Honors Program

Honors Program

The Honors Program provides a vehicle for motivated, academically able undergraduates to experience an innovative and challenging education. It has two components, the First-Year Honors Program for entering students and the University Honors Program for upper-division students.

Students in the First-Year Honors Program usually take five Honors credits in their first term (Engl 250H, Lib 160, Honors 121) and may participate in credit-earning research in the spring semester of their first year. In the University Honors Program, students receive a variety of academic opportunities to help them optimize their undergraduate experience. They create individualized programs of study with opportunities to incorporate independent study and research.

All Honors students must take at least two courses for Honors credit as well as two Honors seminars (listed as Hon 321-324), complete a culminating project, and maintain an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher. Depending on the college of their primary major, students may need to fulfill additional requirements. Most Honors requirements also fulfill requirements for graduation. Detailed information about college requirements is available at honors.iastate.edu/uhp/collegeRequirements.php. Students who complete their work in the Honors Program receive a notation on their transcript.

Oversight of students’ progress is carried out by the Honors Program staff and the undergraduate colleges. Each college’s Honors committee approves its students’ programs of study and project proposals. The University Honors Program Committee, which includes the chairs of the college programs, is responsible for the general coordination of the Honors Program.

Several departments offer Honors courses and Honors sections of regular courses, many with limited enrollment. Most of these are listed by department or program (see for example Engineering, English, Mathematics, Physics, and Speech Communication). In addition to taking established Honors courses, students may perform additional work in a course to receive Honors credit, subject to the agreement of the instructor and approval of the Honors Program director. Many departments offer opportunities for independent study and research under 290 and 490 (credit hours vary); when designated by an H, these carry Honors credit. Grants are available to support Honors research. Information about Honors courses and seminars in a given semester may be obtained from the Honors Program Office, 2130 Jischke Honors Building.