The University Honors College provides students of high academic ability in all majors an opportunity to enhance their college educational experience with challenging and provocative courses as well as opportunities for cultural enrichment, semester internships, and study abroad programs. Honors faculty, the honors dean, and the honors assistant dean, comprise the Honors Advisory Council, which plans and executes extracurricular activities, including luncheons, service projects, and cultural events. Selected alumni and friends of the Honors College comprise the Honors College Advisory Board, which provides strategic advice and feedback about the program.
Benefits
- Additional honors academic scholarships
- Intellectually challenging interdisciplinary curriculum
- Small classes with the honors professors
- Distinctive transcript and diploma designation as Honors College Scholar or Honors College Graduate
- Research presentation and publishing opportunities
- Participation in local, regional, and national conferences
- Priority access to study abroad opportunities
- Priority placement in prestigious semester internship programs
- Eligibility for prominent graduate studies fellowships
- Enhanced opportunities for graduate and professional school
Affiliations
- Council on Undergraduate Research
- National Collegiate Honors Council
- Great Plains Honors Council
- National Association of Fellowship Advisors
- The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars
Admission Requirements
Acceptance in the Honors College is based on the following criteria:
First-Time Freshmen:
- ACT composite score of 27 or higher, total SAT score of 1280 or higher, or CLT score of 85 or higher
Transfer Students:
- Completion of 6 or more hours of honors courses from an Honors Program or Honors College with a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher
Current Students
- Entered LCU with:
- ACT composite score of 26 or higher, total SAT score of 1250 or higher, or CLT score of 83 or higher; and
- Written recommendation of a faculty member to the Honors College
- Cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher
- Must apply prior to second semester of Sophomore year (typically prior to completing 45 credit hours)
Honors applicants who meet these criteria are reviewed by a faculty committee and may be offered admission into the Honors College. Scholarship amounts for Honors College students are determined after a review of the complete honors application package. Transfer and current students admitted to the Honors College must complete the Honors College curriculum based on the transfer policy.
Honors Tracks
Qualifying students from any major can be admitted into the Honors College. Honors students select from two academic tracks in the Honors College curriculum.
- Honors College Graduate
- Honors College Scholar
Honors College Graduate (26-27 hours)
- 3 hours from Honors BIB Courses
- 3 hours from Honors ENG Courses
- 3 hours from Honors Humanities Courses
- 3-4 hours from Honors STEM Courses
- 3 hours from Honors Social Science Courses
- 9 hours from Honors Courses
- 2 hours from Honors Seminar (1st year and 3rd year)
Honors College Scholar (30-31 hours)
- 3 hours from Honors BIB Courses
- 3 hours from Honors ENG Courses
- 3 hours from Honors Humanities Courses
- 3–4 hours from Honors STEM Courses
- 3 hours from Honors Social Science Courses
- 9 hours from Honors Courses
- 2 hours from Honors Seminar (1st and 3rd year)
- Completion of Honors Thesis Program
Honors Thesis Program
To graduate as an Honors College Scholar, students must complete the Honors Thesis Program. Students must apply and be accepted to the Honors Thesis Program before earning 90 credit hours or one year prior to graduation.
The Honors Thesis Program requires students to complete HON4380 (Senior Research), or UGRx388 (Undergraduate Research), and HON4182 (Honors Thesis).
Advanced Credit for Honors Courses
Students who enter the Honors College are eligible for advanced standing credit as indicated in the Advanced Credit Policy with one exception concerning advanced credit for ENG1302. Advanced credit will be given for ENG 1302 if students have earned at least 28 on the English portion of the ACT or 670 on the SAT Critical Reading test, or have earned credit for ENG 1301 by taking it prior to admission to the university, or by passing the ENG 1301 CLEP test.
However, this credit will be contingent upon completion of the honors core English course, ENG 2307, with a grade of B or better. If students are eligible for ENG1302 advanced credit and complete ENG2307 with a B or better, they will receive credit for ENG 1302 as well. Students who do not earn a B or better in ENG 2307 must enroll in ENG 1302 in a subsequent semester.
Transfer Policy
First Year Beginning students and Transfer students admitted to the Honors College will complete the Honors College Graduate curriculum on a sliding scale, based on the number of hours transferred. Transfer students will only be admitted to the Honors College if they have been participants in and received credits from an Honors Program or Honors College at the institution they transfer from. Current LCU students who are recommended and accepted in the Honors College will complete Honors College requirements based on the First Year Beginning column of Table 1.
Table 1: Honors College Course Requirements
| First Year Beginning College | Transfer Student* | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| With 0-24 hours credit | With 25+ hours credit** | With 31-59 hours credit | With 60+ hours credit |
| Honors College Graduate (26 hours) | Honors College Graduate (23 hours) | Honors College Graduate (13 hours) | Honors College Graduate (19 hours) |
| 3 hours BIB | 3 hours BIB | 3 hours BIB | 3 hours BIB |
| 3 hours ENG | 3 hours ENG | 3 hours ENG | 3 hours ENG |
| 3 hours HUM, HIS, REL, or PHI | 3 hours HUM, HIS, REL, or PHI | 12 hours any HON of (H) | 6 hours any HON of (H) |
| 3 hours STEM | 3 hours STEM | ||
| 3 hours Social Science | 3 hours Social Science | ||
| 9 hours any HON or (H) | 6 hours any HON or (H) | ||
| 2 hours HON Seminar (HON1154 & HON3154) | 2 hours HON Seminar (HON1154 & HON3154) | HON3154 | HON3154 |
| Honors College Scholar (30 hours) | Honors College Scholar (27 hours) | Honors College Scholar (23 hours) | Honors College Scholar (17 hours) |
| HON4380 Senior Research or UGRx388 Undergraduate Research | HON4380 Senior Research or UGRx388 Undergraduate Research | ||
| HON4182 Honors Thesis | HON4182 Honors Thesis | ||
*Only transfer students who bring credits from an Honors Program or Honors College will be considered for the Honors College.
** First Year Beginning students entering with more than 24 credit hours must complete this 23 hour Honors block.
Pre-Engineering and Pre-Nursing Honors Students
The university is part of several cooperative programs that enable its students to earn degrees from LCU and degrees or certificates from other institutions (i.e., Pre-Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs). Students admitted to the Honors College who are also in one of these programs will complete the Honors College Graduate curriculum based on the second column in Table 1 (30 hours transferred/2nd year).
In addition to the minimum requirements stated above, all Honors students must also complete the Honors Thesis Program to be named Honors College Scholars.
Faculty
- Stacy Patty, Ph.D., Dean of the Honors College and Hancock College of Liberal Arts
- Olga Pahom, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Honors College
Various additional faculty from the university serve the Honors College with annual appointments.
Degrees
To earn a degree, students must complete the curriculum and meet other requirements for a degree listed in the academic policy section of this catalog. This degree is administered by the Honors College. Students are not required to be members of the Honors College but students who are not members of the Honors College must apply for admission to the degree program. Application will be available upon successful completion of LIN2301 Introduction to Linguistics.
To earn a minor, students must complete the curriculum and meet other requirements listed in the academic policy section of this catalog.
Minor in Honors Studies
The Honors Studies Minor is interdisciplinary. The minor is limited to
- Any LCU student who is not a member of the Honors College
- Former Honors College students who are no longer participants in the Honors College.
All courses must be Honors courses (HON prefix or (H) in the course description). The minor must meet the following criteria:
- Completion of 18 semester hours, 9 of which must be upper level
- No more than 9 semester hours from the major may be counted toward the minor
- At least 6 semester hours not directly related to the major
- Completion of the minor with at least a 3.40 grade point average