Requirements

These requirements apply to any student admitted to the Honors College in the Fall 2018 semester or later as well as students admitted prior to Fall 2018 who have chosen to move to T.H.E. curriculum. The tables below give a brief overview of these requirements. Please note that requirements depend on how many credits a student has earned when they enter the Honors College:

  • Students entering with fewer than 60 credits complete 18 credits beyond the Lower Division Coursework.
  • Students entering with 60 or more credits complete 9 credits beyond the Lower Division Coursework. 

This information is also listed in the UTSA Undergraduate Catalog under "Honors College", and is summarized in the Graduation Paths and Satisfactory Progress section.

  • If you are looking for the "old" requirements that apply to some students admitted prior to Fall 2018, please visit our Legacy Requirements page.

Lower Division Coursework

Complete all of the following
HON 1000 Honors 101 0 CR
HON 2301 Honors: The Civic Ethos 1 CR
CSH 1213

Topics in World Cultures (This must be an Honors section)

*Tutorial I, offered prior to Fall 2021, also satisfies this requirement

3 CR
WRC 1023

Freshman Composition II (This must be an Honors section unless passed before entering the Honors College)

*Tutorial II, offered prior to Fall 2021, also satisfies this requirement

3 CR

 

Upper Division SPICES (9 SCH)

You select 9 SCH of Upper Division SPICES to fulfill this requirement. These may include any HON course, Honors contracted course, any Honors section with a non-HON prefix, or an experience on your own of 75 hours or more approved by the Honors College. With the exception of HON 1000, HON courses with a course number ending in 0 (e.g., HON 3100, 3310, etc.) substitute for 3 SCH of Honors Electives if not used to fulfill the SPICES requirements above.

Service HON 3103: Honors Service (May substitute HON 3533, or any 3 SCH Honors section designated as Service; May also substitute service or volunteer work of 75 hours of more as HON 3100). 
Professional Development  HON 3263: Honors Professional Development (May substitute HON 4933, HON 4936, any 3 SCH Honors section designated as Professional Development, or any internship course; May also substitute any professional development experience of 75 hours or more, such as internships or certifications, as HON 3260).
Intellectual Achievement and Research HON 3313: Honors Intellectual Achievement and Research (May substitute HON 4993, HON 4913, any Independent Study course, any Thesis course, or any 3 SCH Honors section designated as Intellectual Achievement and Research; May also subsittitue any research experience, creative projects, or business plans of 75 hours or more as HON 3310).
Cultural Exploration HON 3403: Honors Cultural Exploration (May substitute any 3 SCH Honors section designated as Cultural Exploration; May also substitute any cultural exploration experience of 75 hours or more as HON 3400. Examples include study abroad, working with immigrant groups domestically, and doing language immersion programs). 
Engaged Living HON 3503: Honors Engaged Living (May substitute any 3 SCH Honors section as Engaged Living; May also substitute engaged living experience outside of the classroom as HON 3500. Examples include development of a social organization dedicated to philosophy or lifestyle; physical training toward a goal; advocacy and activism).
Skill Development HON 3603: Honors Skill Development (May substitute any 3 SCH Honors section designated as Skill Development; May also substitute skill development experiences of 75 hours or more as HON 3600. Examples include professional training outside of your major; sustained training in a creative field such as art, dance, or music).

Electives (9 SCH, only applies to students admitted with fewer than 60 SCH)

You select 9 SCH of Honors Electives, which can be a combination of Honors designated coursework or experiences outside of the classroom, such as: 

  • An Honors section of Academic Inquiry and Scholarship (AIS)
  • Up to 9 SCH Honors coursework beyond the lower-division requirements:
    • HON courses designated in a SPICES category (not used to fulfil requirements above)
    • HON courses designated as Interdisciplinary Seminars
    • Non-HON prefix-Honors sections of courses offered in other colleges (example: Intro to Community Public Health, Honors section)
  • Up to 6 SCH of Honors course contracts may be applied to Honors Electives 
  • Up to 6 SCH of Independent Study, regardless of course prefix, may be applied to Honors Electives
  • Up to 6 SCH of graduate level coursework taken for undergraduate credit may be applied to Honors Electives
  • Additional experiences beyond the classroom in the SPICES categories
  • Up to 6 SCH of Internship, regardless of course prefix, may be applied to Honors Electives
  • Up to 6 SCH of Thesis, regardless of course prefix, may be applied to Honors Electives
  • Up to 6 SCH of research coursework, regardless of course prefix, may be applied to Honors Electives
  • Completing a Double Major counts as 3 SCH toward this requirement.
  • Graduate of a two-year non-UTSA Honors program counts as 3 SCH towards this requirement

Non-curricular Requirements

  • Students must fill out a Welcome Back progress questionnaire at the start of each Fall (new students in their first semester in the Honors College do not need to fill out the questionaire). Completion of the questionnaire allows us to track progress and advise students.
  • Students must attend a minimum of three Honors College events per semester. Welcome Back Meetings and Mid-Semester Check-Ins do not count as events. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the loss of merit scholarships and ineligibility for development award funding.
  • Students are responsible for knowing when events are happening and for signing in at each event. You can find event information on the Honors College RowdyLink page and by reading our weekly Monday Messages. Signing in to in-person events is done through RowdyLink Events Pass. Virtual events will take attendance with RowdyLink. Please make sure to RSVP for events and to have your first and last name as your username in Zoom.