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The Four-Year Honors Program: Schedule of Instruction

The Four-Year program in Honors requires a minimum of 40 credit hours in Honors (including 6 credit hours of independent study or research), distributed as follows:

YEAR 1
Freshmen students will take the following courses.
Fall: Honors 1100 (3 credits). Honors Composition (may be met by advanced credit)
Honors 1200 (3 credits). Freshman Symposium
Honors 1110-1150 (3 credits). Choose one “Western Traditions” course from the 111-115 series.
Winter: Honors 1300 (3 credits). Critical Analysis
Honors 1310 (3 credits). Choose one “Non-Western Traditions” course from the 131-135 series.

When it is offered, Honors Freshmen may take a course from the Honors 1210-1250 series (3 credits: “American Traditions”) either as an additional elective or in place of Honors 111-115. *NB that Honors 1230 seminars meet the state requirement for American history and government.

When it is offered, Honors students may take (as an elective) Honors 1800, the Honors version of Mathematics 1800 (Calculus I). As this course meets various graduation and major requirements, it is not normally accepted as a substitute for Honors seminar requirements in either the Four-Year or Two-Year program.

YEAR 2
During the second (Sophomore) year, Honors students will take at least two courses from the 2010-2080 range of ‘Inquiries’ courses. However many Inquiries courses are taken, one should be in an area outside the disciplinary range of the student’s intended undergraduate major. All Inquiries courses are 3 credit courses.

The general Inquiries course numbers are:
Honors 2010. Inquiries in the Humanities.
Honors 2020. Inquiries in the Fine and Performing Arts.
Honors 2030. Inquiries in the Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Honors 2040. Inquiries in Mathematics and Computer Science.
Honors 2050. Inquiries in the Natural Sciences.
Honors 2060. Inquiries in Business.
Honors 2070. Inquiries in Education.
Honors 2080. Inquiries in Nursing.

YEARS 3 AND 4
During these years, students must take at least one three-credit Honors seminar per semester, or a minimum of four in all (12 credit hours). Normally, all these courses will be chosen from the 3000-range of advanced Honors seminars, though permission may be given to take up to two additional 2010-2080 “Inquiries” courses. As with the Honors 2010-2080 courses, all Honors 3000 level courses are 3 credit hours. Students may take more than four advanced Honors seminars during their Junior and Senior years, but they should insure that the additional Honors seminars do not interfere with meeting the requirements of their major and minor departments. Ideally, such additional seminars will help to meet students’ major or minor requirements.

HONORS COLLEGE WRITING PROGRAM
Honors students on the Four-Year program may elect to meet their advanced composition writing requirement (e.g. English 3100) through Honors 3100, “Writing the City”, normally in their Junior year. As it meets a University graduation requirement, this course is an elective and cannot be used as a substitute for the normal Honors seminar requirement. In addition, all Honors students first enrolled in or after January 1999 will be required, in their final (Senior) year, to take Honors 4100, the one-credit ‘Portfolio’ course in the Writing Program.

INDEPENDENT STUDY AND/OR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN HONORS
In addition, all Honors students must take 6 credit hours of independent work (independent study, internship, or supervised research) during their junior and senior years. For further details on Independent Study programs and options, please read Appendix D of this Handbook, which also includes appropriate application forms.

Both Honors Undergraduate Research Projects and Honors Independent Study contract work will normally be undertaken under an appropriate course number in a UM-St. Louis department or division, but where it is preferred (or necessary) will be given an Honors course number, as follows:
Honors 4900: Honors Independent Study
Honors 4910: Honors Research in the Humanities
Honors 4920: Honors Research in the Fine and Performing Arts
Honors 4930: Honors Research in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Honors 4940: Honors Research in Mathematics and Computer Science
Honors 4950: Honors Research in Science
Honors 4960: Honors Research in Business
Honors 4970: Honors Research in Education
Honors 4980: Honors Research in Nursing.
Honors 4990: Honors Research in Engineering.

With the permission (or at the request) of their major department/division, Honors students may be allowed to take 3 additional hours of Independent Study or Undergraduate Research for Honors credit, for a total of nine credit hours.