Honors Course Information

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Resources

Course Offerings

CHEM 145

CHEM 155

CHEM 165

Advisors:  advisers@chem.washington.edu 

More info: https://chem.washington.edu/choosing-introductory-courses 

Course Content

• This sequence covers more advanced topics than in the 142 or 143 sequences and is designed for students who are curious about science and enjoy learning deeply. 
• The courses introduce students to the scientific literature and include advanced laboratory exercises. 
• Courses require the use of calculus in derivations and problem solving. 

Who should register?

• CHEM 145 is open to students with a score of 3, 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry test; a 4, 5, 6, or 7 on the High Level Chemistry IB exam; or those who have passed the Honors General Chemistry Placement Exam. 

• Students receiving a borderline passing score should consult with the CHEM 145 instructor and chemistry advisors regarding appropriate placement.
• Students should be aware that CHEM 145 assumes full mastery of the basic concepts of elementary chemistry so the course will not review this material. 
• The CHEM 145 information sheet (found on website) contains a complete listing of prerequisites, exam information, source materials, and sample exam questions indicating areas and levels of knowledge expected on entry.

What some students have had to say:

• “The honors gen chem series is more about open-ended problems and has more advanced labs with procedures that are not as straightforward. If you care about discovering more about that side of chem, then awesome! If you just want a chem credit with straightforward hw/labs/exams, I would take the regular chem.”
• “I loved the honors chem series because it gave me a deeper understanding of chemistry than other classes, and I credit them in part for my desire to become a Biochem major and scientist as a career. That being said, you have to come in with a desire to learn a lot of detail and be willing to work. Cannot emphasize enough how big of an impact honors gen chem had on me—mostly bc of the small class size, time with profs, and wonderful class community you form.”
• “The main difference between the honors version is that there is a much heavier focus on applicable skills. More specifically, the honors chem sequence had very heavy coding in it, which as someone who had minimal exposure to coding prior was very taken aback by. That being said, I still very much enjoyed taking the sequence because there was TONs of exposure to working in small groups throughout the quarter in projects, assignments, and study groups. The professors were all some of the nicest people on campus and were genuinely passionate about what they were teaching. Much of the class was grounded in real world applications, so it was much more relevant to life compared to AP chem.”

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Resources

Course Offerings

CHEM 335

CHEM 336 (Honors lab, CHEM 346, also available)

CHEM 337 (Honors lab, CHEM 347, also available)

Advisors:  advisers@chem.washington.edu

More info: https://chem.washington.edu/choosing-organic-courses

Course Content

• This three-quarter honors course sequence contains three lecturer courses (CHEM 335, 336, 337) and two laboratory courses (CHEM 346, 347). Laboratory courses are designed to accompany CHEM 336 and 337.
• NOTE:  Honors Organic Chemistry labs (CHEM 346 & 347) do not fulfill additional Interdisciplinary Honors Core requirements. Students may be required to take O Chem labs for other requirements (ie, major requirements or pre-medical requirements) but those courses do not count towards the 47 credits needed to complete the Interdisciplinary Honors requirements.

Who should register?

• Recommended for strong students who want to be further challenged by their chemistry courses. 
• Prerequisites: a 3.3 average in the regular general chemistry sequence (CHEM 142, 152, 162) or a 3.0 average in the honors general chemistry sequence (CHEM 145, 155, 165). 

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Resources

Course Offerings

BIOC 450

BIOC 451

N/A

Advisors:  advisers@chem.washington.edu

For Honors Biochemistry, contact departmental advisor

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Resources

Course Offerings

CHEM 475

N/A

N/A

Advisors:  advisers@chem.washington.edu

For Honors Physical Chemistry, contact departmental advisor

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Resources

Course Offerings

MATH 134

MATH 135

MATH 136

Advisors: advising@math.washington.edu 

More info: https://math.washington.edu/registration-information#math134 

Course Content

• Math 134 is part of an intensive honors sequence of calculus that is less computational than our regular calculus series, and instead is focused on the concepts and using proofs to solve problems.  
• The course covers the subject matter of Math 124 and Math 125 (single-variable calculus), but with a strong theoretical approach.  
• Students wanting to enroll in Math 134 should have a strong enthusiasm and aptitude for mathematics. 
• Students should be comfortable with integrals and derivatives. In this course, students will learn the fundamental axioms for the real numbers that underlie all the results of calculus.

