Mission
The Honors Program is designed for high-achieving students who approach the liberal arts and sciences with excitement and an appetite for engagement. Honors students will conduct genuine inquiry and collaborative learning, often across disciplines, and will engage their world meaningfully.
Description
Through multidisciplinary and collaborative coursework, Honors students respond to the significant challenges confronting the next generation of scholars. The honors courses both within the General Education curriculum and beyond it are consistent with the students’ academic abilities, preparation and goals. The courses resonate with any academic major or minor and provide opportunities for students to discover their intellectual curiosities, to engage in community service, to develop critical thinking skills, and to excel in oral and written expression.
Although faculty may propose to teach a special topics course or to designate a General Education course, favorable consideration is given to courses that cohere to one or more of the following descriptions: multidisciplinary, collaborative teaching, travel/co-curricular activities, and reading and writing intensive. Classes range in size from 5 to 20 students. Under the direction of a faculty mentor, Honors students are encouraged to complete an Honors Distinction project during their final year.
Scholars can:
- Register for classes first
- Live with other Scholars in a residence hall living-learning center (freshmen)
- Take an unlimited number of credit hours (with advisor approval) and not pay an overload fee
- Count internships and Education Abroad credit toward Honors Minor requirements
- Ern a Bachelor’s with Distinction degree
Participation
To earn a Minor in Honors, an Honors student completes at least 19 academic hours in the Honors Program. Students may enroll in three to six hours of honors credits designated for General Education and may be eligible to enroll in a maximum of 3 hours of honors credits for an Honors Distinction project. They may apply no more than six hours of honors credits transferred from accredited institutions toward the completion of the Honors Program. They are allowed to take up to two (2) Honors courses or sections pass/fail in completion of Honors Minor requirements.
A minimum 3.25 GPA overall and at least a B grade in courses that apply toward the Minor are required.
Admission
Eligible students must demonstrate academic achievement with at least two of the following minimum standards:
- 3.6 high school GPA;
- 26 ACT or 1200 SAT or 2800 GED; or a letter of recommendation from high school teacher or guidance counselor.
- Thirty transferrable semester hours with a 3.5 GPA;
- 3.5 Columbia College GPA.
Eligible students gain entry into the program after review of the program application and review by the Academic Honors and Awards Committee and Honors Program Director. Home-schooled or other nontraditional schooled students are eligible for admission to the Honors Program upon presentation of appropriate ACT, SAT or GED score and demonstration of scholarship in high school level academic coursework. Any student may petition for admission to the program if the student has completed a minimum of 30 hours of academic credit at Columbia College with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5.
Transfer students with prior college experience must have 30 semester hours of credit with a minimum GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale to apply for admission to the program. International students who qualify are eligible.
| Required Coursework: |
(6 hrs) |
| |
COLL 133H - General Education Foundations Seminar |
3 hrs |
| |
PHIL 330H - Ethics |
3 hrs |
| |
Total: |
6 hrs |
Elective Coursework (13-15 hrs)
- Twelve hours of upper-level coursework (300 or 400) from the Writing Intensive Course List, or a course approved by the Academic Honors and Awards Committee, including Topics.
- The following may substitute for one upper-level writing intensive course, required above: BIOL 110H, COMM 110H, HIST 121H or HIST 122H, POSC 111H.
- Choose one course from:
- HNRS 310, Honors Service (1 hr)
- Internship
- Education Abroad (1-3 hrs)
- HNRS 484, Distinction
- Total: 19-21 hrs