The Honors Experience
What does it mean to be an Honors student at BGSU?
As a BGSU Honors student, you will join a vibrant and supportive community of scholars. Our students hail from all majors. They are leaders, researchers and world travelers.
The Honors College emphasizes personal and intellectual development. You will be challenged to identify your values and broaden your worldview. We offer:
- Inquiry-based learning and special classes that center on critical thinking skills
- A wide range of enrichment opportunities that allow you to put your knowledge into practice and build skills
- A caring community in which you may learn and grow with like-minded peers
20% of an Honor student’s curriculum is made up of Honors courses. You must complete 15 Honors credits by the end of your fourth semester in the program to stay in the Honors College.
Academic opportunities
First-year Honors classes
The development and implementation of critical thinking skills is the backbone of the BGSU Honors experience. Honors courses and curricula are designed to give you higher-order thinking skills that will make you more successful at BGSU and beyond.
In your first year at BGSU, you will take two Honors classes centered on critical thinking:
- HNRS 2010: Introduction to Critical Thinking
- HNRS 2020: Critical Thinking about Great Ideas.
What is critical thinking? Past Honors student define it like this:
- Learning to see the world from a more objective standpoint.
- Looking beyond the surface level and asking questions.
- The ability to analyze and construct an original unbiased opinion.
Honors tutorials
Turn a class into an Honors class! All you have to do is work with your professor to arrange a special learning opportunity that goes beyond regular coursework – a unique presentation, research project or interdisciplinary paper.
The Honors tutorials let you build on experiential learning opportunities that you may already be engaged in, such as education abroad, service learning, undergraduate research or internships and co-ops.
Honors project
All Honors students must complete an Honors project. The project is a self-designed capstone experience that showcases original scholarship on a topic of your choice. All projects include a written paper and an oral defense.
Opportunities outside of the classroom
Honors Learning Community
Many of our Honors students join the Honors Learning Community. The HLC is a residential learning community in which you live with and learn from other high-achieving, motivated students.
Members of the community take part in special programs, trips and resources to enrich their education. It is strongly recommended – but not mandated – for Honors students to live in the Honors Learning Community.
Note: Honors students don’t automatically get into the HLC, although they are given priority. You must apply in a separate application process. Spaces are limited.
Honors Students of Color
This organization designed by and for our multicultural Honors students seeks to give them the confidence and tools to successfully navigate their experience not only in the Honors College, but at BGSU. We hope to foster a healthy and safe space for our students of color to develop the skills for success.
Enrichment activities
The Honors College encourages you to get involved on campus. It’s a great way to develop skills in leadership, public speaking, time management and a host of other areas. The Honors College offers a wide range of activities:
- Guest speakers
- Service learning programs
- Honors faculty discussions
- Reading groups
- Cultural events and trips
- Student leadership positions in a variety of areas
Collective Dialogues
We don’t just want to teach you about critical thinking. We want you to practice it. That’s what Collective Dialogues are all about.
These hour-long conversations held several times throughout the year offer you a chance to sit down with Honors peers and a faculty or alumni facilitator to have a rich discussion about something typically related to your field of study.
Goals of the dialogues
- To practice critical thinking and communication skills
- To have a respectful conversation, no matter your prior knowledge of the topic or differing perspectives
- To create connections
Contact honors@bgsu.edu if you have questions.
Graduating with Honors
Receiving University Honors upon graduation – and wearing the Honors medallion at Commencement – is the highest award that BGSU grants. This is a surefire way to set yourself apart and to help you achieve your educational, career and life goals.
Some students also are recognized for their achievements with the Honors College Distinction in Leadership.
Updated: 09/17/2024 09:54AM