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Honors Program

Hagen Hall 103, (218) 477-4104
Interim Program Director: Randy Cagle

The MSUM Honors Program provides excellent teaching, mentorship, and long-term intellectual development. The program is built around three themes: explore, create, experience. Within a flexible framework, students are expected to explore different courses, lectures, and ideas that challenge the intellect; create with faculty mentors their own research or creative activities; and experience the breadth of university life by attending concerts, plays, exhibitions, special lectures, or to experience what the world has to offer by studying abroad.

Program Components and Definitions

The main components of the Honors Program are the Honors Colloquium, three Honors Courses, the Honors Capstone, and eight Honors Encounters.

  • The Honors Colloquium develops student’s analytical, logical, and critical reading skills and it is structured to encourage open discussion of current issues, controversial ideas, and broadly interdisciplinary intellectual themes.

  • The Honors Capstone enables the student to use and extend skills and abilities developed over the course of their experience, developing an intellectual and/or professional written project that demonstrates their accomplishments in the program.

  • Honors Encounters are one-credit /pass/fail courses. Students can earn an Honors Encounters credit by attending any combination of at least three Honors Lectures, other lectures and performances or exhibitions as approved by the Honors Director or Honors Program Committee. Students will be expected to write a short report of each event attended. In addition, students could earn Honors Encounter credits by learning abroad, studying foreign languages beyond major requirements and carrying out independent research or creative activities beyond major requirements.

Entrance Requirements:

Admission to the Honors Program is by automatic invitation for entering freshmen who have achieved an ACT score of 26 or greater (equivalent SAT) or who are in the top 25% of their high school graduating class and also earned a GPA of at least 3.6. New students who do not meet these requirements (as well as current or transfer students) may apply for the Honors Program by providing a personal statement outlining their academic and intellectual goals, a writing sample, and school transcripts.