General Registration Info for Honors Students

Before registering for classes, check online (also use my.butler.edu) to be sure you have the latest course information.

Another important piece of information you should know - you must earn a grade of 'B' or better to receive honors credit for your honors courses. A 'B-' does not count. This requirement is written in the Butler University Bulletin. If you take an honors course and your final grade is less than a B, you will still get the 2 hours on your transcript, but will need to take an honors course at that level over again.

All students who complete the honors program are required to take:

HN 100 or HN 200
HN 200
HN 300
HN 200 or HN 300
Departmental Honors course
HN 397 or 398 - Thesis proposal

Basic Outline of the Honors Program (WORD document)

The first four course requirements may be taken in any order. We recommend you take the Dept honors course in fall your junior year and HN 397 or 398 in spring your junior year. Of course, we will work with your schedule if that is not possible. Just let us know.

If you are unsure how many courses you still need to take, or which courses, please email Amy and ask! Be sure to include your student ID number.

If you want to STUDY ABROAD it is possible to take an honors course while abroad (and you'll probably take care of most of you cultural events, too)! Please have the course approved BEFORE you leave. Judi Morrel, HP director, will be the person to approve a course taken abroad for a HN course requirement. Take possible course descriptions to her for approval. She's in JH153B.

And finally, if you have specific questions about registration, while I am more than happy to help you, ask your advisors. They are here to ADVISE you on your courses and other paths while at Butler. Most of them should have information on the honors program. If they do not, or if you cannot get in touch with your advisor, you may always check with Amy Elson (aelson@butler.edu) or Judi Morrel (jmorrel@butler.edu), or get more information from the FAQs section of our website.

If you are signing up for a HN course, especially if you are a freshman or a sophomore, please have more than one Honors course in mind that can fit into your schedule. Have three selected. Your first choice may be filled before you can enroll in it. The Honors Program will do everything it can to accommodate schedule conflicts, so if you have a very tight schedule and only one course can fit, please let us know. Also keep in mind, your second or even third choice class will be just as exciting!

We cap HN courses at 15 and keep waitlists. We will add up to 3 students and honors professors may choose to either add 2 more or allow us to add 2 more students. It is important that students or their advisors or both contact the honors program to explain why a specific course is needed so we can make the best decisions when it comes to waitlists.

For more information:
Freshmen (WORD document)
Sophomores (WORD document)

Juniors should enroll in a Departmental Honors Course in the fall (The DHC is taken in the area in which you intend to write your thesis). In rare circumstances, students may take their DHC in the spring. If you're unsure what your Departmental Honors Course is, ask your advisor.

Juniors will take HN 397 or 398 in the spring their junior year. This is the Honors Thesis Independent Study and Proposal course. It is an independent study with your thesis advisor that gives you graded credit for preparing and submitting a thesis proposal in March. If you plan on completing the honors program, you need to take this in the spring before the year you will graduate. The only way to enroll is to come to the Honors Office (JH 153D). You will be asked to fill out a form and have your advisor sign it before HN 397 or 398 will be added to your schedule.

Click here for the HISTP form (WORD document).

FAQ: What's the difference between 397 and 398?

HN 397 carries only one hour of credit.

Some students will not have to do a significant of background research in the spring in order to complete a thesis proposal - for instance, many students develop a proposal based on previous class work or work done in the DHC. These students register for HN 397, which assumes about 15 total hours of meeting time with your thesis advisor (that translates to one hour per week.)

HN 398 carries two hours of credit.

Some students will need more credit and time devoted to background research before submitting a finalized thesis proposal. HN 398 grants credit for about 30 total hours of work/meeting time with your thesis advisor (approximately 2 hours per week).

For more details: Juniors (WORD document)

Now is the time to make sure you've completed your HN courses and have HN 397 or 398 on your transcript. Finally, if you wish to earn graded credit for your thesis, you may sign up for - 499 in your major. For example, if you are a biology major, you may sign up for BI499. This is worth 3 credit hours.

For more details: Seniors (WORD document)