Honors Program (HON)

Graduation as an Honors Program Scholar (Honors Scholar)

Required 120 credits (36 of which must be numbered 300 or above and 30 of which must be from UND), and twenty-four (24) credits of Honors coursework, including:

One 3-credit freshman Honors class (HON 101 "The Human Experience" or HON 102 "The Leadership Experience."
Traditional Honors seminars (e.g. HON 391 Advanced Colloquium in the Humanities, etc.; minimum of one required), as well as Honors sections of courses offered by other departments (e.g., FA 150HON, PHIL 245HON, LANG 380HON) may count towards the 24 credits.
Up to nine (9) credits of HON 260 Honors Experiences may count toward the 24 credits. (Students are not required to take HON 260.)
One 3-credit Senior Honors Project (HON 489 Senior Project: Honors Research or BIOL 480HON, NURS 453HON, ME 488HON, EE 480HON, GEOE 485HON, FS 499HON, or other Honors-approved capstones).
Maintenance of at least a cumulative 3.2 GPA.

*Note: Particular Honors pathways have been established for Engineering and Nursing students in the Honors Program which may differ from the above requirements. Please contact the Director of the Honors Program for more information.

Students joining after their first semester and with less than 50 credits, including transfer students, would complete the Honors Program’s standard requirements of 24 credits.

Students who join Honors at the sophomore and junior level, planning to complete at least four more semesters at UND and with at least 60 credits completed, including transfer students, complete 12 Honors credits, including:

Honors seminars (e.g. HON 391, HON 382, etc.), Honors credits in other departments (e.g. PSYC 250HON, HIST 253HON, etc.), and HON 260 (repeatable to 6cr)
Minimum of one 300-level Honors Program seminar (e.g. HON 391, HON 382, etc.)
Honors 489 Senior Honors Project (or HON equivalent in Nursing, Engineering, Forensic Science, or Biology)
Maintenance of at least a cumulative 3.2 GPA.

Credit for previous Honors coursework at another institution can be accommodated, with transcript and any other requested documentation provided.

HON 101. The Human Experience. 3 Credits.

Reading and discussion of selected works that reflect the methodology of the humanities, with emphasis on Diversity of Human Experience, as a means to establish fundamental skills for responsible research in any field, including: critical and creative thinking, deep reading, scholarly inquiry, and diversity of perspective on various social issues through an intercultural approach. Taken by first-year students in the Honors Program. Prerequisite: Admittance to the Honors Program. F,S.

HON 102. The Leadership Experience. 3 Credits.

This course will feature readings and discussion of selected works that reflect the methodology of the social sciences, with emphasis on intercultural understanding, as a means to learn about diverse models of leadership and its connection to the Honors experience, and to cultivate skills for becoming thoughtful leaders within a pluralistic, democratic society. First-year students in the Honors Program interested in leadership can take this course and will critically examine themes like power, effective action, communication, human differences and behavior, public service, and the common good through methods, sources, and paradigms central to the social sciences. Prerequisite: Admittance to the Honors Progam. F,S.

HON 260. Honors Experiences. 1-4 Credits.

This flexible course allows Honors students to pursue specially arranged high-impact individual reflective experiences, like service-learning projects, community engagements and volunteering, internships, shadowing opportunities, peer mentoring, or tutoring for Honors credit. May be initiated by students with approval of Honors Director, provided appropriate supervisors are willing and structure for oversight is in place. Generally, credits will be determined by the number of hours devoted to the experience and reflection on it; for example, 1 credit = 15 contact hours, 2 credits = 30 contact hours, etc. Prerequisite: Admittance to Honors Program, and HON 101 or HON 102. Repeatable to 9.00 credits. F,S,SS.

HON 291. Colloquium in the Humanities. 3 Credits.

Focuses on reading and discussion of selected works that reflect the methodology of the humanities, with emphasis on Diversity of Human Experience, as a means to establish fundamental skills for responsible research in any field, including: critical and creative thinking, deep reading, scholarly inquiry, and diversity of perspective through an intercultural approach. Honors 291 replaces Honors 101 for first-year students entering UND with over 30 college credits accrued through AP, dual enrollment, PSEO, etc. A cornerstone class taken by first-year students in the Honors Program. Prerequisite: Admittance to the Honors Program. F,S.

HON 301. Honors Mode. 1 Credit.

A method of using a 1 credit study load to increase the level of any standard course to an Honors quality course. It provides an intellectual enhancement to a standard course. Prerequisite: Standard course which Honors Mode complements; see department for approval. F,S,SS.

HON 371. Medical Humanities. 3 Credits.

