Honors Curriclum

The curriculum for the Honors College requires students to complete around 20% of their courses as Honors courses. The number of required Honors courses varies by Honors track. The typical curriculum looks like the following plan.

Typical Honors Curriculum Plan:

First Semester: In the first semester, Honors students take HON 1000 and Honors sections of UCC courses. First- and second-year Honors College students follow the distinctive William Paterson University Core Curriculum, with first-semester students also completing the HON 1000 Introduction to College Research course.

Second, Third and Fourth Semesters: In the second, third and fourth semesters, Honors students will take at least one Honors section of a UCC course each semester. Students enrolled in a track may substitute an Honors track course for a UCC course. In each semester of the first two years, or until the student joins a track, Honors students will take a minimum of one Honors UCC course. Honors sections of UCC courses are offered in UCC areas on a rotating basis and are designed to include multidisciplinary experiences, active learning, civic engagement, and travel opportunities.

Transfer Students: Students with freshman or sophomore status should follow the guidelines for first and second-year students. Students with junior class status should join an Honors research or creative performance track.

Honors sections rely more upon discussion than traditional sections, engage in innovative pedagogies, and are capped at 20 students. Before priority registration begins in the fall and spring semester, the Honors College office produces a list of Honors sections of University Core Curriculum courses and shares it with students via email. The list of courses is also available on the University Honors College website.

HONORS COLLEGE TRACKS : In the third and fourth years, Honors students are enrolled in a research track. The courses pertaining to the research tracks fulfill students’ Honors course requirements for that semester.

Students who are not currently enrolled in the Honors College must complete an application to the Honors College before applying to an Honors Track. Students must be admitted to the College first and then apply to the track. Application criteria and instructions are on the Honors College webpage. The applications are on the Student tab of WPConnect under Academic Services.

Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher before they can apply to and join an Honors track. Honors students must enter an Honors track before the start of their junior year to be in good standing in the Honors College.

Transfer students must enter a track before the end of their junior year if they enter WP with junior status. The goal is for students to have at least four semesters to complete an Honors track.

Most tracks are comprised of five or six courses, including courses for the thesis research and writing. Track requirements are listed on the Tracks page, and the exact number of required credits varies by track.

The Honors College requires all students to pursue a disciplinary major and an Honors track. The track may parallel the major, relate to the major, or be very different from the major. Different tracks have different requirements, and students are encouraged to speak with the track directors before applying to a track.

There are eleven Honors tracks. Each track is headed by a faculty member who determines the appropriate courses for the track, accepts students to the track, and guides the students through the track and thesis project. Regardless of which track a student enters, they are required to submit regular progress reports regarding their track work to the Honors College.