Honors Program

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Honors Department, Interdisciplinary Studies

Introduction/What is the Study of Honors?

Western’s Honors Program allows students to combine the best of a private liberal arts college experience (small classes, interaction with professors and other students, and the opportunity to work on research and creative activities with faculty) with the advantages of a much larger public institution, including a wide variety of majors, outstanding academic facilities, and numerous extra-curricular options. Admission is selective, and students are invited to join the program on the bases of high school record, scores on standardized tests, a writing sample, and letters of evaluation. Transfer students or students already enrolled in the university may enter the program on the bases of academic record, a writing sample, and the recommendation of a university or other faculty member.

The program is structured in a way that provides a graduated, on-going experience for students as they engage in increasingly sophisticated work while moving through Honors. Most students join the program upon entry into Western, but there are opportunities for already enrolled and transfer students to participate.

Students in the Honors Program are eligible for Honors courses and seminars, and have the opportunity to undertake extended Honors independent study projects in their major fields.

Students interested in the Honors program should get in touch with the Honors Office, College Hall 07, 360-650-3034, or visit the Honors website, http://www.wwu.edu/honors, for more information.

Why Consider an Honors Program Major?

Contact Information

Sample Careers

Major/Career Resources

http://www.wwu.edu/careers/students_choosingamajor.shtml

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.

Requirements for Graduation through the Honors Program

Classes in the first and second year apply to the student’s General University Requirements. Classes may be applied to the GUR area indicated for each class.

First-Year Honors:
❑ HNRS 103 - Major Cultural Traditions I (Humanities)
❑ HNRS 104 - Major Cultural Traditions II (Humanities)
❑ HNRS 105 - Major Cultural Traditions III (ACGM)
or
❑ HNRS 106 - Major Cultural Traditions IV (BCGM)
Freshmen with science and mathematics are encouraged to consider enrollment in one or more of the following Honors Classes:
MATH 134 - Calculus I Honors
MATH 135 - Calculus II Honors
MATH 138 - Accelerated Calculus
CHEM 125 - General Chemistry I, Honors
CHEM 126 - General Chemistry II, Honors
CHEM 225 - General Chemistry III, Honors
Second-Year Honors:
❑ Two Honors Colloquia. Classes are at the 200-level, and a variety is offered each year in areas such as psychology, philosophy, physics (intended for non-science majors), anthropology, economics. One colloquium is waived for students with credit in one or more of the following courses: MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 138; CHEM 125, CHEM 126, CHEM 225.
Third-Year Honors:
❑ A minimum of two Honors seminars. Seminars are offered in a broad array of fields each year, and offerings change from year to year. Classes are numbered 350 and above.

In some cases, students may apply HNRS seminars to their majors or their GURs, with permission of the Honors Program director or the Honors advising staff, and the department concerned.
Fourth-Year Honors:
❑ Senior Project, which is concentrated work in the student’s major field, though in exceptional cases work may be done in an allied area. It is not unusual for a student to be engaged in Senior Project work before the final year, and this is the experience of many students in the natural sciences. Students may take HNRS 490, Senior Project, as well as classes in their major department to meet this requirement.

Requirements for already enrolled Western students and transfer students:

❑ Four Honors seminars
❑ A senior project

Additional requirements for graduation through the Honors Program:

A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 for the last 90 graded credits of University-level work

University Graduation Requirements

General University Requirements (GURS)
Writing Proficiency Requirement (WP)
180 Minimum Total Credits
60 Minimum Upper Division Credits
Residency Requirement
Minimum Grade Requirements
Final Quarter Requirement