Planning Ahead

Most honors students like to use their honors courses to fulfill general education requirements as well. This can usually be accomplished if you and your adviser plan carefully.

It is preferable to avoid "loading up" with too many general education courses in your freshman year. If you load up, you may find by sophomore year that you have completed the lower biennium general education requirements, but have not completed the lower biennium honors requirements. It is certainly permissible to take more than one course in a given general education distribution area, but students with tight schedules (accounting majors, double majors, education students, etc.) may find this difficult.

It would be helpful to know several semesters in advance what honors courses will be offered. Although this is usually not possible, you can still count on the following pattern:

• Each fall lower biennium honors courses will be offered in GS areas 1, 2, 3 and 4. Honors courses in additional GS areas may be offered, but cannot be guaranteed.
• Each spring lower biennium honors courses will be offered in GS areas 5 and 6. Honors courses in additional GS areas will be offered, but the particular areas vary from year to year.
• At least one honors course per year will be offered in each of the upper biennium GS areas 1, 10 and 11. Whenever possible, courses in each of these areas will be offered each semester.
• Ordinarily, an honors course in GS area 12 (Senior Colloquium) will be offered each semester. However, if only a small number of seniors need to take this course, it may be offered once a year.

Elementary and secondary education students: The education program requires several semesters of pre-professional and professional training. Thus, education students normally will have to take two honors courses in the same semester at least once. It is wise to plan your schedule as far into the future as possible.