Add depth to your academic experiences
Students who are admitted to the Honors Program will take up to 8 courses for Honors credit and complete an Honors Thesis Project or a similar project (e.g. scholarly/creative WTE, or capstone project within major). To remain in good standing, Honors students need to maintain a cumulative college GPA of 3.5 and an Honors GPA of 3.0.
In Honors courses, students engage in active discussion and hands-on learning. With Honors contracts, students can make any course an Honors course while they tailor their degree to their interests and gain more faculty time.
Upcoming honors courses
Fall 2025 courses
Honors Program Levels and Graduating with Honors
Honors students can graduate with university honors at one of three levels of Honors credit by taking a specific number of Honors courses over their years at Washburn:
- Honors Associate - 12 Hours
- Honors Scholar - 18 Hours
- Honors Graduate - 24 Hours
All Honors students must complete an Honors Thesis Project or similar scholarly project (e.g., scholarly/creative WTE, or capstone project within major), regardless of tier.
Additionally, Honors students may graduate with the designation of Distinction or High Distinction based on the completion of an optional portfolio reflecting upon their intellectual development over the course of their career in Honors.
Make Any Course an Honors Course
Honors students can create contracts to make any course an honors course by working individually with a faculty mentor. Honors students work with professors in and outside of their major departments to enrich existing courses with innovative projects. Sample honors contract components:
- Shadow a professional in the field
- Conduct student-led research
- Edit a collection of student work
- Engage in additional discussion of course material
To learn more about this option, contact the Honors Program or visit the Honors Student Council section of D2L. To be considered for an Honors Contract, be sure to complete and submit the contract proposal within the first two weeks of the class.
Courses
Honors Courses include a special sections of The Washburn Experience (HN 101) and Advanced College Writing (EN 300) for Honors students, and special topics classes such as "Science and Technology for World Leaders," "Digital Story Telling" and "Kansas Legislative Experience."
HN 101 A /B : Honors Washburn Experience (A: Kerry Wynn / B: Stephen Hageman)
This is the Honors version of WU 101. Incoming Honors Freshman should enroll in this course instead of WU 101.
HN101 is a three credit hour course, designed for first year honors students (incoming honors freshman) providing students with a common first-semester experience. Course content will focus upon information literacy, technology, and the transition into the Washburn University Community of Learning in addition to exposure to co-curricular activities. Common themes such as the exploration of writing, study skills, research, wellness, technology, plagiarism, and others will be covered to introduce students to a series of best practices for success.
HN 201 A/C: Ethical Responsibilities of Leadership (Michaela Saunders)
Survey of the fundamental ethical responsibilities of leadership; requires examination of obstacles to and opportunities for ethical leadership, an understanding of the cultural contexts of leadership and an articulation of a personal ethics statement as a foundation for applied ethics in the leadership process.
HN 201 D: Introduction to the Study of Religion (Chris Jones)
This course serves as an introduction to the academic discipline of religious studies. We will explore the human side of religion through the careful study of contextualized religious communities. All students do a field observation component in which they apply theories of religion taught in the class to their field date. Honors students will develop and implement a field observation project within a religious community of their choosing, and they will work with the instructor to develop a robust reading list in contemporary scholarly literature on religion that they will apply to their final field work write-up.
TH 202 HNA and TH 202 HNB : Acting I (HNA: Julie Noonan / HNB: Theodore Shonka)
This class develops the tools used by actors. Improvisations, or spontaneous theatrical play, presents students with acting challenges, giving them opportunities to exercise and expand their emotional and expressive range. Each challenge provides a particular focus for what are essentially experiments in human behavior. For theatre students, improvisation greatly enhances an immediate and vital connection to scene work. It provides tools for communication of text and subtext, creation of character, physical activity and nonverbal communication. Non-theater students are given the opportunity, through these activities to re-engage their senses, revitalize their bodies, voices, and intuition and explore the complex maze of human personality, interaction, and communication in a safe environment.
HN 202 A/B: Exploring the Concept of Leadership (A: Madeline Lambing / B: Michaela Saunders)
This course provides a survey of leadership theories and introduction to the academic study of leadership using case studies and contexts of the leadership process; requires identifying personal leadership potential, articulation of a personalized leadership theory, and leadership concepts applied in a Campus Action Project.
HN 202 C: Mock Trial (Danielle Hall)
By participating in Mock Trial you will:
- Learn the basics of trial advocacy, and how to polish these basic skills to attain competitive success.
- Develop and sharpen your oral communication skills.
- Develop advanced research skills.
- Develop and sharpen your analytical ability.
- Learn through competition with your classmates and teams from other universities.
- Be better prepared for law school.
HN 202 D: Introduction to Community Studies (Kristine Hart)
This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary academic discipline of community studies.
Topics include the importance of understanding self and place, theories of community change, basic community- based research methods, and the importance of civic engagement.
HN 301 A: Alexander Hamilton (Kelly Erby)
Who would have guessed that a Broadway musical—a rap musical no less—about America's "Founding Fathers" would prove to be so wildly popular? After all the Tonys, the Grammy, and the Pulitzer, What comes next? A history course of course! Work! This course will use Hamilton the musical as a diving board into exploring the revolutionary and early national periods in American history. We will also consider the musical itself and the way it frames the story of America’s founding to weigh in on twenty-first century debates regarding race relations, immigration, and the political process.
HN 392 A: Directed Readings (Kerry Wynn)
This section of 392 allows students to develop their own plan of study supervised by either the Dean of the Honors Program or another faculty member who has agreed to supervise a student’s independent study. Juniors are encouraged (but not required to enroll in this course prior to enrolling in Honors Thesis.
HN 399 A: Honors Thesis (Kerry Wynn)
Like HN392A, this course is designed to be an independent study but with the focus being on fulfilling one of the requirements for completing the Honors Program – the thesis.
GET IN TOUCH WITH Honors
Honors
Plass Learning Resources Center
Room 2017
1700 SW College Ave.
Topeka, KS 66621
Connect
Phone: 785.670.2062
honors@washburn.edu
