Honors Curriculum

Honors students must complete four HN courses with a grade of “B” or higher before they graduate. We offer honors sections of the FYS and HN 200 and 300 courses, described below. Students must take at least one HN 200 course and one HN 300 course among their four HN courses. HN 397 or 398 is also required, but it does not count towards the four HN course requirement.

HN 110/111 Honors First-Year Seminars

Students in the Honors Program are required to enroll in an Honors First-Year Seminar course. This allows Honors students to get to know one another, acclimate to the Honors experience, meet Honors faculty, and fulfill one of the four required Honors courses. Students must enroll in both HN110/111, which collectively count as one of the HN courses. Learn more.

HN 200 Seminars

HN 200 Seminars examine a great work, thinker, time period, or artist from various angles: artistic, scientific, historical, philosophical, religious, and so on. These courses give practice in honing in on one topic in extreme detail.

HN 300 Colloquia

HN 300 Colloquia focus on a central theme or question and examine it from a variety of disciplines and approaches. These courses ask students to approach a broad topic from a variety of different angles in order to gain their own perspective on the topic. Since this is usually the last level of the HN curriculum taken before the student moves on to the thesis-centered half of the Honors program, we urge the inclusion of some research-related assignments/projects in these courses.

HN 397–398 Thesis Proposal

HN 397 and 398 are mandatory Honors Independent Study Thesis Proposal Courses.  HN 397 is 1 credit hour and equates to about 15 contact hours with your advisor; HN 398 is 2 credit hours and equates to about 30 contact hours. This course gives you credit for researching and writing your thesis proposal and is best taken in the spring of your junior year. Which course you take is up to you—the number of credits depends on how much time you will spend working on your research and how much time you will spend meeting with your thesis advisor. This course does not count as one of the four required 200- or 300-level HN classes in the curriculum.

During your senior year you also have the option of taking a XX499 level course. This gives you three credit hours on your transcript for writing your honors thesis and must be taken in the area of your thesis; e.g., EN499, BI499, etc. Unlike the HN397/8, this course is optional and must be taken through your department.

Incorporating Study Abroad and Semester in D.C. Internships

We encourage honors students to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible while at Butler University. Students who study abroad may count a pre-approved course taken abroad as one of their HN 200 or 300 courses. You must see the Assistant Director, Dr. Jason Lantzer, before going abroad.

For students taking part in the Washington, D.C. Learning Semester, you have the opportunity to enroll in a HN200 course, “Arts in the District.” More information can be found on the Washington, D.C. website.

If the above options don’t work, students may also register for an Honors Tutorial. The tutorials offer a chance for independent study with a professor on a previously taken honors topic, or another topic of the student’s choice that has been approved by the honors director. See Honors Tutorial page for guidelines on setting up an honors tutorial.