Honors Program Requirements

The number of hours required for the Honors Program varies according to major, and is equal to the Liberal Studies Program required hours for that major. Honors requirements include core courses, a science requirement, a math requirement, an art requirement, a language sequence, a multiculturalism seminar, a junior seminar, and a senior thesis or senior seminar. Some AP and IB credit will apply toward Honors core courses. Credit can also be applied toward the math, science, or language requirements. Depending on the college and major, some Honors requirements may be waived. Specific requirements can be found within the student's college in the Colleges and Schools section.

Honors Core

*

Advanced placement credit will fulfill Honors Core requirements as listed:

• AP Literature credit for ENG 101 (previously ENG 120) will fulfill HON 101
• AP credit for HST 111 or HST 171 fulfills HON 102

¹

HON 180 is not required for students with a Calculus, Statistics, Business Analytics, or Discrete Mathematics requirement for the major. 

The courses (including AP, IB and transfer credit) that can replace HON 180 are as follows: MAT 242, MAT 135, MAT 137, MAT 150, PSY 240, SOC 279.

²

HON 201 is not required for students in the Theatre School or the College of Education

³

HON 205 is not required for students in School of Music, The Theatre School, or the BFA Animation major in CDM.

Honors Senior Requirements

Note: Honors students in the Pathways Honors Program accepted into a 3+ program for admission to RFUMS will be waived from the Honors Senior Requirements.

Honors Senior Thesis Option

Students who choose to complete an Honors Senior Thesis must have their project approved at least one term prior to executing the project. To gain approval for a senior thesis, students must complete an online application, including a project proposal, signed by two faculty advisors. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of the program, the thesis should attempt to move outside the boundaries normally associated with one particular discipline and should be supervised by two faculty members from different academic fields. While the final product must be a substantial piece of work building on the student’s accumulated knowledge and new research, specific requirements for each thesis will depend on the nature of the project. See the Honors director or associate director for further information. Students may opt to enroll in HON 300 (a two-credit elective) to receive dedicated guidance as they prepare the thesis project.

Science Requirement 

• Honors students who do not have a lab science requirement for the major will fulfill the science requirement with HON 225 (Honors Lab Science Topics) OR a course selected from the university’s Scientific Inquiry Lab courses. 
• Honors students in Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and College of Communication, students with a BA major in Psychology, and BA students in the School of Music will complete one additional science course chosen from the university’s offerings of Scientific Inquiry (non-lab) or Mathematics and Computing courses.
• BA students in Mathematical Sciences will complete one additional science course chosen from the university's offerings of Scientific Inquiry (non-math.)
• BS students in Mathematical Sciences will complete one Scientific Inquiry Lab course.
• Honors students in the College of Education will complete one Scientific Inquiry Lab (non-Biology) course and one Scientific Inquiry Biology course. HON 225 is not an option for COE students to fulfill the lab science requirement.
• Students in the School of Music (non BA) and the Theatre School will fulfill the science requirement with one course selected from the university’s offerings of Scientific Inquiry (non-lab) courses.

Math Requirement 

• Honors students who do not have a Calculus, Statistics, Business Analytics or Discrete Math requirement for the major are required to take HON 180 or one of the following courses: MAT 135, MAT 137, MAT 242, MAT 150, PSY 240, or SOC 279.
• Honors students in the PAM major in the School of Music will fulfill the Honors math requirement with MAT 130. 

Language Requirement 

• Three courses of intermediate or advanced language study are required for all Honors students except those in the School of Music and The Theatre School, and those with BFA or BSN majors.
• Students whose placement test results are below the intermediate (104) level of their language or who choose to begin a new language must complete at least 16 credit hours of language study; one language course will count as an Honors Approved Elective.  After completion of 16 credit hours of language study, students may apply to waive the remainder of their Honors language requirement.
• Students who place at the advanced level of a language may fulfill the Honors language requirement with either one year of advanced study of that language or one year of a language the student has not previously studied.
• Language majors may fulfill the language requirement with one year of language study, at any level, outside of their major OR three additional Honors Approved Electives.
• Honors students in the College of Education have a one-year (three-course) language requirement. This requirement can be fulfilled through either completion of one year of study of the student's high school language or one year of a new language the student has not yet studied. Students opting to continue their high school language are required to complete a placement test and must begin language study according to their placement.
• NOTE: Language courses numbered 101-103 may initially appear on the DPR in Open Electives, Additional Courses, or Extra Credit courses. Please see an Honors Program advisor for adjustments to the DPR.  

