2025 Interdisciplinary Honors Curriculum Changes
For Autumn 2025, we are implementing changes to the Interdisciplinary Honors requirements to provide you with more flexibility to balance your Interdisciplinary Honors coursework with the other commitments shaping your academic path here at the UW. These changes only apply to your Honors course requirements, not your Experiential Learning or Reflection requirements.
To address questions about these changes, we will be hosting an information session on Friday May 23rd from 12:30-1:30 over Zoom.
Outline of Changes
- The number of credits required to complete Interdisciplinary Honors has been reduced from 47 credits to 37 credits
- With the new curriculum, students will complete 7 Honors courses plus HONORS 100 and HONORS 496
- The “Interdisciplinary” category has been removed. All Interdisciplinary Honors-prefix courses (HONORS 39X, HONORS 38X) will fall into Interdisciplinary Honors Core categories based on their UW Area of Inquiry (AoI) designation (A&H, NSc, SSc).
- Ex: HONORS 394 is designated as A&H/SSc. It can fulfil either the Honors Arts & Humanities OR Honors Social Sciences Core requirement.
- Like any UW course that bears more than one AoI designation, the course will meet one of the requirements, and will shift to the other requirement automatically if you fill the first requirement with another course.
- Because we have removed the “Interdisciplinary” requirement, the three Core requirements are as follows:
- Honors Arts & Humanities
- Honors Natural Sciences
- Honors Social Sciences
- We have reduced the required number of electives in the curriculum from 5 courses to 4 courses
- Because of the reduction in electives required, only 2 courses (10 credits) of Honors by Contract options (Ad Hoc, Graduate Level, Honors 499) may be applied toward your Honors electives.
- If you have already completed 3 Honors by Contract courses as of Spring 2025, we will honor all of those toward your electives in the new curriculum.
- Beginning in Autumn 2025, a minimum 2.0 will be required in any Honors course that is applying toward your requirements. If you received below a 2.0 in any Honors course prior to Summer 2025, that course will still apply toward your requirements.
New Interdisciplinary Honors Course Requirements
Honors Core Requirements
Must be satisfied with a 4-5 credit Honors prefix (HONORS) course from the categories listed below:
Honors Electives
Four 4-5 credit courses. May be satisfied by additional Honors-prefix courses, Honors electives, or Honors by contract.
Minimum Honors GPA: All Honors courses must receive a 2.0 GPA or higher to count towards Interdisciplinary Honors requirements.
Minimum Cumulative GPA: 3.3 Cumulative GPA across all courses taken at the UW
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you making these changes now?
The Honors Program aims to offer a curriculum that is engaging, dynamic, and also responsive to the complex realities of the student experience at UW. Program staff work ongoing to gather input from students, advisers, and faculty to be sure our curriculum reflects the values of the Honors Program in a way that is achievable for students. We believe that these curriculum changes will make completing the course requirements in the Honors Program even more achievable for a wider population of students who are pursuing Honors alongside many other exciting endeavors at the UW!
What will happen to my “Interdisciplinary” course?
Any courses taken in the “Interdisciplinary” category (HONORS 205, 345, 381, 382, 383, 384, 391, 392, 393, 394) will automatically count towards another Honors requirement, based on what requirements you still have left. See below which “Interdisciplinary” Honors courses can meet which requirements in the new curriculum:
- Arts & Humanities: HONORS 381, 383, 384, 391, 393, 394.
- Social Sciences: HONORS 381, 382, 384, 391, 392, 394.
- Natural Sciences: HONORS 381, 382, 383, 391, 392, 393.
- Electives: Honors 205, 345.
If you have already completed your Honors Core through other Honors-prefix classes, your “Interdisciplinary” course will apply towards your electives.
How does this impact my registration for Autumn Quarter?
If you have already completed the new Honors requirements or are close to completing the new Honors requirements, you might choose to not register for an Honors course in the fall. If you have completed the new Honors requirements and are currently registered for an Honors course, you are more than welcome to stay in the course if you would like.
When will this curriculum change be reflected in my degree?
Students currently enrolled as undergraduates in Spring 2025 will see the new requirements in your Degree Audit on the first day of Autumn Quarter.
Incoming first year students will see the new requirements during their Advising & Orientation in the summer.
If I’m graduating Spring 2025 or Summer 2025, can I graduate with these Honors requirements instead?
No, the new Honors requirements will apply beginning in Autumn 2025. All students graduating in Spring and Summer 2025 are required to finish the current curriculum.
Wait, does this mean I’m done with Interdisciplinary Honors?
If you have taken 7 or more 4-5 credit Honors courses, you might have already completed the new Honors Core Curriculum. Please refer to the curriculum outline above, email uwhonors@uw.edu, or attend drop-in advising if you have questions about how the Honors courses you’ve already taken will apply to the new curriculum.
Can I stay on the current curriculum?
No, all continuing students will be automatically transferred to the new curriculum beginning in Autumn 2025. The new curriculum is a reduction in Honors requirements and is meant to be more accessible for all Interdisciplinary Honors students. The new curriculum will not impact or change how your Honors courses appear on your transcript or how Honors is represented on your diploma at the time of graduation.
I transferred out but I think I might be close to finishing with the new curriculum… can I come back?
Yes! Please speak with an Honors adviser or email uwhonors@uw.edu about transferring back into Interdisciplinary Honors. We want to make sure you are in a good position to finish the curriculum, should you choose to return!
It’s Autumn 2025 and I don’t think my courses are being applied correctly. Help!
CURRENT STUDENTS: If it is not Autumn 2025 or later, you will not be able to see the new Honors requirements. Please hold off on these questions until the beginning of Autumn 2025.
As we roll out and adjust to our new curriculum, some issues arise! If your issue is with a non-Honors course that was withered with an Honors-prefix course, please refer to the section below. If you are seeing issues with a course or situation not mentioned in the FAQ, please contact uwhonors@uw.edu.
I took a course that was withered with an Honors course for Honors credit. What will happen to this course?
If you took a course withered with an Honors Arts & Humanities course, Honors Social Science course, or Honors Natural Science course and the course is showing up in the corresponding category already, the course will remain in the correct place!
If you took a course withered with an Honors Interdisciplinary Course (HONORS 345, 381, 382, 383, 384, 391, 392, 393, 394), we will be updating your degree to reflect the new category the course can count towards and aim to have that done by the end of October.
Will my third Honors by Contract (ad hoc, graduate-level courses, HONORS 499/independent study) carry over?
If you have already completed 3 Honors by Contract courses as of Spring 2025, we will honor all of those toward your Honors electives in the new curriculum.
I have below a 2.0 in one of my Honors courses that I took before AUT 2025. What will happen to it?
If you received below a 2.0 in any Honors course prior to Summer 2025, that course will still apply toward your requirements.