The Honors College Curriculum
You choose what experiences will complete your Honors College portfolio. Combine courses with research, travel, and hands-on learning to shape your own path.
32 UNITS = GRADUATE WITH UNIVERSITY HONORS
Honors Unit requirements
32 Honors Units are required to graduate with University Honors. While you need to have some units in each category, the distribution is up to you! For example, you can take as few as 2 Honors courses (for 8 Units), but if you enjoy our discussion-based seminars, there's no limit on how many you can take. If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can earn most of your Honors Units via high-impact cocurricular experiences like research, study abroad, and project-based learning. An Honors Advisor can help you plan your personal Honors curriculum.
| Categories | # of Units |
|---|---|
| Honors Gateway Experiences | 2 Units |
| Honors Courses | 8-26 Units |
| Cocurricular Experiences | 2-20 Units |
| Culminating Experience | 2-8 Units |
| Total | 32 Units |
Good Standing in Honors
Honors College students must maintain a minimum GPA as well as making continual progress toward Honors requirements. Students must be in Good Standing in order to have priority course registration.
GPA: Honors College students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.2 by the end of Freshman year. All non-freshman Honors College students must maintain a GPA of 3.5. Students whose GPA is below these standards may be removed from the Honors College.
Honors Progress: Honors College students have flexibility about when and how they complete Honors College requirements. However, students who do not make progress toward completing the requirements can lose Honors privileges and/or be removed from the Honors College. Students with special circumstances may make agreements to complete their Honors Units according to a different schedule.
| Benchmark | Minimum Units for Good Standing | Minimum Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman Spring | 4 Units | 3.2 |
| Sophomore Fall | 8 Units | 3.5 |
| Sophomore Spring | 12 Units | 3.5 |
| Junior Fall | 16 Units | 3.5 |
| Junior Spring | 20 Units | 3.5 |
| Senior Fall | 24 Units | 3.5 |
| Senior Spring | 30 Units | 3.5 |
| Graduation | 32 Units | 3.5 |
Honors Units can be earned from both classroom and non-classroom experiences.
You can earn Honors Units at the same time you fulfill your academic requirements. For example, each Honors Discovery course earns 4 Honors Units as well as 4 credits, and fulfills a graduation requirement. You can also designate regular courses as Honors by agreeing with your professor on additional or enriched assignments.
You can also earn Honors Units outside the classroom through experiences that advance your education. These cocurricular experiences can be on campus or off, volunteer or paid. Honors Units for these experiences depend on the time spent (approximately 45 hours per Honors Unit).
