Saint Louis University's Honors Program allows eligible students to develop an individual course of study that complements their undergraduate major, earning an honors degree in that discipline.
Undergraduates from any of the schools and colleges at Saint Louis University can successfully pursue an honors degree through the University Honors Program. If you complete the program, you earn an Honors Bachelor of Arts or Honors Bachelor of Science degree in your discipline, a distinction beyond the traditional awards of summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude, which are rewarded only for grade point average.
You are invited to apply to the Honors Program prior to your first term of study based upon test score results. Current students may also apply if they have completed fewer than 45 credit hours and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Note that the St. Louis campus determines admissibility of all students who apply to the honors program, including those who apply from SLU-Madrid.
Program Requirements
SLU's Honors Program is very flexible, allowing you to adapt its requirements to your own schedule. You must complete 24 credit hours' worth of honors work, which includes:
- HR 1900 Crossroads, the freshman honors seminar.
- One upper-level honors seminar.
- HR 4960 Senior Honors Capstone.
You may earn your additional credit hours in a variety of other ways, such as:
- Contract courses. You may contract a non-honors course in your major, minor or a core curriculum requirement in order to receive honors credit. In this case the honors requirements are determined by the professor and the director of the Honors Program. If you pursue this option, you must change your course to Honors status within the first two weeks of the semester in question.
- Independent study. You may undertake an independent study project in your major to obtain honors credit.
- Honors internship. Work with Career Services to identify internship opportunities and how to meet the requirements to earn honors credit.
- Graduate courses. Graduate courses in English, political science and Spanish are available at the Madrid campus every semester. Approval by the department is required.
- Study abroad. If you participate in a study abroad experience, which includes a semester in St. Louis, you may earn three hours of honors credit per semester.
- International partnership. Partner up with an international student from SLU-Madrid's Academic English Program as a conversation partner. You'll meet at least five times a semester for a total of ten hours. You must complete the required training and written reflection to earn honors credit. Three semesters are required in order to complete a full three-credit honors unit.