Honors Program
Progression Path and Advising Guide
TYPICAL FIRST SECONDYEAR “CORE”COURSES
By design, the Honors curriculum gets more flexible the longer a student attends WesternOregonUniversity.It’snotuncommon,forinstance,forastudenttotake threeHonorscourseseverytermduringherfirstyearbutonly1-2courseseach termduringsophomoreyear.Completing thefollowingrequirementsinyourfirst two years means you are “on track.”
☐CA 101H:Honors Music (3 credits)
-Not required formusicmajors/minors
-AP/IB/etc. musicclasses may apply
-Non-performance based
☐CA 102H:Honors Art (3 credits)
-Not required forart majors/minors
- All pre-education majors cantakeA115or A 130 instead
(A130 is a pre-req forAE 433,required inmany Ed tracks)
☐CA 103H:Honors Theater (3 credits)
- Notrequiredfortheatermajors/minors
☐ENG 107H: History of Western Literature I (4 credits)
☐ENG 108H: History of Western Literature II (4 credits)
-AP/IB/etc. literature can apply to either 107H or 108H, not both
- AP/IB/etc. writing credits do not apply
- Both required for English litmajors, regardless of AP/IB
☐PHL201H:Honors Philosophy I: Intro to Metaphysics and Epistemology(3credits)
☐PHL202H:HonorsPhilosophyII: Intro to Ethics(3credits)
- IBPhilosophycreditcanapply to either PHL 201H or 202H
- Requiredforall Honorsstudents, includingphilosophymajors/minors
☐GEOG 106H:IntroductiontoEconomicGeography(4credits)
☐GEOG 107H:IntroductiontoCulturalGeography(4credits)
- AP/IB/etc.historycreditsapplyto only 1GEOG course
- Non-honors LACC social science credits prior to college or as required
in a major/minor can apply to 1 GEOG course
☐Non-Honors:SocialScienceRequirement(3-4 credits)
- One course,chosen fromnon-honors 100- and 200-level socialscienceofferingslistedon theLACCguide
- AP/IB/etc.historycreditsapply here first
- PSY201,202,and 218arealso allowed
☐GS201H/L:HonorsBiology(4credits)
- Notrequiredforscienceorexercisesciencemajors
- WhenBI102is requiredin a major/minor,students should take
BI102insteadof GS 201H
- EarlyChildhood/elementaryEd majorsshould takeGS201H becauseBI101is requiredin thattrack.If thesestudentsalso takeBI102,
thenBI102willcountforeitherGS202Hor203H
- AP/IB/etc.biologydoesapply
☐GS202H/L:HonorsGeneral/EarthScience I(4credits)
- Notrequiredforscienceorexercisesciencemajors
- GS202H/Lcountsalso in ED trackearth sciencerequirements
☐GS203H/L:HonorsGeneral/EarthScience II(4credits)
- Notrequiredfor scienceorexercisesciencemajors
- GS203H/Lcountsalso in ED trackearth sciencerequirements
HONORSCOLLOQUIA(PREVIOUSLY“ELECTIVES/SEMINARS”)Duringan honorsstudent’sjuniorand senioryears,thefocusshifts to workingon major/minor requirements,completinghonorscolloquia,and workingon thehonorsthesis/seniorproject. Studentswhochooseto studyabroadoftendo so in eithersophomoreorjunioryear.
☐HonorsColloquia(3coursesrequired,9-12 creditstotal)
During the 2014-15 academic year, the Honors Program implemented the new name “Honors Colloquia” to refer to all Honors elective and seminar courses.
ThecolloquiarequirementmustbesatisfiedwithHonorscourses;no substitutesorAP/IBetc.creditcanapply.
Acoursecountsas a colloquiumif itis notlistedas oneof theboldedcourses above.
Colloquia topicschangeannually,basedon proposalssubmittedbyfacultyto theFaculty Senate
HonorsCommittee.Examplesof somerecentlyofferedcoursesare:
LIB399H:Historyof theBookas DisruptiveTechnology
LING210H:Introductionto Linguistics(Honors)
PHL399H:Mysticismin WorldReligiousTraditions
PS399H:EnvironmentalPolitics PSY199H:Historyof Cognition
HONORSTHESIS/SENIORPROJECTAllHonorsstudentsmustcompletea thesisorculminatingproject,typicallyin theirjuniorand senior years.Theseprojectscanbecreative,scholarly,scientific,pedagogical, or community-service based.AllHonors studentswritethesisproposalsthatareevaluatedbytheFacultySenateHonorsCommittee. Studentslearnmoreaboutthethesisprocessbytakingthefollowingrequiredcourses:
☐H303:HonorsThesisOrientation(2credits)
- Takenduringfall term, six terms prior to graduation (junior yr.)
- Math majors should take this class fall term of their final year
☐H353:HonorsThesisDevelopment(2credits)
-Taken during spring term, four terms prior to graduation
- Notrequiredforhistory,psychology, math, computer science, or
health/exercise science majors, who receive credit for such courses as
PSY 467, MTH 403, CS 430, and HE 473.
☐H403:HonorsThesisIndependentStudy(1-6credits)
- Not required for math, psychology, or history majors, who receive
credit for such courses as PSY 468, and MTH 404
- Repeatable for up to 6 credits but only 1 credit is required
- If needed, can be taken twice in same term (say 4 + 2 credits)
WAIVERSParticipationin theHonorsProgramwaivesstudentsoutof thefollowingWOUrequirements.If a studentdropsoutfromtheHonorsProgram,theywillneedto completetheregularLACC requirementsand thefollowingrequirementswillbereinstated:
☐WR135:CollegeWritingII
☐COM 111:PublicSpeaking
☐PE 131:IndividualHealthandFitness
☐PEActivity:PhysicalEducationActivityCourses
☐ED 200:Foundations ofEducation(waived for any/all elementary-focused ED majors)
It’simportantto rememberthatalthougha requirementmightbewaived,theacademiccontentand benefitsof thatsubjectshould notbediscounted.This is especiallytrueforphysicalactivity,which has demonstrableeffectson cognition.
DEGREEREQUIREMENTSANDGRADUATIONParticipationin HonorsdoesNOTwaivestudentsoutof thefollowingWOUdegreerequirements. Thesearerequiredof all WOUstudentswhoarepursuingbachelordegrees.
BachelorofArts
☐ComputerScience: CS 101orabove(2-3 creditsrequired)
☐LanguageProficiency:throughsecondyear,ie. coursesnumbered203
☐WritingIntensiverequirementsaresatisfiedbyHonorscourses
☐Mathematics:MTH 105orabove(4credits)
* ED students satisfy this requirement with MTH 211,212, and 213,
although all 3 courses mustbe completed to count.
BachelorofScience
☐ComputerScienceandMathematics:CS 121oraboveand MTH 111orabove
(12creditsrequired,atleastonemathand oneCS)
* ED students satisfy this requirement with MTH 211,212, and 213,
although all 3 must be completed to count.
☐CulturalDiversityrequirementsaresatisfiedbyHonorsCourses
☐WritingIntensiverequirementsaresatisfiedbyHonorsCourses
To continue in WOU Honors past sophomore year, a student must earn a minimum 3.0 WOU-cumulative G.P.A.
To graduatefromWOUHonors,a studentmustearna minimum3.25WOU-cumulative G.P.A.
To graduatefromWOU,all studentsmustcompletea minimumof 62upper-division credithours
(300or400-level classes)and 45of thefinal 60creditsmustalso becompletedatWOU.