Honors Program Curriculum and Courses
The Saint Louis University Honors Program curriculum is designed to challenge you intellectually, encourage you to engage deeply and meaningfully in your educational experience, and help you discern and prepare for your future professional pursuits.
The curriculum consists of 25 credit hours, the majority of which are designed to enrich your learning in both your chosen fields of study (major and minor) and in the University Core.
All students complete the following honors courses, totaling nine credits.
The following are examples of projects and coursework completed by honors students:
- Biomedical Engineering: Physical project or invention created by the student
- Chemistry: Laboratory report or manuscript summarizing student research results
- Fine Arts: Performance, portfolio, documentary or manuscript of original creative work
- History: Thesis synthesizing primary and secondary sources to generate a new argument
- Marketing: Portfolio of brand development designed for a specific company or campaign
- Nursing: A poster presentation of research on the effectiveness of a medical intervention
- Sociology: Evaluation of current trends in human behavior
Students complete four additional honors courses through any combination of the following, for a total of 12 credits.
Dual-listed Courses
Each semester, more than 100 courses are offered by departments across the university with seats reserved for honors students. Students who enroll in the honors section complete supplementary work that encourages deep engagement with the course. This could be work that integrates multiple disciplinary perspectives, assignments that reflect the kind of work you might do down the road, community-based experiences or leadership opportunities in the class.
Dual-listed courses allow you to work closely with faculty, demonstrate initiative and tailor your classroom experience to match your intellectual interests and talents. See courses.slu.edu for a complete list of course offerings.
Contracted Courses
The Honors Program encourages students to delve deeply into the areas and topics that spark their curiosity. To support that, students may “contract” upper-level courses for honors credit. Ideally, this expands their learning in their chosen fields of study (major or minor), but students may also propose a course contract for the University Core or another specific area of interest.
This can be an opportunity to develop strong working relationships with faculty and prepare to pursue an honors capstone project in a future semester. We encourage you to contract at least one upper-level course in your major.
Graduate-level Courses
Honors students who elect to take graduate-level courses not already required for their program of study may propose these as part of their honors coursework. Completion of the graduate-level work counts as the honors enrichment for the course. Graduate-level courses already required for your program must be further distinguished with supplemental assignments in order to be proposed for honors credit.
Honors Courses
Special, smaller sections are limited to honors students and feature distinctive pedagogical approaches to deepen student learning in core coursework. These courses offer unique opportunities for collaborative discussion, intentional reflection, and investigative exploration while building meaningful relationships with faculty and peers.
HR 1980 - Independent Study
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Students may pursue an independent scholarly project under the supervision of a professor; students must submit a proposal to the University Honors Program by the first Friday of the semester.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only
HR 2800 - Honors Seminar: Our Common Home
3 Credits
The honors seminar is a cross-disciplinary course designed to promote students’ capacities of reflecting, discussing, and writing effectively about the complex challenges of life in an era of political polarization, digital connection, and globalization. We consider the role of the common good in our relationships, our collective responsibilities, and our pursuit of vocational identity.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only, UUC:Dignity, Ethics & Just Soc
HR 2930 - Special Topics
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Selected topics of special interest to Honors Program students.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only
HR 2980 - Independent Study
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Students may pursue an independent scholarly project under the supervision of a professor. Students must submit a proposal to the University Honors Program by the first Friday of the semester to earn honors credit for an independent study.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only
HR 3930 - Special Topics
1-4 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Selected topics of special interest to Honors Program students.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only
HR 3980 - Independent Study
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Students may pursue an independent scholarly project under the supervision of a professor. Students must submit a proposal to the University Honors Program by the first Friday of the semester to earn honors credit for an independent study.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only
HR 4000 - Honors Collaborative Inquiry: The Scholar in Society
3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
In this course, students develop awareness of and bring their disciplinary expertise to bear on issues of national and international importance. The course also serves as a vehicle for competitive fellowship and scholarship applications.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1000; CORE 1500*; Minimum Earned Credits of 60
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only, UUC:Collaborative Inquiry
HR 4010 - Honors Cultivating Wellness in Mind, Body, and Spirit
0 Credits
This course provides the strategic application of wellness concepts to the demands of honors-student life. Wellness concepts include physiological-state regulation, revision of internal narratives, connection, and building upon personal and academic strengths. Emphasis is placed on individualized application of wellness concepts as students design a mental health and wellness plan for their college experience.
HR 4810 - Honors Teaching Assistantship
1 Credit
Students who have been selected to serve as a peer instructor for an Honors Program course, or for another departmental course at SLU, may propose these experiences for honors credit. In addition to meeting the expectations established with their course instructors, students meet as a group to discuss their work and deepen their understanding of topics related to teaching and learning. The course materials, discussions, and activities support their work in the classroom and provide them with opportunities for critical self-reflection. Proposals must be submitted to the Honors Program at least two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only, UUC:Self in Contemplation
HR 4820 - Honors Study Abroad
1 Credit (Repeatable for credit)
Students can elect to earn credit during a study abroad experience by participating in an online reflective experience. The course emphasizes critical self-reflection before and after the abroad experience and thoughtful observation of a host culture during the term abroad.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only, UUC:Self in Contemplation
HR 4840 - Honors Research
1-3 Credits (Repeatable up to 3 credits)
The University Honors Program places a high value on experiential learning as a critical component for holistic student development. Students who have secured a research experience through a department at the University or through an approved off-site location may propose the experience for honors credit. Proposals for fall and spring are due at least two weeks prior to the start of the term. Proposals for the summer are due no later than June 1.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only
HR 4850 - Honors International Partnership
0-1 Credits (Repeatable up to 3 credits)
Students may complete up to three Honors credits (one per semester) by participating in the International Partnership (IP) program. Participants are matched with an international student as a language partner, and are required to engage in regular conversations throughout the semester. Honors students may receive up to three IP credits throughout the duration of their Honors Program experience, but they are limited to one IP credit per semester.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only
HR 4860 - Honors Professional Development and Vocational Discernment
1 Credit
This course will help students understand and specifically translate their honors experiences into the "real world." Through an intentionally sequenced five-part series, students will give shape to the substance of their academic and personal lives and reflect on the character and meaning of their future work. Students will emerge from this course with both concrete professional skills and philosophical insights to aid in the job search or graduate school application process.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1900; CORE 1500; CORE 1200*; CORE 2500*; CORE 1000
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Restrictions:
Students with a classification of Freshman may not enroll.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only, UUC:Self in the World
HR 4910 - Honors Internship
1-3 Credits (Repeatable up to 3 credits)
The University Honors Program places a high value on experiential learning as a critical component for holistic student development. Students who have secured an internship experience through a department at the University or through an approved off-site location may propose the experience for honors credit. Proposals for fall and spring are due at least two weeks prior to the start of the term. Proposals for the summer are due no later than June 1.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1000; CORE 1500*
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only, UUC:Reflection-in-Action
HR 4960 - Honors Senior Capstone
0-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Students must complete a comprehensive research project in their major/minor area during senior year. Proposals, supported by a faculty sponsor, are due the semester prior to conducting the project. The proposal form can be found on the Honors Program website.
Prerequisite(s): CORE 1900; CORE 1500; CORE 1200*; CORE 2500*; CORE 1000
* Concurrent enrollment allowed.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only
HR 4980 - Advanced Independent Study in Honors
1-3 Credits (Repeatable for credit)
Students may pursue an independent scholar project under the supervision of a professor; students must submit a proposal to the University Honors Program by the first Friday of the semester.
Attributes: Honors Program Students Only