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Requirements for First Year Honor Students

Honors students are required to fulfill SUNY Brockport’s General Education program along with their chosen academic major. Beginning in Fall 2019, there are a total of nine Honors course requirements for those who enter the program as a first-year student (22-24 credits total). A combination of small interactive Honors seminars, conventional courses, and engaged learning experiences are used to satisfy these requirements over a period of three or four years. As much as possible, Honors courses are integrated into each student’s chosen program of study, and therefore it is important to meet with one of the Honors faculty directors at least once per year. Honors students are expected to take at least one course per academic year and maintain a 3.25 GPA to remain active in the program.

General Education Courses

  • HON 112 “Introduction to Honors” (4 credits): Satisfies “Academic Planning Seminar” (APS) and the General Education requirements for Written Communication, Oral Communication, Diversity and Perspectives on Gender & Women.

  • Two additional lower-division Honors General Education courses selected in consultation with a faculty advisor: For example, “Honors American Politics” (PLS 113) fulfills Social Science (S) “Honors Environmental Science” (ENV 202) fulfills Natural Science with Lab (L), and “Honors Improvisational Theater” (THE 232) fulfills Fine Arts with Performance (P). If a student completes the General Education Program requirements early because of Advanced Placement or transfer credit, he or she may use the Honors Contract to achieve the total of three additional lower-division courses. An Honors Contract enables a student to turn any conventional course—whether in General Education or an academic major/minor—into Honors credit by special arrangement with the instructor and approval of the Honors Director. The Honors Contract Form must be submitted within the first two weeks of the semester that a student is enrolled in the proposed course.

  • Honors Contemporary Issues (3 credits): The Honors Contemporary Issues requirement (indicated by the “I” code) satisfies a General Education requirement at the upper-division level. At least three course options representing a variety of disciplines are offered every Fall and Spring semester. Examples of recent Honors Contemporary Issues course titles include: “Life in the Digital Age,” “Confronting Death,” “Global Perspectives on Women & Gender,” and “Issues in Life Sciences.

Specialized Honors Courses

  • Two sections of HON 380 “Interdisciplinary Colloquium” courses (1 credit per section, 2 credits total): These interactive seminars involve a “deep dive” into a special topic that touches upon a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Topics will vary from semester to semester and will focus on analyzing a particular text, ethical issue, pedagogical concern, or research question that is relevant to multiple fields of study.

  • Honors Engaged Learning Experience (3 credits): SUNY Brockport offers a variety of courses that foster intellectual growth through student-driven learning and/or experiential learning (both lower- or upper-division level). Honors students may meet this requirement through an education abroad program, an internship, a practicum course (e.g., supervised teaching, teaching assistantship, clinical or field experience), a peer mentoring course, an academic major independent or directed study, a service-learning course, the Washington Semester program or another credit-bearing engaged learning experience. This requirement may also be met through a non-credit equivalent such as the Leadership Development Program, a Summer Research Program, community service, a leadership position, an internship, a Summer Fellowship, or field research. Both types of experiences (credit-bearing and non-credit bearing) require the submission of a registration or petition form and the approval of the Honors Director.

  • HON 395 “Thesis Practicum” (1 credit): In preparation for embarking on an Honors Senior Thesis, this course is usually completed during the Junior year. Students are guided through the process of planning their thesis, including selecting a topic and faculty director and developing a methodology of research or creative inquiry.

  • HON 490 “Sr. Honors Thesis” (3 credits): As the capstone experience of the Honors College, the thesis is a scholarly or creative project designed by the student under the direction of a professor in his or her academic major (or a related area). It requires both a written product and a formal presentation in accordance with the research practices in a student’s chosen field of study.