Honors General Studies Program
The Honors General Studies Program offers an alternate general studies experience designed to inspire curious, highly motivated students to serve as leaders of thought and agents of change.
This program is a separate track of general studies and not a major or a minor in itself. Honors core courses have a flavor distinctly different from the regular general studies courses because they use primary source material more extensively than textbooks to enhance the development of independent thinking. Honors core courses follow an interdisciplinary approach that stresses the unity of knowledge; honors electives are designed to help students “transform academic achievement into responsible citizenship” (WWU Mission Statement). The classes are more personalized and typically smaller than other general studies classes. Some courses are team taught.
Students in the Honors Program are awarded an annual scholarship dependent on successful completion of specific courses and a minimum GPA. See the Honors webpage for specific details and scholarship amounts. At graduation, students who complete the Honors Program requirements with at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA and a 3.0 GPA in honors core courses and honors core cognates will be designated as "Honors General Studies Graduates."
Admission Requirements. The Honors Admissions Committee considers high school GPA, standardized test scores, an essay submitted by the student as part of the application, and on occasion, personal interviews with applicants and recommendations from teachers. It is advantageous for applicants to have completed Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course work and other enriched offerings in high school. Students already enrolled in the University may apply to the program or petition the Honors Program director to enroll in a specific Honors course.
Honors General Studies Requirements
Program Requirements. Honors students must complete the honors core courses and a selection of other general studies courses as listed below.
For B.A.: Honors core, honors core cognates, a foreign language (12 credits of elementary or 8 credits of intermediate), and additional honors electives to total 80 hours, at least one course from each elective category.
For B.B.A., B.S., and B.S.W.: Honors core, honors core cognates, and additional honors electives to total 68 hours, at least one course from each elective category.
For B.S.E., B.Mus. (Music Education): Honors core, honors core cognates, and one religion elective.
For B.Mus. (Performance): Honors core, honors core cognates, one religion elective, and FREN 101, FREN 102, FREN 103, or GRMN 101, GRMN 102, GRMN 103.
Core Requirements (40 credits):
| HONR 131 | Western Thought | 4 |
| HONR 132 | Western Thought | 4 |
| HONR 133 | Western Thought | 4 |
| HONR 141 | Writing Seminar: Identity, Responsibility, and Citizenship | 3 |
| HONR 142 | Writing Seminar: Rhetoric, Style, and Ethics | 3 |
| HONR 243 | Honors Research Writing | 3 |
| HONR 281 | The Bible and Its Environments | 4 |
| HONR 348 | Topics in World Religious Thought | 4 |
| HONR 349 | Religion in a Social Context | 4 |
| HONR 386 | Junior Seminar: Mathematical and Scientific Reasoning I | 1 |
| HONR 387 | Junior Seminar: Mathematical and Scientific Reasoning II | 1 |
| HONR 388 | Junior Seminar: Mathematical and Scientific Reasoning III | 1 |
| HONR 392 | Honors Portfolio | 1 |
| HONR 496 | Honors Seminar: Faith and Learning | 1 |
| HONR 497 | Honors Seminar: Faith and Learning | 1 |
| HONR 498 | Honors Seminar: Faith and Learning | 1 |
Additional Cognate Requirements
Physical Activity (2 credits):
| PEAC | Physical Education Activity Courses | 2 |
Mathematics: Select one of the following (4 credits):
Natural Science: Select one of the following sequences (8 credits):
Religion Elective: Select one of the following:
Honors Electives for B.A., B.B.A., B.S., and B.S.W. Degrees:
Choose one course from each of the following categories.
Requests for substitutions for credit earned through directed study or study abroad opportunities may be submitted to the Honors Program director for consideration. In addition to Adventist Colleges Abroad, WWU has specific affiliations with Middlebury College’s Oxford Humanities Program, The Council of Christian Colleges and Universities Best Semester Program, and the Balua Regional Archaeological Project. Dual Credit, AP Credit, and required cognates not fulfilled by honors courses may also be allowed to count toward fulfilling honors electives, as determined through a petition to the honors director.
Global Understanding: Select one of the following courses:
Responsible Citizenship: Select one of the following courses:
Aesthetic Appreciation: Select one of the following courses: