Program Outline

Foremost, it is important to understand that the Honors Program is much more than taking difficult classes - it is an entire program of study. Furthermore, upon completion of the Honors Program curriculum, students receive an Honors distinction on their diploma.

Honors Program courses are taken instead of, not in addition to, regular curriculum. They are not desinged to be any more difficult than regular-level courses at Augusta State University, and Honors Students are not evaluated on a more demanding grading scale than in other courses.

Honors Program courses are different, however. They are smaller in size and offer more interaction with the instructor. They encourage independent work and collaboration among students, as well as between students and their professors. Often, instructors in Honors courses serve more as facilitators than lecturers or professors, encouraging students to actively pursue information and take greater initiative in their studies.

The Honors Program curriculum is broken into three parts: Core Courses, Seminar Courses, and the Honors Thesis.

Honors Core Courses

Students must enroll in at least five core courses during their time in undergrad. These courses are taken in place of regular core courses. Typical course offering include the following:

  • HONR 1010XX - Honors Introductory Seminar: The Nature of Inquiry (Replaces COMS 1020)
  • ENGL 1113XX & 1114XX - Honors Freshman Composition I & II (Replaces ENGL 1101 & 1102)
  • BIOL 1107XX - Principles of Biology
  • HIST 1111XX - Pre-modern World Civilizations
  • HIST 2111XX - United States to 1877
  • HIST 2112XX - United States since 1877
  • HUMN 2001XX & 2002XX - World Humanities I and II
  • MATH 2210XX - Elementary Statistics
  • PHIL 1000XX - Introduction to Philosophy
  • POLS 1101XX - Introduction to American Government
  • PHYS 1111XX & 1112XX - Introductory Physics and Physics II
  • PSYC/SOCI 1103XX - Introduction to Behavioral and Social Sciences
  • PSYC 1105XX - Honors Seminar in Psychology

Please note that our course offerings rotate each semester.

Two Honors Seminar Courses

Students select two Honors Seminar courses, referred to as "Breaking Boundaries" courses. These team-taught courses are typically taken in the student's junior year, and involve an in-depth exploration of an inter-disciplinary topic. Previous courses have included:

  • Psychology in Film
  • Philosophy Meets Neuroscience
  • The Political Election of 2008
  • World Health Care
The Honors Thesis

The culmination of a student's work in the Honors Program is the Honors Thesis. It is completed inside of two consecutive semesters, typically beginning in the student's junior year. The Thesis is undertaken in three phases:

  • HONR 3999XX - Honors Prospectus (1hr)
  • HONR 4000XX - Honors Thesis (2 or 3hr)
  • HONR 4500XX - Honors Capstone (1hr)

Completing a thesis is both a challenging and rewarding undertaking. The thesis coursework allows investigation of a topic in greater detail than is possible in other classes. The process also provides a forum for independent study and an opportunity for working closely with faculty members.

Completing a thesis is also a valuable instrument for students considering post-graduate study. A successfully completed thesis if often persuasive evidence to admissions and fellowship committees of a student's potential for outstanding performance in a graduate or professional school.

Site Navigation

I really enjoy the small class-size. I feel like I'm getting the attention I need from my professor, and my classmates always offer constructive feedback.

JoAnna M.

Psychology Major