The Honors Program
The Honors curriculum is meant to help you get the most out of your college experience, both inside and outside of the classroom, and give you opportunities to chart new paths you wouldn't be able to anywhere else on campus. From our unique courses, to our student-designed projects, to our social and extracurricular events, you'll come away with an experience that will challenge you while also supporting you to become the person you want to be for the rest of your life.
Our basic program requirements are encapsulated in our 8-8-8 plan: 8 Honors Points, 8 Colloquia, and 8 Engagement Events.
- Honors Points are earned through a flexible combination of courses, study abroad opportunities, partner programs and independent, student-designed projects. Students can typically accumulate their 8 points within their existing university and major requirements very easily, without needing to take any additional credits, and our dedicated Honors Advisor will work with you one-on-one to make sure Honors doesn't slow down your progress towards graduation.
- Colloquium is our common reading, conducted each semester for all students. By participating each semester, you'll accumulate your 8 required Colloquia. (*If you graduate early in 3 years, we reduce your requirements accordingly)
- Engagement Events are things like field trips, speakers, theatrical performances, and film screenings. Honors students attend at least one of these events each semester and can choose from 25 or more options in a typical semester, so you'll likely be able to find lots of things that match your interests and schedule. We typically call this the "you're required to do a minimum of one fun thing each semester" requirement. We even supply free tickets and transportation for many of the events!
Honors Courses
Honors courses are designed for students who want to embrace learning, get involved in sharing ideas, and get the most out of their academic experience. You’ll learn how to bounce ideas off of others, learn collaboratively, and actively – both inside and out of the classroom. Our courses are usually discussion-based, and often taught by enthusiastic faculty with innovative hands-on approaches that put you at the center of what happens in class.
Honors doesn’t add requirements or time to graduation for your degree – every Honors course helps students fulfill University requirements and keeps you on the path toward your goals.
Honors Projects
Your dream projects come to life with personalized mentoring
Honors Projects are one of the cornerstones of the Honors College experience at UW-Stout, and are a chance for you to design your own dream project.
Honors Projects are essentially independent study projects, but with a twist. These projects push Honors students to do something they wouldn't have done otherwise. This might entail developing research or technical skills, expressive capacities, or exploring issues raised by a class in greater depth, all while developing a more meaningful relationship with a faculty mentor. Projects run the gamut from traditional research to creative works and designs, from service projects to leadership experiences. We have had students build photochemical reactors and dirt-track race cars; learn techniques such as glass blowing or learn to speak new languages or play musical instruments; organize and administer conferences or fundraising events; publish books of photography and poetry; or research histories of everything from medieval weaponry to the sport of rugby.
We encourage students to follow their passions, wherever they lead, take risks, and produce a memorable Honors project to show off their explorations and curiosity.
Honors Colloquium
What is Colloquium?
Each semester, all Honors students participate in a common reading and book discussion for one evening. We have a meal together and talk in small groups led by faculty members. The topics change each semester and range from science to art to social justice to literature. Over the course of your Honors career, you'll be exposed to lots of new ideas from areas you might never have considered, and you'll have gotten lots of free soup too!
