Program Information

There are two ways in which you can participate in the Honors Program here at Mesa State College.You may choose to take 18 credits of Honors courses or to write an Honors Thesis.

Many of our students take advantage of both options!

Honors Courses

Honors Courses at Mesa State are small in size to facilitate active learning. Active learning often involves discussion. Honors students are not only encouraged to share their thoughts with their peers and professors but also instructed on how to lead effective discussions. Honors courses often take advantage of the special interests and talents of our faculty members. Honors courses combine creativity with challenge.

Examples of upper-division Honors Courses include:

Diverse Roots in Southwestern Literature
History of Disease
Rome: History, Politics, and Literature
Deconstructing Disney
Screenwriting
Sacred Mountain, Sacred Sky
Nature of Science

Honors courses are designed to prepare students for the climate and expectations of post-graduate or professional school.

If you choose to take the Honors coursework option, you are required to take 18 credits of Honors courses. Of these credits, a minimum of 6 must be from upper-division courses.

Honors Theses

Writing an Honors Thesis is about exercising your independence and your creativity.

Is an Honors Thesis for me?
If you are internally-motivated, enjoy working independently, and would like a taste of being in graduate school, an Honors Thesis is an excellent choice for you.

Is an Honors Thesis written as part of a course?
Yes. Honors Thesis is a 3-credit course that allows a student to design and execute an independent project for college credit. Special permission from the Director of the Academic Honors Program must be obtained before embarking on the project.

Who is my professor for the course?
The Honors Thesis course is overseen by the Director or Assistant Director of the Academic Honors Program. But, each individual thesis is supervised by a faculty member who specializes in the area in which the student wants to work. For instance, if a student wanted to write a thesis on the clinical aspects of depression, s/he would choose a supervisor in Psychology.

What form can my thesis take?
Theses vary from discipline to discipline; some are even interdisciplinary in nature. For instance, a thesis in ART can be the creation of a jewelry collection; the documentation associated with making the collection is turned in as the thesis. In MATH, the thesis can be the solution to a problem; a short, written paper that documents the process counts as the thesis. An Honors Thesis in HISTORY can be a long, written paper that analyzes a particular time period. Before starting on the thesis project, the student and his/her supervisor come to an agreement on a format and size for the final thesis.

What do I need to do to get started?
Make an appointment to see Dr. Kristen Hague, Director of the Academic Honors Program. She can help you find the right supervisor for your thesis and get you the paperwork needed to enroll in the class.