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You are here: CSU, Chico | Honors Program | Programs | Honors in General Education

Honors in General Education

Honors in General Education allows students to participate in a vibrant academic community throughout their entire career at Chico State. Honors students satisfy their General Education (GE) requirements by taking Honors versions of lower division GE courses, as well as unique Honors courses and a specialized Honors upper division theme. Participation in honors qualifies you for priority registration for classes, eligibility to live in Honors House, and special recognition at commencement and on your diploma.

Academic Plan

To earn Honors in General Education a student is typically required to take 27 units of Honors course. For some students, AP courses or courses taken at other institutions can lower the total unit requirement.

Lower-division:

Students takes 18 units of Honors coursework as a part of the 39-unit, lower-division GE requirement and/or the 6-unit American Institutions requirement. In their first semester, most Honors students will take Honors Connections, an inter-disciplinary seminar that introduces students to the in-depth, discussion-oriented style of Honors courses. In place of Honors Connections, Honors students also have the opportunity to enroll in Honors Survey of Civilization (HSC), a 9-unit, team-taught course that explores the great sweep of human history from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

Upper-division:

Honors students take 9 units of Honors coursework in 'Theme H' in order to satisfy the 9-unit GE upper-division theme requirement in the Honors theme. Honors students take one interdisciplinary course with natural science content, one interdisciplinary course with social science and humanities content, and a capstone class, which may involve an independent thesis project. Some students with high-unit majors are exempted from one theme class.

Honors Connections and Honors Survey of Civilization

Incoming freshmen should enroll in at least one Honors Connections course or Honors Survey of Civilization their first semester to join the Honors interdisciplinary learning community. 

In Honors Connections, students will work closely with a faculty member in a small class to explore an issue of contemporary concern from a variety of perspectives.   The units earned for Connections classes can be used to satisfy a GE requirement from any C, any D, or E.

• HNRS 110H Honors Connections 
  • Beauty [sample syllabus (pdf)]
  • Infectious Diseases and Human History [sample syllabus (pdf)]

In Honors Survey of Civilization (HSC), about 35 students and three faculty examine the history of our species from hunter-gatherers to suburbanites through art, literature, philosophy, psychology, biology, and economics.  HSC counts for any three of the following four GE areas:  A2, any one C, any one D, E. 

Click here to see students comments regarding their experience in HSC.

• HNRS 120C/D/E Honors Survey of Civilization [sample syllabus (pdf)]
  • For an expanded Honors Connections experience, Honors students may enroll in the Honors Survey of Civilization (HSC), a set of three linked courses that explores the breadth of human history through a multi-disciplinary perspective.  HSC counts for any three of the following four GE areas:  A2, any C, any D, E.  

Lower Division Honors Courses

GE Area A courses:

GE Area B courses:

GE Area C, D, & E courses:

Other lower division courses:

* CODE classes are required by the state of all students in the CSU system.

Upper Division Honors Courses

One General Education goal is to provide you the opportunity to integrate and apply skills and knowledge gained through your college experience to issues and areas of life you will face as a citizen of a complex world. You should also be able to integrate your major with seemingly unrelated knowledge. To help achieve these goals, nine of the requisite 48 GE units must be selected from an upper-division theme. Honors in GE students are required to take the Honors Upper Division Theme. These courses may not be taken earlier than your last semester as a sophomore.

Note: You must complete 9 units of upper-division Honors Theme courses to earn Honors in General Education.

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

1 capstone (to be taken last) selected from:

GPA Requirement

In addition to making satisfactory progress toward meeting course requirements described above, participation in the Honors in GE Program requires the maintenance of 3.3 GPA throughout the college career.
Note: This requirement also applies to those hoping to have concurrent enrollment in the ITEC Program and Honors in GE.

• Students whose GPA falls below 3.3 but remains above 3.0 will be placed on Honors probation and allowed to remain in the Honors Program if they make satisfactory progress toward improving their GPA.
• Students whose GPA falls below 3.0 will be removed from the program.
• In order to earn Honors in GE at graduation, the final GPA must be 3.3 or above.
• All Honors in GE students must complete the Honors upper-division theme. 

Studying Abroad and Earning Honors in General Education

Studying abroad is a valuable experience, and the Honors Program encourages its students to spend a semester or academic year abroad. Honors students may complete two of the three required Honors Theme classes while studying abroad. Lower-division Honors requirements cannot be satisfied abroad.

Students interested in studying abroad should contact CSU, Chico Study Abroad to find out about program options, requirements, and application procedures. Students should then contact the Honors Faculty Advisor to discuss their plans.

Note: Before leaving Chico for foreign lands, students must consult with the Honors Faculty Advisor to determine which courses may satisfy the Theme requirements. Courses taken abroad cannot be retroactively substituted for theme courses, so be sure to speak with the Advisor beforehand.

Honors House

Honors House at Konkow Hall is a special apartment-style living option available to students participating in the Honors Program. There are four Honors houses at Konkow Hall, including a sustainability house and an international house, that provide unique living options for first-year students. Honors House is unlike a standard residence hall in that the houses are designed more like apartments, with a living room and kitchen, to support communal living among residents.

Note: Only students that are applying as first-time university students may apply to live in Honors House.

More information about Honors House and how to apply can be found on the Honors House page.

Interested in Applying?

Visit the Honors in the General Education Requirements page for more information and steps to apply.

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