from the 2010-2080 "Inquiries" seminars and at least one 3000-level seminar.
Honors students on the Two-Year program may elect to meet their advanced composition writing requirement (e.g. English 3100) through Honors 3100, "Writing the City," or through Honors 3120, "Business Writing," or Honors 3160, "Writing in the Sciences," normally in their Junior year. In addition, all Honors students are required, in their final (Senior) year, to take Honors 4100, the one or two-credit hour 'Portfolio' course in the Writing Program.
In addition, all Honors students must take 6 credit hours of independent work (independent study, internship, or supervised research) during their junior and senior years. For further details on Independent Study programs and options, please read Appendix D of the Student Handbook, which also includes appropriate application forms.
Many independent study, research and internship projects will normally be undertaken under an appropriate course number in a UMSL department or division, but where it is preferred (or necessary) will be given an Honors course number, as follows:
Honors 4900: Honors Independent Study
Honors 4910: Honors Internship
Writing is the centerpiece of the Honors College. The Writing Program offers students courses that fulfill campus writing requirements; elective classes that enrich their writing expertise; a one-hour, capstone class that offers individual attention to writing and career/graduation school processes; and Honors independent study and internship courses.
The required Honors writing classes include:
In addition to the required writing classes listed above, the Honors College offers elective writing seminars that cover a variety of topics, such as fiction, poetry, nature writing, publications and papers, and our popular seminar Bellerive workshop class offered every fall semester. These courses change in topics each semester and are numbered Honors 2020 and 3020. They satisfy Honors seminar requirements and most contribute to the English Department’s Writing Certificate Program.
The Honors College emphasizes the importance of writing in all of our classes, as writing is the chief form of assessment. Students are also required to develop a writing portfolio. They maintain writing portfolios which begin with the essay that accompanied the Honors entrance application. Then, each semester, students submit one paper for their portfolios; these papers may be graded or clean copies. Students may elect to submit more papers than the minimum required; they may also submit creative writings and non-honors writing assignments. During Honors 4100, the portfolio is reviewed; students write an analysis of their writing, and the portfolios are returned to the student.
Questions about the Honors Writing Program may be directed to Dean Ed Munn Sanchez
For more information about the Honors College program, please see the Honors College Handbook (PDF).
