Utah State University Honors Program

In 1962, a committee established to determine the feasibility of an Honors program at Utah State University determined that “justice requires of the university not that it treat all of its students identically, but that it provide an equal opportunity for each student to live a personally enriched and a socially useful life; and that an Honors Program for exceptional students…enables the university to implement this principle.” This led to the establishment of the program in 1964.

The Honors Program was given a home in the Merrill Library in 1969, having spent the previous five years in the Biology and Natural Resources Building. The next 30 years would see remarkable growth. Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunity (URCO) grants were established in 1975, helping students finance their research, and making USU home of the 2nd oldest undergraduate research program in the nation, behind only MIT. Student Showcase, an annual symposium for students’ research projects, was begun in 1986 (originally called “Scholars Day”). Departmental Honors, which allows upper-division classes to be taken for honors credit, was initiated in 1987. In 2005, Honors made its most recent move by taking up physical residence in historic Old Main.

The Honors Program is also home to the Last Lecture, a tradition initiated in 1976. Each year one professors speaks to students as if it were their final lecture at USU. The Last Lecturer is nominated and chosen by Honors students.[2] Video and transcripts of recent Last Lectures are available here:

Honors offers general education and Honors sections of several lower-division courses taught by Honors faculty with fewer students admitted.[3] Besides taking Honors courses, Honors students may earn Honors points for completing academic work outside the classroom and attending academically-oriented events on campus.[4] To graduate with Honors, students must earn 28 points and complete a final Honors capstone project.[5] Honors capstone projects are published on the Digital Commons.[6]

Honors students can take Honors courses, register early for classes, work with Honors faculty advisors in their major/minor, more professor interaction, and engage in academic work outside of the classroom.[7]

Honors students are eligible for several scholarships not available to the campus at-large, including the Douglas D. Alder Scholarship, the Morse Scholarship, and the Lawrence O. and Helen B. Cannon Awards.[8] Honors students also have access to the Honors Research and Study Abroad Fund, which provides students with financial support for academic activities.[9]

The Honors Program also sponsors applications for major fellowships, including but not limited to, the Goldwater Scholarship for students in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines; the Truman Scholarship for students interested in public service; the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences; the Gates Cambridge Scholarship; and the Rhodes Scholarship.[10]

Honors students can choose to live in the Honors House in the Living and Learning Community (LLC) next to the Honors office. Students can also engage in the campus community by attending events (Honors keeps students updated with weekly messages), and attending the regular Honors faculty-student socials.[11]