The Honors Program: What Makes Us Unique
The University Honors Program (UHP) is a vibrant community that offers students’ courses that complement and enrich their FSU classroom experience, co-curricular and extracurricular programming that extends learning in exciting directions, access to dedicated faculty, staff and advisors, a state-of-the-art facility with classrooms and study spaces, and much more. Nestled within the preeminent university that is Florida State, the University Honors Program (UHP) brings together the best resources that FSU has to offer for ambitious student-scholars who want to develop as campus influencers, thought-leaders, and informed global citizens.
Signature Courses are the beating heart of the UHP program. These small, interactive courses introduce students to topics that push thematic and disciplinary boundaries. To help students maximize their time at FSU, most Signature Courses allow students to satisfy both General Education requirements and Honors Graduation Requirements. Additionally, our Signature Course program distinguishes us among our academic peers as the only Florida honors program with a dedicated cohort of Honors Teaching Faculty, full-time instructors assigned specifically to the program who design the innovative courses they offer. Beginning in Fall 2023, we will double our Honors Teaching Faculty, thus increasing and broadening our program in new and exciting ways.
Believing that co-curricular programming can richly enhance the classroom experience, we have begun to pilot a new program, the Honors Co-Curricular Program (HCCP), which will be implemented in the 2023-24 academic year. The HCCP will give students an additional way to earn Honors credit during their FSU career. Several HCCP events held this year - including a talk on government careers and an immersive session at the Innovation Lab – have given students a taste of what the HCCP will offer. An exciting roster of events is being planned for Fall and Spring 2023.
The Honors in the Major Program (HITM) also falls under UHP and is the second way students can earn FSU Honors. An important and unique complement to the University’s research programs for undergraduates, HITM encourages Upper Division students to take their college experience to the next level through advanced research and under the guidance of top-tier faculty. Students may apply for funding to support thesis research projects both through UHP and through the university.
For students interested in the professions, we partner with the Honors Legal Scholars, the Seneff Honors Business Scholars, and the Honors Medical Scholars program. Our proximity to the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement (CRE) and the Office of National Fellowships (ONF) in the Honors, Scholars, and Fellows (HSF) House offers students unparalleled access to campus resources that can quickly propel them to their research and professional goals and aspirations. Our partnership with these important offices gives students holistic support in gaining the most from their college experience.
From coursework to co-curricular life, the University Honors Program offers undergraduates an impactful and supportive experience that will allow them to maximize their time at Florida State.
Honors Exclusive Advantages At A Glance
Courses and Registration. In addition to our Signature Course program, we partner with faculty in departments throughout the University to offer tailored, unique courses designed to promote critical thinking and access to innovative approaches and knowledge. University Honors Program students are granted priority registration for classes each term.
Advising. Dedicated Honors advisors are on hand each day during drop-ins or scheduled appointments to discuss any aspect of the program with Honors students.
Living in Landis and Jennie Murphree Hall. First-year students may apply to live in Landis Hall, an honors-only residence hall, or Jennie Murphree, a mixed-residential option. Both Landis and Jennie Murphree lie in the middle of campus and are close to the Honors program building.
Honors, Scholars, and Fellows House (HSF). HSF is a beautiful state-of-the-art building that houses the University Honors Program, as well as the Office of National Fellowships and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement. Classrooms, study spaces and open spaces for reading and reflection provide a sense of community for many of FSU’s brightest and hardest-working students.