About the Program

To inquire about this program:
Dr. Sandra Weems | 423.869.6329 | sandra.weems@lmunet.edu

The Honors experience is open to students in all undergraduate majors who want to learn more and do more in their college years.

Students may select one of two designations to work towards to become an HSP graduate: The University Honors Scholar status is recommended for those who have three (or more) years to complete their degree requirements (23 honors credits). The status of Honors Scholar is recommended for transfer students or current LMU students who enter the Program with fewer than three years remaining in their undergraduate education (18 honors credits). 

Requirements for Completion

• Complete a total of 23 (University Honors Scholar) or 18 (Honors Scholar) credits of approved courses. Honors credits may be earned in two ways:
  1. HNRS-prefix courses: The Program offers several courses to build critical thinking and research skills that lead toward the Honors Thesis. These include HNRS 100, 200, 300, 400, and 497. Students also select from a variety of topics taught in honors-only seminars: HNRS 203 and 303. Additionally, students may earn credit for participating in the planning of HSP academic, cultural, and service events in HNRS 333.
  2. Contract Courses: Honors students get to work one-on-one with professors in their general or major courses to create "contracts" or agreements to do projects not required by the regular syllabus. Many say that Contract Courses are their favorite part of the Program, because they offer unique academic research opportunities and mentorships by faculty members. When students complete a contract in a chosen course, their transcript will permanently reflect the HNRS denotation, and the credit-hour value of the original course is added to their total honors credits. Application for contract courses can be found here.
• Maintain semester and cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher with no Honors course grade less than a "C"
• Participate in at least one honors-designed service project each semester
• Create and maintain an e-Portfolio
• Complete the Honors Thesis project and defend it before a student and faculty panel

Honors Thesis

Each honors scholar completes a capstone scholarly research project. Students complete a Thesis Contract with a faculty mentor to plan, research, and write a scholarly thesis or produce a creative project. Information about Honors Thesis Requirements are found in the LMU Undergraduate Catalog.