If you are a prospective freshman, welcome! We are delighted by your interest. For information about how Honors will work for you, read this summary of A Taste of Honors. Students who have an Admission Index of 125 or higher automatically qualify for acceptance into A Taste of Honors. All other incoming students who are interested in Honors should contact Honors.

All other interested students, including continuing students, must submit an application in order to join Honors. Download the application, as a .doc.

Honors comprises 27 credits of coursework and what we call Honors contracts, culminating in a senior thesis or project. This gives you an opportunity to take classes with other Honors students and then to branch off and pursue your individual interests within your major.

Honors in University Studies (12 credits)

Each semester, Honors offers a number of general education courses and seminars. Students earn the "Honors in University Studies" portion of their Honors degree by taking 12 credits of these courses, typically during the first two years. Please note that this degree must be completed in conjunction with Departmental Honors; Honors does not offer "Honors in University Studies" as a degree.

Read more about how Honors will help you meet USU's University Studies requirements. Read more about the Honors seminars.

Departmental Honors (15 credits)

Once Honors students enter upper-division coursework in their majors, they begin Departmental Honors. Unlike Honors in University Studies, in which students take classes reserved for Honors students only, Departmental Honors students take the regular upper-division courses required for their majors. These students then earn Honors credit by doing extra projects, or contracts, outside the regular coursework for their majors. Departmental Honors requires a total of 15 credits; each major divides those 15 credits into major-appropriate Plans of Study, which you can view via the Departmental Honors link to the right. Generally, the final 3 credits is the senior thesis or project.

Most transfer students, as well as those students who enter the Honors Program with a significant portion of their general education requirements already met, do not complete Honors in University Studies. Instead, they begin directly with Departmental Honors.

Honors Degree Options There are three different Honors degrees available at USU.