Who should register?

• Placement into Math 126 or higher and permission. As with all math classes prerequisites cannot be waived.
• Meeting prerequisites for Math 126 is required as Math 134 will only spend about 1 week on content of Math 124 & Math 125 before moving on to advanced topics.  This means that students interested in Math 134 must have some equivalent credit to these courses (either through AP Calc BC or transfer coursework).
• If you do not meet the prerequisite requirement, you can still submit the registration form but should explain your mathematical background. 
• Students interested in enrolling in honors calculus should first solve these problems. Complete these problems in a quiz-like setting; do not use books or calculators.  The answers can be found here.  If you are unable to solve these problems on your own, Math 134 is not an appropriate course for you.

Logistics

• Math 134 meets Monday – Friday with the expectation of 3-4 hours of work every day and it is not recommended for students taking other intensive coursework.
• Students should plan to take the entire honors sequence, Math 134, Math 135 and Math 136 (which covers the equivalent to Math 124, Math 125, Math 126, Math 207 and Math 208).  
• After this sequence, students wishing to continue with the honors math courses may consider Math 334, Math 334 and Math 336.  Please note that Math 134 is only equivalent to Math 124, so if you stop the sequence before it is completed, you will need to enter the next course for which you meet the prerequisites.  For example, if you have credit for Math 124 and Math 125, take only Math 134, then you will need to register for Math 126 to complete the calculus sequence.

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Resources

Course Offerings

MATH 334

MATH 335

MATH 336

Advisors:  advising@math.washington.edu 

For Honors Advanced Accelerated Calculus, contact departmental advisor

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Resources

Course Offerings

PHYS 141

PHYS 142

PHYS 143

Advisors: physadvs@uw.edu 

More info: https://phys.washington.edu/141-142-143-courses 

Course Content

• Contains the same material as PHYS 121, 122, and 123, but each topic is discussed in more depth and may include active research and cross-disciplinary applications, and additional topics may be discussed. 
• The course consists of three major components: lecture, tutorial, and laboratories.

Who should register?

• Students with a strong interest in physics and strong calculus preparation are encouraged to enroll in this sequence. 
• Requires one of following: 
  • MATH 124 with a minimum grade of 2.5;
  • MATH 134 which can be taken concurrently;
  • a minimum score of 4 on the AP Calculus AB exam;
  • OR a minimum score of 3 on the AP Calculus BC exam

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Resources

Course Offerings

CSE 122, CSE 123, + CSE 390

CSE 122, CSE 123, + CSE 390

CSE 122, CSE 123, + CSE 390

Advisors: ugrad-adviser@cs.washington.edu 

Course Content

• In the honors seminar, we will discuss the societal impact of computing algorithms and current work to try to make these algorithms better and more fair for all. Some of the most pressing topics computer scientists are trying to fix involves the space of negative impacts technology has on society (usually unintentionally, but that’s not always the case!). We will read Michael Kearn and Aaron Roth’s The Ethical Algorithm in class to learn more about this important space! 
• We will review any of the high-level concepts from the book, but the more important part will be our discussion of the implications of their work!
• Being in the honors seminar is also a great chance to get to know a smaller group of your peers in your class and discuss interesting and relevant topics to CS! 

Who Should Register

• No prior background experience in CS is required to succeed in this seminar outside of what is required for enrolling in CSE 122/123! The course is designed to be suitable for anyone currently in CSE 122/123

Logistics

• Students in the Honors program have priority registration for the course. No add code is needed if you are in the Honors program.

What some students have to say:

• “For CSE, definitely take the HONORS version. It’s the same as the regular class with a 1 credit seminar”. The seminar is not coding heavy, and can be a great break from the dense CS content – we talk about ethics and design choices, which don’t often get attention in the regular lecture.”