Honors Program Requirements
The Honors College is university-wide rather than departmentally based. Honors courses apply toward graduation in at least one of three ways: to fulfill a general education requirement, to serve as an elective, or to apply as a major course within a discipline.
Honors students may not, without special permission due to extenuating circumstances, take more than 6 hours (2 courses) of honors course work in any semester. Students must complete 18 hours (6 courses) in the Honors College to receive Honors Scholar recognition.
Types of Honors Courses
Honors Only Courses: These courses are offered in various disciplines and by different professors over the course of the four years a student is working towards completing their program of study. Each semester students should consult with their advisors to see which courses have an H (honors only) designation.
Great Books Courses: Any class listed as GB is available to Honors students and is counted as fulfilling an honors course requirement. These classes are available in a wide variety of disciplines and vary each semester.
Contracted Honors Courses: A student may ask a professor to make any regular 3-credit university course honors worthy. In this case, a student is to fill out an honors contract and submit it to the Honors Dean at the beginning of the semester. The contract is to clearly state the nature of the work/project that will earn honors credit.
Distinguished Honors Scholar
Honors students who wish to challenge themselves beyond the bounds of the regular honors courses may aspire to Distinguished Honors Scholar status.
Honors Thesis
Those students wishing to achieve the distinction of a Distinguished Honors Scholar must complete and make a public presentation of an honors thesis in their chosen area of study. This original research project may build on senior seminar research, but must, in the opinion of the faculty of the student’s department and the Honors Dean, meet the highest standards of scholarship and be completed in the student’s final semester in the program.
Students pursuing Distinguished Honors may, in their final semester, enroll in HON 498 (Honors Research). This two-hour course allows time for research activities and is directed by a Quincy University faculty member in the student’s area of study. HON 498 does not fulfill honors elective requirements.
“I really like the opportunities the honors program gives me to connect and interact with other students that share a passion for intellectual growth. ” ~Lauren Woodward, class of 2022