Honors Program Overview

The University Honors Program at Washburn provides opportunities for highly motivated students to enrich their educations through special honors sections of existing courses, special honors seminars and colloquia that satisfy general education requirements, independent research projects, a close working relationship with distinguished faculty, individual advising, and special intellectual, cultural, and social activities. The program fits well with Washburn's many four-year degree programs. Students work with the Honors Dean to organize Washburn's many resources to provide amply opportunities to explore, relate, and assimilate many diverse learning experiences.

Getting In

Entering freshman students are especially encouraged to inquire about the University Honors Program. Individuals may apply on their own, they may be recommended by their high school or college faculty, or they may be invited to apply by the Dean of the University Honors Program. Those students who demonstrate a strong probability for benefiting from, and contributing to, the program will be invited to University Honors membership. Although proven scholastic performance is important, the Honors Dean will place substantial emphasis on student interest and motivation in pursuing an honors program.

The Program

Students who complete an appropriate number of University Honors courses (24 hours) and satisfy the thesis and G.P.A. requirements will graduate with University Honors and have their transcripts so marked. One may find a listing of the honors courses on my.washburn.edu.

• EN 102 Freshman English Honors: Facts, Plots, Arguments, and Principles

  The analysis of texts that purport to gather facts, to structure experience into pleasing formal structures, to persuade others to action, judgment, or evaluation, and to articulate principles whose power shapes diverse experiences into meaningful patters of coherence. The writing of expository prose that communicates thoughtfully and clearly the results of those analyses. Open to those students accepted into the University Honors Program and by invitation from the Composition staff.

• HN 201 Seminar in the Humanities and Fine Arts

  An integrated humanities topics course that takes some special problem, theme, or subject matter and explores it from a humanistic perspective. Topics vary from semester to semester. Satisfies three hours of general education credit in the humanities and fine arts. May be taken more than once with different topics. Examples of courses planned for the spring semester under this category include: Ethics and Responsibility of Leadership; Honors Conversation; and Science on Stage.

• HN 202 Seminar in the Social Sciences

  An integrated social sciences topics course that takes some special problem, theme, or subject matter and explores it from the perspective of the social sciences. Topics vary from semester to semester. Satisfies three hours of general education credit in the social sciences. May be taken more than once with different topics. Examples of courses offered this semester under this category include: American Religious History and Kansas Politics.

• HN 203 Seminar in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics

  A special topics course that takes some special problem or subject matter and explores that subject matter or problem from the perspective of the natural sciences or mathematics. Topics vary from semester to semester. Satisfies three hours of general education credit in the natural sciences and mathematics. May be taken more than once with different topics. Examples of courses offered this semester under this category include, but are not limited to: Science on Stage and AI: Past, Present and Future.

• HN 305 Honors Colloquium: The Liberal Arts & the Professional Disciplines

  A special topics course that involves the study of the relationship of the professional disciplines – for example, law, education, business, public planning and administration, the health professions – to the liberal arts, or one of the liberal arts – for example, history, poetry, rhetoric, or philosophy.

Any of the above or below courses could count towards your 24 hours of honors credit. Once you have completed the 24 hours of credit, students must then complete a thesis that counts for 3-6 credit hours that under their area of interest. Topics may be researched during a course called “directed readings” under the supervision of the Dean of the Honors Program.

• HN 392 Directed Readings (1 - 3)

  A special topics course designed to allow students and faculty the opportunity to explore and develop areas of study as a foundation for thesis work.

• HN 399 Honors Thesis: Independent Research (3-6)

  Independent research in a specified area approve by the Dean of University Honors. or practice recognized and sanctioned by the institute or approved by the institute director.

Application

The application for the honors program is available WUHonorsProgramApplication.doc.

Contacts

• Michael McGuire
• Dannah Hartley