What are Honors Learning Outcomes?
The University Honors Program engages students in meeting four key learning outcomes related to the program’s mission, vision, and values. All Honors graduates demonstrate significant progress on these learning outcomes, assessed at each stage of the curriculum with work and reflections submitted in the University Honors Program Canvas course:
- Critical Thinking: Students develop skill in thinking critically and respectfully about their own and others’ ideas.
- Independent Research: Students develop skill in conducting research by engaging in the process of discovery and sharing of their findings with others.
- Interdisciplinary Learning: Students develop skill in connecting ideas and developing academic/professional relationships across disciplines.
- Community Engagement: Students develop skill in finding active, positive engagement with their local, national, and global communities.
What are Honors Points?
Honors points track each student's progress toward completing program requirements and meeting learning outcomes. Because these requirements map flexibly and meaningfully onto any major, students can customize their honors experience to achieve their personal and professional goals. Honors points mark progress toward these goals by giving students credit for the essential work of developing mentoring relationships with professors, building portfolios of independent project-based work, and articulating the value of a USU education.
How Many Points Should Students Earn by the End of Each Year?
Honors has set guidelines for the number of points that students should have earned by the end of each year in the program. NOTE: Transfer and current USU students who apply to Honors are admitted with up to 12 points, which count toward this four-year plan.
How Do Students Earn Honors Points?
Students meet requirements in the four key areas of the Honors curriculum in many different ways. They earn points each time they submit approved work in the University Honors Program Canvas course, and it is their responsibility to do so in a timely manner. The point maximums and recommendations below are designed to guide rather than dictate progress toward graduation with University Honors:
Honors students engage with the USU community by attending and reflecting on campus, community, or virtual co-curricular events that enrich their college experience. Honors students earn half a point when they submit a brief reflection describing the impact of an activity on their USU experience. Students can earn a maximum of 6 points for co-curricular engagement activities during their time in the USU Honors Program.
Honors courses are designed to create Honors community across disciplines and to meet USU’s General Education or other major requirements. Students earn 1-4 points (1 credit = 1 point) for every Honors course or section they take. The program requires at least one Honors course (preferably an Honors Introductory Experience for incoming students or an Honors Think Tank for more advanced students). Students can earn 1-4 points (dependent on credit) for every additional Honors course (HONR) or Honors section of a departmental course (H) they take, including additional Honors Introductory Experiences or Think Tanks.
Honors in Practice (HIP) allows students to apply their academic knowledge outside the classroom. HIP dares students to think imaginatively and practically about the value of experiential learning by engaging in research, creative projects, community service, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This work often lays the foundation for both Honors capstone projects and future professional paths by training students to take responsibility for their own learning and to communicate its value to others. Honors offers various pathways toward earning the recommended 9 to 12 points for HIP.
5 POINTS
In their final semesters, all Honors students complete an Honors Capstone Project earning a total of 5 Honors points (1 point each for the proposal and work plan, which prepare students for success, and then 3 points for the capstone itself). The ultimate “Dare to Know,” the Honors Capstone empowers students to follow their curiosity, express their passions, and demonstrate their growth by managing a long-term project on the topic of their choice. Honors Capstones offer professional training, opportunities to shape graduate school essays and publications, and evidence of independent initiative. Capstone mentors provide students with detailed recommendation letters, reliable advice about how to structure and complete their projects, connections to other professionals in their fields, and insight into the pursuit of professional goals.
Additional Information
- To get started, first-year students can review a recommended sample plan, and students who enter the University Honors Program after their first year can refer to our Notes for Current/Transfer Students.
Transfer or existing USU students must still earn 28 points to graduate with Honors, but most students enter with some Honors points awarded based on prior work articulated in their applications. Students should schedule an appointment with an Honors advisor to map Honors requirements onto their individual USU degree plans.
Students can earn their 28 Honors points through a combination of the following:
- Credit for Past Work: Previous Honors course credits transfer directly (3 credits = 3 Honors points) and academic work outside the classroom typically earns 3 points per 20 hours. Students can earn 3 Honors points by documenting that they have passed ENGL 2010 (or equivalent) with at least a B. Students typically earn up to 12 points for past work.
- Credit for Present Work: During their 4-6 remaining semesters at USU, Honors students admitted after their first year can earn points as all Honors students do: they complete and document work in the four key areas of the Honors curriculum.
- Because the Honors curriculum is so carefully tailored to each student’s goals, please schedule an initial Honors advising appointment to create an individualized plan.
- Students document the achievement of these milestones by uploading materials under the appropriate assignments in the Honors Program Canvas course.