Honors Program Curriculum

18 Hours Total Credit Hours
FYS 111 Honors 3
Honors Seminars 4
HON 100 (freshman year, fall)
HON 200 (sophomore year, spring)
HON 300 (junior year, spring)
HON 400 (senior year, fall)
Mini-Courses 8-9
HON 201-221 (2nd semester – senior year)
Honors Contracts 2-3
HON 456, 457, 458 (junior – senior years)

Students who participate in study abroad or domestic study away programs may be allowed to count some
coursework at other institutions toward Honors Program requirements.

First-Year Seminar

All new first-year honors students at Mars Hill University register for the honors section of the First-Year Seminar. A
faculty member of the Honors Council, with assistance from an upper-level honors student, teaches this section.
The course introduces students to the university experience at Mars Hill, to concepts fundamental to a liberal arts
education, to the skills necessary for success in college, and to disciplinary perspectives.

Honors Seminars

Students in the Honors Program participate in an annual seminar each year. The seminars are paired, such that the
freshman HON 100 course and the senior HON 400 course are taught concurrently in the fall. The sophomore HON 200
course and the junior HON 300 course are taught concurrently in the spring. All Honors Seminars are offered for S/U
credit only.

Honors seminars are based around experiential learning. HON 100/400 focuses on professional development by
facilitating student-faculty interactions in each student’s major field of study. HON 200/300 is based around a service
project utilizing an interdisciplinary approach. Students are challenged to work as a team to as they conduct research
and implement an action plan.

Honors Mini-Courses

Mini-courses are the hallmark component of the MHU Honors Program. During every fifteen-week semester, three
five-week, one-credit courses are offered consecutively in three different disciplines. Students who have completed
their first semester in the program may register for as many or as few of the mini-courses in a term as they wish,
but they must satisfactorily complete a minimum of eight mini-courses to meet the Honors Program requirements
(nine if the student chooses to develop only two honors contracts). Honors students are encouraged to register for
mini-courses that are outside their comfort zones. Students may opt for the S/U option in up to three mini-courses.

Honors Contracts

During their junior and senior years, students in the Honors Program work with faculty in their major or minor fields
of study to develop honors contracts (HON 456, 457, 458), consisting of additional responsibilities or research projects
associated with regularly offered courses. To complete the Honors Program, students must satisfactorily complete at
least two contracts (three if the student chooses to take only eight mini-courses). Each student’s honors contract must
complement a separate upper-division course (200-level or higher) in a student’s major or minor.