Information for Our Current Students

Here, current Honors students can find guidance through the Honors curriculum, class equivalences, information on your senior thesis and the Honors Symposium. This information will keep you on track in your studies and alleviate any anxieties about approved credits. We also encourage mentors and counselors to use this guide when advising current and future Honors students.

You'll also find instructions for contracting a course in your major as well as the required forms for your Honors senior thesis proposal, schedule, and contract as downloadable PDF files.

Questions? Contact the Honors Program director Dr. Emma Woelk.

 

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Honors Curriculum

"The Honors Program at St. Edward’s University empowers high-achieving and curious students to create a community of learning, explore enduring questions, and engage in research and creative scholarship." - Program Mission Statement

Honors students are required to fulfill 24 credit hours of coursework through the Honors Program.

(The following curriculum applies to students who entered the program during or after the 2015-16 academic year. Students entering before that will work with the program director to identify the best course of study for each student.)

General Education

Two of the following first-year LLC small seminars:

  • Health and Disease in the Community / Biology sequence for Honors students in the natural sciences
  • Writing the American Dream
  • Religion, Diversity and Civic Life
  • Strategic Communication / Speaking Truth to Power

6 hours

See equivalences in next tab.

Two of the following team-taught courses:

  • Art/Artist/Society
  • The Enlightenment and its Critics
  • The Graphic Novel: The Interplay of Image and Text
  • Medical Ethics
  • Prophets, Saints and Heroes
  • Slow(ness), or the Paradox of Time
  • Post-colonialism

6 hours

See equivalences in next tab.

Three One-Hour Honors Seminars

  • Introduction to the Liberal Arts
  • 2 Curiosity Seminars, for example:
    • Austin as Text
    • Queer Art & Activism
    • The Roots of Mathematics
    • The Cool
    • Just a Game?
    • The Science of Sci-Fi Movies
    • Income Inequality and Tax Policy

 

3 hours

Courses in the Discipline

  • Contracted Course in the Major
  • Senior Thesis Preparation/Research/Internship
  • Honors Senior Thesis

9 hours

Total

24 hours

General Education Equivalencies in the Honors Curriculum

First-Year Courses

 

Health and Disease in the Community / Biology sequence for Honors students in the natural sciences

Equivalent: Biology 1307 (fall) or Biology 1308 (spring)

Writing the American Dream

Equivalent: Exploring Artistic Works / Diverse American Perspectives

Religion, Diversity and Civic Life

Equivalent: Studies in Religion and Theology

Strategic Communication / Speaking Truth to Power

Equivalent: Oral Communication

 

(Choose two of these four courses during your first year.)

 

Team-Taught Courses for Sophomores and Juniors

 

 

Art/Artist/Society

Equivalent: Ethics

The Enlightenment and its Critics

Equivalent: Global Perspectives

Graphic Novels: The Interplay of Image and Text

Equivalent: Creativity and Making

Prophets, Saints and Heroes

Equivalent: Studies of Religion and Theology

Literature and Ethics

Equivalent: Ethics

Medical Ethics

Equivalent: Ethics

Slow(ness), or the Paradox of Time

Equivalent: Creativity and Making

 

Questions? Please contact: Dr. Emma Woelk, 512-637-5618

Senior Thesis and Symposium

Your Honors senior thesis is where you will engage in independent research and thesis creation. Past thesis projects include creative work such as graphic novels, plays, and fashion designs, as well as varied academic research on Gothic architecture and gentrification and art in Harlem and East Austin. Your final project is intended for you to reflect on your individual passions and create a work close to your own interests.

You will prepare for your senior thesis with a semester-long research or internship project constructed with the support of a research mentor within your major. This research can also occur during the summer before the fourth year, and is often supported financially through the Office of Fellowships.

Senior Thesis Schedule and Contract

Your research will be presented to the university community at the Honors Symposium and submitted to your faculty mentor as your senior thesis.

Our Most Recent Symposium