Enriching Knowledge - The Honors Experience

Goals of the Honors Program

Honors work in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) is designed to foster intellectual curiosity and to provide a rich, diverse, and challenging educational experience. To that end, we bring professors and talented students together in a variety of ways:  by offering a broad range of Honors courses on a regular basis (including some Honors courses with limited enrollments); by providing extensive opportunities for Honors students to participate in individual projects with professors; and by providing a wide range of supplementary activities through "The Honors Experience."

Major benefits of participating in the program

The Honors Program offers a host of benefits. Foremost, Honors courses offers students a wider range of possibilities for enriched and independent work than what is often available in regular courses. Through Honors Only courses, students are also offered, even in their first year, an opportunity to establish close relationships with professors and challenging opportunities to engage with other talented students in small classes. Because of the special relationships established in these courses and the unusual projects often pursued in them, Honors professors are frequently those to whom students later turn for recommendations for awards, internships, scholarships, and fellowships.

Will my grades suffer if I take Honors courses?

Honors courses are not graded on a curve but on the same basis as regular classes. Honors students do not, as a result, compete against one another for a limited number of A's and B's. It is possible for everyone in an Honors course to receive an A, if each student's work warrants such a grade.

Surveys show, in fact, that in general Honors students do as well or even slightly better in Honors courses than in regular courses. Students report that this is so because the closer contact with professors, the more energetic debates and discussions in Honors Only classes, and the more personalized assignments in Honors classes consistently motivate them to do their best work.

Can I Study Abroad without jeopardizing my progress in the Honors Program?

Yes.  As long as you maintain the overall GPA requirements for Honors students, you may resume your work in Honors at any time. However, it is always best to consult with the Honors Office if you are planning to leave the university for a period. The Honors Office may be able to suggest specific ways for you to continue Honors work during your absence. In recent years, we have also been able to assist in arranging for Honors credit for study undertaken abroad. Such arrangements involve professors here, so a reasonable amount of time should be allowed to make the necessary arrangements before you leave the country. In general, such arrangements need to be complete by the end of the semester before you begin your studies abroad.

History of the Honors Program in Liberal Arts

The current program was designed by faculty committees in the late 1970s. The first record of a student graduating with Honors from the College of Liberal Arts (then the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education) is in December 1982. Since then the program has grown extensively. Approximately seventy-five students a year now graduate with College Honors, and several hundred take three or more Honors courses during their time at Purdue.

In this section

• Honors Program
• Apply Here
• Program Information
• Course Information
• Honors Staff
• Honors Student Council
• Department Honors Programs
• Annual Honors Events
• Colloquium
• Dean's Scholars
• Honors Societies
• Study Abroad
• Academic and Financial Resources

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