University Honors Program courses, with their characteristic small size and active student involvement, fullfill many required SCU core courses. A seminar-style class typically enrolls no more than 17 students and emphasizes critical reading, writing, and interaction among students and professors.
Courses available exclusively to UHP students include distinctive, interdisciplinary Cultures & Ideas seminars and special classes in critical thinking and writing, psychology, religious studies, and philosophy. The UHP also provides access to limited-enrollment courses, laboratories, and seminars in such fields as mathematics, chemistry, English, political science, and history.
UHP students take about half of their first-year classes within Honors. Most are enrolled for UHP seminars that complete their core Cultures & Ideas and Critical Thinking and Writing requirements. Honors students are required to complete the courses listed below.
Honors Program Course Requirements:
For Students Entering at level I:
9 courses + 1 senior thesis
| UHP Core: | CTW 1 and CTW 2: 2 Critical Thinking and Writing Honors courses |
| C&I 1 and C&I 2: 2 Cultures and Ideas Honors courses | |
| HNRS 20: 1 Difficult Dialogues course | |
| 1 Honors Ethics OR Honors RTC1/2/or 3 (Religion, Theology, and Culture) course | |
| UHP Electives: |
3 Honors courses/experiences, which may include Honors-designated courses, Study Abroad, extra language course, and/or Contract Courses. (Complete list of UHP Electives opportunities) |
| Honors 195: | Senior Thesis (completed during senior year) |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.3 at the end of junior year |
For Students Entering at level II:
6 courses + 1 senior thesis
| UHP Core: | HNRS 20: 1 Difficult Dialogues course |
| 1 Honors Ethics OR Honors RTC1/2/or 3 (Religion, Theology, and Culture) course | |
| UHP Electives: |
4 Honors courses/experiences, which may include Honors-designated courses, Study Abroad, extra language course, and/or Contract Courses. (Complete list of UHP Electives) |
| Honors 195: | Senior Thesis (completed during senior year) |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.3 at the end of junior year |
A two-course, themed sequence for Honors students, featuring study and practice of academic discourse, with emphasis on critical reading and writing, composing processes, and rhetorical situation (ENGL 1H and 2H, PHIL 1H and 2H, etc.). The second course will feature more advanced study and practice of academic discourse, with additional emphasis on information literacy and skills related to developing and organizing longer and more complex documents. Themes may address cultural comparisons, science and society, and other topics. (4 units each quarter)
A two-course sequence focusing on a major theme in human experience and culture over a significant period of time (e.g., ARTH 11H and 12H, HIST 11H and 12H, PHIL 11H and 12H). Four Honors sequences will be offered each year. Courses emphasize either broad global interconnections or the construction of Western culture in its global context. Successful completion of C&I I is a prerequisite for C&I II. (4 units each quarter)
A seminar devoted to the analysis of some issue, text, or problem in the area of a professor's expertise. This course will hone critical thinking skills and provide students an opportunity to discuss and debate the toughest questions faced by society today.
Honors must be taken for a letter grade. This includes all honors specific courses (classes with the H on the end), HNRS 20, any class taken for honors elective credit or contract class.