Fine Arts Elective

• BS students in Game Design will fulfill the Fine Arts Elective with SCWR 100.
• Additionally, BS students in Game Design will fulfill the Ethics requirement with FILM 228 or IT 228.

Honors Approved Electives

Approved Electives are chosen in consultation with an Honors advisor to achieve specific academic or professional goals. Courses completed for Study Abroad, 200-300 level courses taken for a minor or second major, or 200-300 level courses taken to pursue a specific area of interest outside of the major can count as Honors Approved Electives. The number of Honors Approved Electives depends on the college and major. Students in the College of Education, the School of Music (except BA students), and the Theatre School do not have Honors Approved Electives.

AP/IB credit for WRD 103 will fulfill an Honors Approved Elective requirement. 

BS students in Game Design will fulfill one Honors Approved Elective with ANI 101.

Experiential Learning

Honors students will fulfill the university’s Experiential Learning (EL) requirement by completing an EL-designated course in the major, as an open elective, as an Honors Approved Elective, or as an Honors core requirement (HON 351). Students in the College of Education, the School of Music, and the Theatre School whose programs meet the university requirement in Experiential Learning will be considered to have met the Honors Program requirement as well.

AP or IB or Transfer Credit will fulfill Honors Core requirements as listed:

• AP/IB Literature credit for ENG 101 or ENG 120 fulfills HON 101
• AP/IB credit for HST 111 or HST 112 or HST 171 fulfills HON 102
• AP/IB credit for BIO 191 or CHE 130 or PHY 150 or ENV 102 fulfills HON 225 and/or the Scientific Inquiry requirement.
• AP/IB credit for CHE 102 or GEO 101 or ENV 202 or MAT 150 or MAT 135 fulfills the Scientific Inquiry requirement.
• AP/IB credit for MAT 242 or MAT 150 or MAT 135 fulfills the HON 180 requirement.
• AP/IB credit for ART 104 or ART 105 fulfills the Fine Arts Elective requirement.
• AP/IB credit for a 104, 105, or 106 language course counts toward the language requirement.
• IB credit for PHL 100 fulfills HON 105
• Transfer credit for WRD 104 fulfills HON 100
• Credit earned in a dual (high school-college) enrollment program will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or higher in HON 100 and HON 110 or HON 111 is required to remain in the Honors Program. A grade of C- or higher is required to pass the following:

Study Abroad

Study Abroad is particularly appropriate for students in the Honors Program and, though not required, is strongly recommended. Honors students interested in Study Abroad should plan to participate during  their sophomore or junior year and should make certain that they have fulfilled appropriate modern language requirements before that point in their undergraduate careers. They should meet with the Honors associate director prior to their departure for pre-approval of course substitutions. Coursework completed abroad may substitute for Honors Approved Electives or selected Honors core courses that are equivalent to the study abroad course.

Honors Advising

All Honors students will work with an Honors advisor for academic planning and to schedule Honors courses in conjunction with their major requirements. As a general rule, Honors students take one or two Honors courses each quarter during their first and second years of study and one or two Honors courses a year in the junior and senior years.

Transfer Honors

Transfer Honors offers students the full benefits of the Honors Program​ with the opportunity to fulfill requirements using courses taken at previous institutions.  For students admitted to Transfer Honors, the Honors curriculum replaces Liberal Studies requirements.  Evaluation of transfer credit toward Honors requirements is done on an individual basis, and specific Honors requirements vary according to a student’s college and major.  

Please note that Transfer Honors is a residential program with most classes offered during the day on the Lincoln Park Campus.  Students in the School of Music, the Theatre School, and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies are not eligible for Transfer Honors.

Transfer Honors Requirements

Students who enter Transfer Honors will consult with an Honors Program advisor to determine how transfer credit can apply to the following Honors requirements:

Transfer Honors and the Illinois Articulation Initiative

DePaul participates in the General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) of the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI.) Students who have earned an Associate's of Arts or Sciences degree at a participating IAI college or university will complete Experiential Learning and five courses that replace requirements in the Liberal Studies Program:

All Transfer Honors students must complete these five courses regardless of the credit hours transferred in.

WRD 103 Replacement for Students Leaving the Honors Program

For students who withdraw from the Honors Program having completed HON 100, and who do not have AP credit for WRD 103, either WRD 103 or one of the following courses must be taken to fulfill the requirement for WRD 103: