Honors Courses

Honors Signature Courses

These courses are unique to Honors. These credits will count as electives in students’ major requirements. While we offer online options for most of our courses, HONORS 198 is only offered in person; therefore, our program is not intended for online-only majors.

HONORS 198

HONORS 198 connects students to other members of the Honors community and prepares them for the expectations of the Honors College and Boise State. The 10-week, 1-credit course is required of all incoming Honors students and centers on readings and group discussion, asking students to think about their expectations and the goals surrounding their college education. It also features an academic advising component.

HONORS 390

HONORS 390: Crafting Professional Narratives is a 1-credit course designed to help juniors develop their writing and speaking skills for graduate school or their future careers, challenging them to carefully consider their pathway through college and their steps after graduation. This course is offered as a 1-weekend workshop or a 7-week online course.

HONORS 392 Colloquia

HONORS 392 Colloquia are rigorous, upper-division, seminar courses that allow Honors students to explore interests outside their major. Course topics change every semester, giving students the ability to study topics that complement their field of study or ones they never before considered. Past courses have included subjects like the process of domestication, medicine and magic in ancient Greece, or business practices in China.

One HONORS 392 each spring also includes a travel component.  Past classes have traveled to Oxford University and the Mediterranean. Though there are increased course fees for these classes, the Honors College helps students seek out funding assistance to help with travel costs.

Students may substitute 3 credits of VIP coursework or 3 credits of graduate level coursework for one HONORS 392.

HONORS 498

This 10-week Senior Seminar provides a capstone experience for Honors seniors, assisting their transition into the world beyond the university. Students meet once a week to discuss a series of readings and end the course by presenting a “Last Lecture” where they reflect on their college experience and how it influences their journeys as life-long learners.

Other Honors Courses

These consist of customizable coursework. When students take Honors sections of University Foundations classes, they fulfill both Honors requirements and the requirements of their major at the same time.

UF 200 University Foundations

Taken by all Boise State students (typically in their second year), UF 200 asks students to think deeply about identity, social action, and ethical thinking by asking some fundamental questions: What does it mean to be an engaged citizen in a democracy? How much of our identity is driven by culture? How do our ethical decisions relate to our culture?  As they answer these questions, students consider who they understand themselves to be and how they envision themselves acting in the surrounding world. Honors students must take an Honors section of UF 200.

VIP Projects

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) give students the opportunity to earn credits while working alongside faculty in interdisciplinary teams to tackle real world challenges. There are over 15 active VIP projects, including Plasma Medicine, Immersive Virtual Reality, and Books in Every Home. To earn Honors credit for VIP (applied to either Colloquia OR Flex Credits), students must complete at least 3 VIP credits.

Honors Flex Credits

Honors students may combine any of the following options to complete their 9 required Flex Credits.

Foundations Courses

Foundations Courses are required of every major. By taking Honors sections of Foundations courses, students fulfill general university requirements as well as earn Honors flex credits. Honors sections of Foundations courses are smaller and more discussion-based than regular sections, allowing students to work more closely with their professors and fellow students.

H-Options

H-Options allows students to receive Honors credits for a regular class or internship, typically one required by their major but not included in Honors offerings. To receive Honors credits, students must complete additional coursework in addition to the requirements of the class. Visit our H-Option page for more information.

Study Abroad

Because the Honors College feels that study abroad deepens students’ understanding of the world, we offer up to 3 Honors credits for each semester a student is abroad. Students must inform an Honors advisor of their study abroad experience, but no additional coursework is required to earn these Honors credits.

Workshops

Honors workshops change each semester, offering students the opportunity to study a wide variety of subjects in a condensed period of time. These workshops are typically completed over the course of one or two weekends and are worth 1 credit.

Independent Study

Independent study is a flexible, independent course that students create with a supervising faculty member. The nature of the work completed can vary to best suit the student’s needs. Some take part in research or lab work as a significant part of their independent study; others complete special projects. Students may not propose an independent study on a topic that the university already offers as a regular course, and they must submit their plans to the Honors College for approval in order to receive Honors credit for the independent study.

Additional Honors 392 Courses

Students may take more than the required two Honors 392 courses in order to complete their flex credits.