Why do Honors Experiences?

“Experiences” are a core concept of the Honors curriculum, preparing students with real-world experience that will benefit them beyond UTSA. We develop students in order to succeed in what we call the S.P.I.C.E.S. areas. We know that the most successful, well-rounded graduates stand out in six areas:

We have intentionally designed our curriculum to help students produce demonstrable achievements and leadership in each of these areas so that students graduate with the experience required to be competitive in their field. These achievements that you will accomplish will define your education beyond GPA and onto your resume.

What is an Honors Experience?

As part of our curriculum, Honors College students complete three to six Honors Experiences, depending on the number of credits they had when they entered the Honors College. Students can complete experiences in a number of different ways:

  • Honors courses: courses include Honors interdisciplinary seminars offered by the Honors College as well as Honors sections of courses offered by academic departments. These courses often contain a research project, a service project in the community, or a certification that a student can list on their resume.
  • Special programs and Guided Experiences led by Honors College faculty. Students can also enroll in Special Programs offered by the Honors College like Citymester and the Archer Fellowship, which place students in internships.
  • Outside of the classroom experiences completed independently by the student (at UTSA or outside of UTSA) can be counted toward our curricular requirements. Experiences include working in an internship, participating in the SOSA Marching Band, conducting research in a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, studying abroad, or doing a service project in the community.

Honors Experiences are also embedded into existing practices at UTSA that we know are impactful:

In the following sections of our site, you'll read about how we define Honors Experiences in each of the SPICES and learn about the Experience Approval Process. You can also read this "Quick Guide About Honors Experiences," which discusses questions you might consider when customizing your Honors experiences.