Students in the University Honors Program have the option of earning honors coursework points through several different types of courses described below. The required grade a student must earn in in the course to receive honors point credit varies by class type and is denoted underneath each description.
Students can use the course search option on Student Central to identity courses that are offered as "honors" for the upcoming semester. Visit our Search for Honors Courses page for detailed instructions.
University Honors Colloquium
The University Honors Colloquium is a 1 credit hour course that all first year honors students take during their first semester in the program. The colloquium provides a common intellectual experience for new honors students focused on social, intellectual, and personal development and introduces students to the culture and opportunities of a modern research university. Each course meeting is led by an upper-class honors student trained for the Honors Colloquium Leader role who serves as a mentor, instructor, and resource to the first-year students.
[Student must earn an "S" (Satisfactory under the S/U grading policy) in order to remain in the Honors Program and for the course to be counted toward the University Honors point requirement.]
Honors Signature Courses
Honors Signature Courses are interdisciplinary, inquiry-based courses, which are designed to capitalize on and foster the hallmark characteristics of honors students: creativity and a passion for learning; the drive and capacity to engage in critical and analytical thinking; the ability to collaborate and communicate with others from different social, political, and cultural backgrounds; and embracing ambiguity and complex challenges as sources of growth. Honors Signature Courses offer close interaction with honors instructors, who have been selected for their teaching expertise, innovative and interdisciplinary approach, and commitment to undergraduate student success. These courses have no more than 24 students and typically meet multiple liberal studies requirements. The Honors Signature Course curriculum is further supported by rich and varied co- and extracurricular experiences, designed to solidify and extend student learning beyond the classroom.
- For a full list of Honors Signature Courses that have been offered over time, as well as current semester courses offered, please click here.
[A grade of "C-" or higher is required for the course to count toward the University Honors point requirement.]
OTHER Honors Courses
The majority of general honors courses have no more than 24 honors students, giving students a rich and accessible classroom experience. Such courses do not necessarily require a greater volume of work than non-honors courses, but differ in format; specifically, honors courses allow students more independence in choosing their learning paths within the course and provide additional opportunities for intellectual challenges. These small course sections provide more chances for interaction between classmates and with their professors. Honors sections of non-honors courses can be used to meet liberal studies requirements. When searching for courses, while using Course Search within Student Central, use student group code "HONR" for honors courses.
[A grade of "C-" or higher is required for the course to count toward the University Honors point requirement.]
Honors-Augmented Courses
In some cases where honors sections of courses cannot be made available, students may arrange to take an Honors-Augmented Course. These are courses open to all students in which the professor has agreed to engage in special projects with honors students for honors credit. Honors-Augmented Courses are arranged in advance by the Honors Program and can be found by utilizing Course Search through Student Central.
[A grade of "C-" or higher is required for the course to count toward the University Honors point requirement.]
Individual Honors-Augmented Course Contract
An Individual Honors-Augmented Course offers an additional opportunity for Honors students to enrich courses in their major(s) or minor, while working toward the completion of University Honors Program graduation requirements. Augmenting a course means that a student completes additional work, whether a project or additional assignments, in addition to the other work assigned for the course. Students must approach the faculty member who is teaching the course, discuss what an augment would entail, and then receive the faculty member’s approval by completing the course contract. Contract guidelines and the application can be found on the Honors Contract page.
Note that students may do no more than two augmented courses in 2000-4000 level non-Honors courses in their FSU undergraduate career, and they must earn a grade of "B-" or higher to count the augmented course toward University Honors Program graduation requirements.
Honors Directed Individual Study
University Honors students may earn credit hours by registering to work with individual faculty. Much like an Individual Honors Augmented Course, topics of study in the Honors Directed Individual Study are chosen by the student, who receives close mentoring by the faculty member to accomplish high-level independent work.
[A grade of "B-" or higher is required for the course to count toward the University Honors point requirement.]
Graduate Classes
Honors students may elect to take graduate classes for up to 6 credit hours that can count toward the required numbered of honors points for graduation. Graduate courses that are basic competency/review classes (e.g. a language-reading course) do not count toward honors points.
[A grade of "C" or higher is required for the course to count toward the University Honors point requirement. The course must be taken for a grade. P/F and S/U courses will not count.]
Honors in the Major Thesis Work
Students who are also participating in the Honors in the Major Program may earn up to 6 honors points through their thesis work credit hours. While Honors in the Major students must earn a C- or higher in the course to satisfy HITM requirements, University Honors students must earn a B- or higher to earn honors points toward graduation requirements.
[A grade of "B-" or higher is required for the course to count toward the University Honors point requirement.]