University Honors Program First Semester Guide 

Students accepted to the University Honors Program should follow these guidelines for their first semester in the Honors program. We encourage students interested in the University Honors Program to explore our website and learn about the Honors application process.  

Attend an Honors-Specific Group Advising Session

Getting ready for your first semester doesn’t have to be stressful—your Honors Peer and Academic Advisors are here to help. They’re hosting four Zoom group advising sessions to review USU’s registration tools, offer tips for choosing classes, and explain what comes next in the University Honors Program. We encourage you to sign up for one Honors‑focused session so you’re ready for early registration and can get your questions answered.

USU 1010 (H) Honors Connections

Honors requires incoming students to enroll in an Honors section of USU Connections, a two-credit academic course designed to ease the transition to USU and to prepare students for college. Connections offers new students the opportunity to meet their incoming Honors peers, learn more about the University Honors Program and other resources at USU, and familiarize themselves with their campus before the school year officially begins. 

Students register for one of the following USU 1010 (H) sections:

• CRN 45456
• CRN 45451
• CRN 45453
• CRN 45455
• CRN 45434
• CRN 45457

HONR 1900 Honors Associate Portfolio Preparation 

All students completing an Associate with Honors will build an Honors Capstone Portfolio that highlights their academic work and professional development. The introductory and final Honors Capstone Portfolio courses help students plan, prepare and execute their final Honors Capstone Portfolio. HONR 1900 should be completed during the first semester of coursework.

Please contact your Honors Advisor for guidance on registering for this course if you are completing a two-year associate degree.

Honors Courses

During their first year, all Honors students are required to take one non-capstone Honors course in addition to USU 1010: Honors Connections. The options highlighted below are a great place to start exploring, but they don’t represent the full selection. You can find the complete list of Fall 2026 Honors courses and full course descriptions on the Honors Courses webpage.

Honors General Ed Breadth Courses

These core Honors courses fulfill USU’s General Education Breadth requirements, as well as Honors requirements, offering Honors students transformative, memorable educational experiences as they investigate the “big questions” at the heart of USU’s General Education curriculum. These courses actively engage students in hands-on research and discovery, critical thinking and self-reflection, clear and effective communication, and collaboration and community engagement.  

• HONR 1320 (BHU): Latinx Voices & Experiences in Our Community
• PI 2010 (H) (BHU): Introduction to Peacebuilding and Transformative Conflict

Departmental Honors Sections

fulfill major requirements. These labs are specially designed for honors students, and they are designed to build Honors community and enrich students' classroom experience, even as they help students earn relevant credit and Honors points.

• BIOL 1615 (H): Biology I Laboratory
• ENGL 2010 (H) (CL2): Research and Argument Across Perspectives
• ENGL 2020 (H) (CL2): Professional Communication

Honors Research Courses

Research is a key Honors learning outcome, and these courses start students on the path to scientific, social, humanistic, artistic, and other forms of discovery that put learning into practice. These research courses can start students on the path to Honors Mentoring Agreements and Capstone Projects—and they can open up possibilities for future work.

• HONR 2100: Honors Research I

USU 1050 (H): Navigating College: Aggie First Scholars

This optional one-credit course for first-generation college students (who are also in the Honors program) is integrated with the non-Honors section of USU 1050. The Honors section of this seven-week course is designed to introduce students to the Aggie First Scholars program at USU. The course teaches students who have not had familial exposure to college the important habits and skills they need to intentionally design and navigate their university experience. The Honors section focuses on providing tools for a successful transition to higher education and helping first-generation Honors students develop a sense of belonging and community at USU and within the University Honors Program.  Students interested in USU 1050 (H): Navigating College: Aggie First Scholars should register for CRN 43149.

This course is recommended for students who are the first in their families to earn a four-year college degree (neither parent graduated with a bachelor’s degree). We also recommend Aggie First Scholars, a student-success program dedicated to persistence of first-generation college students at USU.

Pre-semester Honors Preparation

After registering for classes, Honors students learn more about the Honors Program by completing the following required steps:

1. First-year Honors Requirements Quiz
2. First draft of their 4-year Honors Plan.

Students who are officially registered in Honors will receive detailed instructions for completing these tasks by May 1. Once both steps are finished, students will earn their first Honors point.

Schedule an Honors Advising Appointment  

Once Honors students complete their pre-semester tasks, they are required to meet with their Honors Academic Advisor. All incoming students should meet with an Honors Academic Advisor to review their self-developed 4-year Honors Plan no later than August 31. Students must successfully complete all pre-semester tasks before this advising appointment.