The Honors College

About the College

Contact Information

Office of the Dean:

713-743-9010

Dean:

Heidi Appel, Ph.D., University of Michigan

Associate Dean of Undergraduate Research:

Stuart Long, Ph.D., Harvard University

Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Faculty Affairs:

Jonathan Williamson, Ph.D., Emory University

Assistant Dean for Student Success:

Brenda Rhoden, Ph.D., University of Houston

Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Research, Major Awards, and Learning Abroad/Away:

Ben Rayder, Ph.D., University of Bamberg

Originally created in 1958, the University Honors Program became the Honors College at the University of Houston in 1993. Created to serve the intellectual needs of gifted students in over 100 fields of study, the Honors College provides the careful guidance, flexibility, and personal instruction that nurture individual excellence.

Benefits of Honors College membership include priority enrollment (registration) for courses, competitive scholarships, special academic advising by faculty, opportunities for individual study, and the chance to live in the Honors residence halls.

The curriculum of the Honors College is both flexible and varied. The College draws on the talents of the finest faculty members across the university to teach smaller honors sections of courses in various disciplines. These courses take the place of regular required courses and fulfill the university’s baccalaureate degree requirements. One key sequence of courses, “The Human Situation,” is team-taught by the core Honors faculty and designed to ensure that Honors students are introduced to the philosophical, literary, and historical foundations of Western civilization, from classical Greece to modern America.

Honors students can take advantage of a wide range of challenging programs, including the Bauer Business Honors Program, Cullen Honors Program, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) Honors Program, Honors Debate Program, and the programs associated with the Office of Community Engagement, including Community Advocacy & Responsive Engagement (CARE) and Honors in Community Health (HICH). Students can also choose from several minors including, Creative Work, Data & Society, Energy & Sustainability, Leadership Studies, Medicine and Society, and Phronesis ( Politics and Ethics).

Students make significant contributions to the life of the Honors College. The Student Governing Board conducts evaluations of all honors courses each term and maintains the results in the Honors College for students to consult when selecting courses and instructors. In addition to their participation in the College’s academic affairs, students help plan and attend special events throughout the school year. Designed especially for beginning students, the fall Honors Retreat is the first event of each academic year.  Students new to the College join upper-level advisors and Honors faculty at a wooded retreat center for two days of recreation and interaction.

Students also have many exciting possibilities for learning abroad and away, and engaging in undergraduate research with dedicated faculty mentors. On any given day, the Honors College is a hub of learning and co-curricular activity, with many award-winning writers, thinkers, and entrepreneurs visiting the Honors Commons, our marketplace of ideas.

Academic Information

Graduation With Honors

Students who complete The Honors College curriculum (36) hours and complete a senior honors thesis graduate with University Honors with Honors in Major, the highest distinction that an undergraduate can earn at the University of Houston. Students who complete The Honors College curriculum and elect not to complete a senior honors thesis graduate with University Honors.

Students graduate with Collegiate Honors either by fulfilling the requirements for the honors program in the college of their major, including 21 hours of honors courses; or by completing an Honors College minor, or by completing 21 hours of approved honors courses. If students also complete a senior honors thesis, they graduate with Collegiate Honors with Honors in Major.

Students who affiliate with The Honors College during their undergraduate years and complete fewer than 21 hours of honors courses graduate with Membership in the Honors College. If students also complete a senior honors thesis and fulfill the requirements of their major with distinction, they graduate with Membership in the Honors College with Honors in Major. Students who earn these academic distinctions receive special recognition at commencement ceremonies and on their transcripts.

Students who complete the Honors in Co-Curricular Engagement Designation requirements (12 points) graduate with Honors in Co-Curricular Engagement. Students who earn this academic distinction receive special recognition at commencement ceremonies and on their transcripts.

Academic Requirements

Honors students are expected to take at least one honors course each term and to maintain a 3.25 minimum cumulative grade point average. The Honors College does not grant degrees; baccalaureate degrees are granted by the college of the student’s major.

The Honors College Admission Requirements