Honors courses engage students in greater inquiry than regular courses and pique their curiosity by emphasizing creative and interactive learning, analysis and synthesis. Students explore course material in more detail and depth.
While most classes at the University of Southern Indiana are small, Honors students enjoy an even smaller class size and the intellectual stimulation of having other Honors students in a class where the quality of discussion is excellent. Students also benefit from greater interaction with faculty.
Honors students take ONE extra credit--a one-credit Honors seminar that does count toward the total credits needed to graduate. Other than that, they take exactly the same number of courses any other student would take to complete the same degree. Honors students DO take courses that are more stimulating and challenging.
Three Types of Honors Courses
Contract courses require the student to complete an Honors Contract Form or Honors Capstone Form to receive Honors credit.
Stand-Alone Honors Courses
These courses are open only to Honors students. Stand-alone Honors courses are designed specifically for Honors students. Class sizes are smaller than regular courses, there is more interaction with professors, and course work is both more challenging and stimulating.
Cross-Listed Contract Courses
Each of these courses is cross listed in the class schedule, meaning that it is listed twice, once as a regular section and once as an Honors section. Therefore, the class will be made up of Honors students and non-Honors students. Honors students are responsible for all the material on the course syllabus and an additional Honors component. In most cases, the professor has already designed the project for the Honors component. You do NOT need to fill out a contract for this class.
Ad Hoc Contract Courses
A class that is not offered as a stand-alone or cross-listed Honors course may be taken for Honors credits by adding an Honors component to the course. The student will need to fill out an Honors contract with their professor that includes a description of a project that will satisfy the Honors component. A student taking an ad hoc contract course is responsible for all material on the course syllabus and the additional Honors component. The student should approach the professor within the first two weeks of classes to discuss taking the class for Honors credit and designing a project for the Honors component. An honors ad hoc contract can be completed for any class that counts towards your degree, with the exception of 100-level language courses, these need approval from the department chair, and no contracts will be accepted for one credit classes.
