Curriculum

Course Information

What is an honors course?

An honors course is a vibrant learning experience that teams the most captivating professors with our brightest, most eager students.

The Honors Program offers a wide range of courses designed especially for Honors students. These include:

Freshman Seminars

In the fall semester, first-year Honors students are eligible to sign up for special sections of SE 1017 designed for high-achieving students.  These special section orientation courses focus on helping students engage with the Honors community and take advantage of campus resources for research, fine art appreciation, and leadership development.

General Honors Courses

Honors students have the opportunity to take Honors sections of a wide range of department-based courses, including many electives and required courses in Mathematics, Physical sciences, life sciences, humanities and social sciences. Examples include: 

  • CHEM 1217 and 1227
  • COMM 2117
  • ENGL 1017, 1027, 2107, 2917 or 2927
  • FREN 1017 and 1027
  • GBIO 1517 and 1537
  • HIST 1017, 1027, 2017, or 2027
  • HONR 1917
  • MATH 1757, 2007, and 2417
  • PSYC 1167 and 1177
  • SOC 1017
  • SPAN 1017 and 1027

HONR Courses

Each semester, Honors offers a special topic seminar focused on some aspect of science, humanities, social science or business.  These discussion-based courses are taught by many of Southeastern Louisiana University’s top faculty members and are open to all Honors students. 

  • HONR 3007
  • HONR 3047
  • HONR 3057
  • HONR 4017
  • HONR 4027

See the Course Catalog link for more details.

Honors Class Schedules

Senior Thesis

The undergraduate Honors thesis is designed to serve as the capstone work to an undergraduate degree and is one means by which students can demonstrate their readiness to join a graduate program. Through the mentorship of a faculty committee, each Honors student will complete a research or creative project to add to the body of knowledge in their given major or minor. Theses can take a variety of forms – from conducting laboratory research or exploring a historical conundrum to arranging a portfolio of original music or writing a novel.

  • Talk with professors to learn their interests and research areas.
  • Lay the groundwork for a potential thesis. Ask the professor or professors with whom you might be interested in working if they have suggestions for appropriate background reading in the discipline, ideas for undergraduate projects, opportunities to work with them in their studio, laboratory, etc. (If you find a professor and decide on a project, you may even be able to get started on the research phase of your thesis at this time.)

  • Secure a professor to act as your thesis advisor. Your advisor will direct your thesis project. Your advisor should be a professor in your major with whom you can work well. Depending upon the nature of your project, you may need to begin the research project quite early in your Junior year, especially if the project involves significant amounts of field work or laboratory work. (We find this especially true for theses in the sciences.) 
  • Working with your thesis advisor, determine your thesis topic, what will be required to complete the project, and discuss the expectations that you both have for the project.
  • Secure a Second Reader for your thesis. The Second Reader is another professor in your discipline who will read and sign-off on your thesis. The second reader may also help to direct the project. Your second reader should be selected in consultation with your thesis advisor.
  • Begin the required reading and research as recommended by your thesis advisor.

  • Complete the data collection portion of your thesis research/creative endeavor. This work is often conducted as an H-option to an existing upper-level course. You should be working closely with your thesis advisor to ensure that you are on track and making progress.

  • Enroll in HONR 3007.
  • Write up your thesis results, again working carefully with your advisor and second reader to ensure that the paper is appropriate in terms of grammar, style, length, depth, and rigor.
  • Schedule your thesis presentation.
  • Submit full draft of your thesis to your advisor and second reader for feedback.
  • Present your thesis.
  • Submit final draft of your thesis to advisor and second reader for final approval.
  • Submit approved final draft of your thesis to the Honors Director.
  • Graduate with your Honors diploma!