The medical humanities is an interdisciplinary field that incorporates humanist disciplines (literature, philosophy, history, fine arts, music, film) into a consideration of medicine as a discipline and practice. As a writing intensive-course (a required aspect of most medical, graduate, and law school applications), this class facilitates engagement with issues like addiction, disability, medical and bodily autonomy, chronic and autoimmune illnesses, death, empathy, the concept of "health," pain, treatment, and cure through the lens of humanities disciplines (arts, literature, film, music, history, ethics, etc.). Prerequisite: Honors Program enrollment. S, even years.

HON 374. Why You Like It: taste, opinion, aesthetic, and critique. 3 Credits.

Why you like it: taste, opinion, aesthetics, and critique is a course designed to give students concentrated practice in critical and creative thinking across disciplines to gain facility in discovering and defining their taste, opinions, and aesthetic preferences, as well as developing a framework of key concepts for evaluating and critiquing cultural artifacts and experiences, both familiar and new. S.

HON 376. Critical + Creative: Problem Solving and Innovation. 3 Credits.

As a unique collaboration between the Center for Innovation and the Honors Program, this class fosters an environment where creativity and innovation are at the forefront. Over the semester, students build an innovation mindset, strengthening both critical and creative thinking skills. A primary goal of this partnership includes providing students with a roadmap for testing new ideas through to the design of a concept, complete with coaching support from the Center for Innovation. Students will receive high quality and world-relevant education and experience, allowing them to pursue an entrepreneurial path toward startup development outside of the classroom. However, the skills learned in this class will be beneficial for any major. F,S.

HON 381. Worldviews through the Humanities. 3-4 Credits.

This course is designed to give Honors students unique, timely, and focused studies of cultural, social, and identity-based differences in the worldviews of selected populations through learning the relevant histories, artistic achievements, literature, and/or philosophies. Specific themes of the course may vary and include a domestic or international study experience within the semester to bring issues in the course to life. When travel is required outside of the usual class meeting times, the course may be taken for 4 credits. Repeatable. F, even years.

HON 382. Worldviews through the Social Sciences. 3-4 Credits.

This course is designed to give Honors students unique, timely, and focused studies of cultural, social, and identity-based differences in the worldviews of selected populations through learning the relevant sociological, psychological, anthropological, economic, geographical, and/or political scientific theories, methods, or texts. Specific themes of the course may vary and include a domestic or international study experience within the semester to bring issues in the course to life. When travel is required outside of the usual class meeting times, the course may be taken for 4 credits. Repeatable. S, odd years.

HON 391. Advanced Colloquium in the Humanities. 1-4 Credits.

Advanced interdisciplinary courses on varying topics in the humanities. Repeatable. Repeatable. F,S.

HON 392. Advanced Colloquium in the Social Sciences. 1-4 Credits.

Advanced interdisciplinary courses on varying topics in the social sciences. Repeatable. Prerequisite: Admittance to the Honors Program. Repeatable. S, even years.

HON 393. Advanced Colloquium in the Sciences. 1-4 Credits.

Advanced interdisciplinary courses on varying topics in the sciences. Repeatable. Prerequisite: Admittance to the Honors Progam. Repeatable. F, odd years.

HON 399. Independent Study. 1-4 Credits.

Individual instruction on specified topics arranged by mutual agreement among teacher, student, and the Program. Repeatable to 12 credits. Repeatable to 12.00 credits. F,S,SS.

HON 489. Senior Project: Honors Research. 1-8 Credits.

Supervised independent study culminating in a thesis, white paper, literary work, art exhibition, musical or theatrical performance, portfolio, translation, or other focused demonstration of four years' worth of research or creative work and learning. Prerequisite: Consent of the Department and ENGL 130. Repeatable to 9.00 credits. F,S,SS.

HON 497. Honors Internships. 1-4 Credits.

The UND Honors Program has always recognized the importance of linking academic excellence with civic engagement and practical, action-based modes of learning. In fact, our vision statement specifies that we "will be recognized as a leader in cultivating the next generation of solution-oriented, critical, and creative thinkers with the knowledge, skills, abilities, and commitment to have a positive impact on the world around them." Thus, it is appropriate to award curricular credit for this kind of field/practical/service learning within the Honors context. Thus, this flexible course allows students to pursue specially arranged high-impact individual reflective experiences for Honors credit, like internships, shadowing opportunities, and working with professors and professional in a research capacity. The idea is to give students direct experience with issues they are studying in their chosen curriculum, and/or to provide preparatory shadowing/interning experiences to help students refine their personal and professional goals. Such opportunity may be initiated by students with approval of the Honors Director or designee, provided appropriate field/practical supervisors are willing and the structure for oversight is in place. Generally, credits will be determined by the number of hours devoted to the experience and reflection on it; for example, 1 credit = 15 contact hours, 2 credits = 30 contact hours, etc. Repeatable, in combination with HON 260, to 9 credits. F,S,SS.