A Challenging Liberal Studies Curriculum
Regardless of major, all academic programs at DePaul University are composed of three parts: major requirements, open electives, and general education (or liberal studies) requirements. In the Honors Program, a student's general education curriculum is replaced with an Honors liberal studies curriculum.
Honors students complete the same number of general education courses as students in the general Liberal Studies Program; however, Honors course requirements differ to serve the needs and goals of students seeking an Honors education. Major courses and open electives are not affected by a student's participation in the Honors Program.
Academic Requirements of the Honors Program
The following is a list of all required Honors general education courses; depending on their college, major, or previously earned credits, students may be waived from one or more of the following courses:
HON 100 - Rhetoric and Critical Inquiry
HON 101 - World Literature
HON 102 - History in Global Contexts
HON 104 - Religious Worldviews and Ethical Perspectives
HON 105 - Philosophical Inquiry
HON 110/111 - Honors Discover/Explore Chicago
HON 180 - Data Analysis and Statistics
HON 201 - States, Markets, and Societies
HON 203 - Seminar in Multiculturalism
HON 205 – Interdisciplinary Arts
HON 208 - Topics in Sociocultural Inquiry
HON 225 - Honors Lab Science Topics
HON 300 – Honors Research Seminar
HON 302 – Honors Junior Seminar in Social Justice
HON 350 – Honors Senior Seminar
HON 351 - Honors Senior Seminar in Service Learning
HON 395 – Honors Senior Thesis
View course descriptions for each of the above requirements in the Honors Student Handbook.
Honors classes are taught as in-person seminars, most of which take place on the Lincoln Park campus; thus, students who are in fully online degree programs are not eligible to participate in the Honors Program.
As part of our commitment to cultural awareness and global citizenship, the majority of Honors students (with a few exceptions) are required to achieve intermediate proficiency in a foreign language.
Learn more about the Honors Language Requirement.
The fine arts requirement is an opportunity for students of all majors to actively engage with culture through art.
Learn more about the Honors Fine Arts Requirement.
Electives offer the opportunity for in-depth study of a chosen specialty area with specific academic or professional goals in mind. Often, it allows for the possibility of a minor or second major.
The number of electives available to a student depends on their home college's requirements. Honors-approved elective courses must be at the 200 or 300 level and selected in consultation with an Honors advisor. Honors-approved elective requirements may also be fulfilled by study abroad coursework.
The experiential learning requirement allows students to engage in active learning or "learning by doing." Experiential learning may take place in a regularly scheduled course, an approved internship, a study abroad course, or in an independent study approved on a case-by-case basis.
Learn more about the Experiential Learning Requirement.
Honors students must earn the equivalent of HON 180 or higher to satisfy the Honors Math/Statistics requirement.
Learn more about the Honors Math Requirement.
Through the Honors science requirement, students will experiment with the scientific method to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of how the world works.
Learn more about the Honors Science Requirement.
Balancing your Honors Education
The Honors curriculum is designed for curious and serious student-scholars to engage critically with crucial questions about human civilization in the past and the present with an eye toward building a better future. Students achieve this not through heavier workloads and stricter grading criteria, but by taking an active role in their intellectual development through courses that explore complex problems in greater depth.
Honors students balance their quarterly schedules with a blend of major requirements, Honors requirements, and open electives. Freshmen and sophomores generally take one or two Honors courses per quarter, while juniors and seniors generally take one or two Honors courses per year.