Interdisciplinary Honors students are asked to think intentionally about their education, knowledge production, and connections between disciplines. They take Interdisciplinary Honors-specific courses that explore a variety of topics; complete experiential learning activities to apply their learning outside of the classroom; and practice critical reflection about their academic journey throughout their participation in this curriculum.
Students complete Interdisciplinary Honors requirements in addition to their major requirements, with Interdisciplinary Honors requirements primarily overlapping with a student’s General Education and Skills requirements or UW Elective requirements.
Interdisciplinary Honors Requirements
Honors Core Requirements
Must be satisfied with a 5 credit Honors prefix (HONORS) course from the categories listed below.
Honors Electives
Four 5-credit courses. May be satisfied by additional Honors-prefix courses, Honors electives, or Honors by Contract.
Minimum Honors GPA: 2.0 GPA or higher in all Honors courses to count towards Interdisciplinary Honors requirements.
Minimum Cumulative GPA: 3.3 cumulative GPA to graduate with any type of Honors.
Experiential Learning
Participation in two activities outside the classroom in the areas of: International Engagement; Leadership; Research; and Service and Community Engagement. Each activity must be from a different area. Students must submit applications through the UW Honors website.
More About the Experiential Learning Requirement
Reflection & Portfolio
The Honors Portfolio is a collection of artifacts and reflections that document and contextualize a student’s undergraduate education. Your individual practice of reflection throughout your UW experience will be partially guided by Honors (required reflective prompts and assignments in classes) but mostly directed by you. Your portfolio should be unique to you, both in the experiences you write about as well as the artifacts you choose to archive. Between HONORS 100, when the portfolio is introduced and your first reflections are stored, and HONORS 496, when each student finalizes and presents their individual portfolio, we must see demonstrated engagement with the process, including the below:
- Reflections from Honors classes
- A minimum of 4 reflections are required to be submitted prior to being eligible to register for HONORS 496
- Reflections from classes in your major(s)
- Reflections from other classes
- Reflections that consider challenges, not just showcase successes
More About Honors Reflection & Portfolio Requirements
Interdisciplinary Honors Policies
Course Policies and Requirements
- Students must receive credit in HONORS 100 to continue in the Honors Program.
- All Honors courses must be decimal-graded and have a minimum of a 2.0 grade to fulfill Interdisciplinary Honors curriculum requirements.
- All Honors courses counting towards students’ requirements must be 4 or 5 credits except HONORS 100 and 496.
- To graduate with Interdisciplinary, Departmental, or College Honors, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 at the time of graduation. Some Departmental Honors programs might have higher cumulative and/or departmental GPA requirements
- Students are eligible to register for HONORS 496 on completion of:
- 5 of 7 Honors Core courses,
- 1 of 2 Experiential Learning activities, and
- 4 Honors course reflections.
- Students register for HONORS 496 in their final year, as it is designed to be a culminating capstone seminar.
Core Courses
Each of the Honors Core requirements can be met by the following Honors-prefix courses:
- Honors Arts & Humanities:
- HONORS 210, 211, 212, 213; HONORS 240, 241, 242, 243; HONORS 381, 383, 384; HONORS 391, 393, 394
- Honors Natural Sciences
- HONORS 220, 221, 222, 223; HONORS 381, 382, 383; HONORS 391, 392, 393
- Honors Social Sciences
- HONORS 230, 231, 232, 233; HONORS 381, 382, 384; HONORS 391, 392, 394
- Electives ONLY
- HONORS 205; HONORS 345
Elective Policies
- Elective courses may be fulfilled by Honors Core courses if you have already satisfied that core requirement, Honors by Contract (see below), and the Honors Electives listed online.
- Honors elective courses offered through other departments* (ex. CHEM 145, ENGL 182, CSE 122 + CSE 390) overlap with major coursework depending on the major.
- Students may earn up to 10 credits through the “Honors by Contract” processes of Ad Hoc Honors coursework, HONORS 499 credits, and graduate-level courses.
GPA Policy
A minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA is required to graduate with an Interdisciplinary, Departmental, or College Honors degree, regardless of whether you have completed all other curriculum requirements. Additionally, individual Departmental Honors programs may have departmental gpa requirements higher than a 3.3.
If your cumulative grade point average falls below a 3.3, Honors advisers will be in contact to offer support, provide resources, and answer any questions that you have about the 3.3 cumulative GPA requirement. You will not be transferred out of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program, and will be encouraged to visit an Honors adviser to discuss your future academic plans and goals.
Experiential Learning Policy
- You must complete an experiential learning application for a minimum of two activities in different categories: Community Engagement & Service, Research, Leadership, International Engagement.
- No retroactive activities are allowed. You must apply in advance to count an activity towards Experiential Learning.
- You must engage in the activity for a minimum of 20 hours after the application deadline.
- You may use paid and credit bearing opportunities to fulfill this requirement.
MyHonors Portal
You can view all of your advising appointments, Experiential Learning applications and reflections, Honors by Contract applications, and archived reflections in the MyHonors Portal. This tool is a central space to keep track of your progress on these requirements and access previous submissions and feedback.
College Honors
College Honors, the completion of both Interdisciplinary Honors and Departmental Honors, allows students to experience both broad, interdisciplinary inquiry and a deeper understanding of their chosen focus during their time at UW. To earn a College Honors degree, students complete both Interdisciplinary Honors and Departmental Honors in at least one of their majors.
Need Support?
Our Advising Team is here to help you navigate your Honors requirements and anything else to do with UW!