The Honors Program Q & A
What does it mean to be an honors student at CU Boulder? The Honors Program encompasses many different fields, and this post will help you navigate through it so you can know all the opportunities available to honors students!
For starters, CU doesn’t have an honors college, but an honors program that offers many different ways for eligible students to craft their own honors experience.
How do I know if I am an honors student?
There is no application process for the Honors Program. As an incoming freshman, if you are within the top 10% of the incoming class, you were automatically invited to join the Honors Program. If you have been a student at CU Boulder for at least one full semester and have a GPA of 3.3 or higher, you are honors-qualified.
How do I join the Honors Program as a transfer student?
If you have a GPA of 3.3 or higher from your previous college/university, you are honors-qualified.
What does it mean to be honors-qualified?
As an honors qualified student — meaning you were either in the top 10% of the incoming class your freshman year or your CU GPA is 3.3 or higher — you are eligible to register for Honors Program courses, live in the Honors Residential Academic Program, join the Honors Scholars Program where you attend Honors events and more, and/or write an honors thesis.
What are Honors Program courses?
It’s completely optional to take honors courses, but is a great option to have smaller classes (class size limited to 17 students) and get to know your fellow honors professors and students alike. Most courses fulfill the Arts and Sciences General Education (and Core Curriculum) requirements and offer intellectual preparation for individual research opportunities.
Course descriptions can be found here: https://www.colorado.edu/honors/courses.
What is the Honors RAP (Residential Academic Program)?
Smith Hall, home of the Honors RAP, is located in Kittredge Village. You don’t have to live in the dorm to participate in the Honors Program, but Honors RAP students have the opportunity to take honors courses in their dorm, while other honors students take their classes in Norlin Library.
What is the Honors Scholars Program?
The Honors Scholars Program is designed for undergraduate students with a major in the College of Arts and Sciences but is open to students from other colleges. Participating in the Honors Scholars Program gives students an opportunity to be involved in the Honors Program outside of writing an honors thesis, and is a significant achievement students can include on their resume.
A list of requirements to graduate as an honors scholar can be found here and feel free to email honorsscholars@colorado.edu if you have more questions.
How do I write an Honors Thesis?
To graduate with Latin Honors, students must write and defend an honors thesis, written either within their department or as general honors. To write an honors thesis, students need to find a thesis advisor and create a committee to review their work. More information can be found here.
What if I am not honors-qualified, but want to be an honors student?
There are personal review opportunities available if you are an incoming student. For more information, email the program at honors@colorado.edu.
Click here for more opportunities to get involved in the honors community, like submitting to the Honors Journal (open to all undergraduates).
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