The Honors Program is designed to help you develop your talents and explore your interests with a community of likeminded students and faculty. In honors courses, you will discuss ideas with a group of exceptional students, solve problems, serve the community, engage in intensive exploration of primary sources, or perform original research that may lead to a conference presentation or even a publication. We believe such study is a reward in itself. But the intensive nature of the Honors Program is also excellent preparation for graduate school, professional careers, and for success in a world that is sure to become more complex as time passes.
As an honors student, you will work closely with honors faculty from across campus and receive an extraordinary amount of guidance and mentoring. Honors instructors are selected on the basis of their success as teachers and their distinction as scholars. Experts in their respective fields, they are passionate about their subject matter and deeply committed to their students. The honors faculty performs the roles of mentors, collaborators, and intellectual “coaches.”
Employers and graduate schools will value the skills you develop and experiences you gain. Success in the Honors Program will demonstrate that you can work independently, tackle difficult projects, solve problems, and be leaders. As an honor student, you will gain admission to top graduate schools and build a resumes that will impress future employers.
Recent graduates from the Honors Program have received scholarships to attend graduate school at Columbia University, William & Mary University, Georgetown University, the University of Pennsylvania, The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington University School of Law, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota School of Law, University of Richmond School of Law, University of Toledo School of Law, Indiana University’s History Department, University of Pittsburgh’s Economics Department, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Missouri’s Library Science Program.
Other recent Honors Program graduates are working in a wide range of professional, business and artistic fields. Graduates from Drury’s Honors Program can be found in St. Louis, Kansas City, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago and many cities around the country.
Students can enroll in honors sections of FUSE 101 and FUSE 102 or HNRS 250 before getting accepted or being formally admitted into the program. To take additional classes in the program, students will need to apply and get formally admitted into the program. The Honors Admission Policy can be found here. Students can apply either before they start at Drury (and the acceptance decision will be based on high school grades and test scores) or after they enrolled at Drury (and then the acceptance decision will be based only on college grades). Students can apply to the Honors Program through the end of their second year at Drury. In special circumstances though, we will consider alter applications.
Yes.
We have students in all majors at Drury except for Nursing. We work closely to advise students how best to complete the Honors Program with their major.
Most students can complete the requirements for the major and the Honors Program within the standard time for degree for that particular major. The honors degree requires 16-19 credit hours, depending on how your major handles honors research. For most honors students, some of the honors hours will be completed as part of the graduation and major requirements , leaving only 10-13 “extra” hours for the honors degree. Honors students are encouraged to seek advising through both their major department and the honors program to create a four or five-year plan.
No. Honors students at Drury University pay the same tuition and fees as other students. Honors students can receive all other scholarships that Drury offers.
The difference between an honors course and a regular course is not about how much work is required, but the kind of issues discussed and the freedom honors students have in asking and answering their questions. Honors courses emphasize reading primary sources, class discussions and projects, and student research. While honors courses can be intense and require significant time, what defines a course as honors is its commitment to student engagement and ownership of his or her education.
Yes. The Honors Program at Drury University empowers students to work individually with faculty and transform a regular class into an honors class. We call this the “Honors Contract Option.” Students interested in creating an honors class should plan on talking with the faculty member prior to enrolling in the regular class. The honors student and the faculty member will create a plan for enriching the course. In most honors option contracts, the students will present their research or work at an Honors Symposium at the end of the semester.
No. The Honors Program is a flourishing community. The Honor Student Association is active in planning events. We have regular dinners with Drury faculty, take a trip in the Fall, attend cultural events together, and have a spring banquet in which we honor graduating seniors. Honors students work, study and play together.
Yes, we have had numerous varsity athletes complete the program. Honors students are encouraged to be involved with all the activities Drury offers. One of the great parts about being an honors student at Drury is that a student does not need to choose between the Honors Program and other activities.
Honors courses offer students a deeper and more intense academic experience than traditional classes. They offer a “hands on” and “student-directed” approach to learning and demand that students take ownership over their education by posing questions, examining evidence, and joining the scholarly conversation about course topics.
In the Honors Program at Drury University, “honors” courses are not advanced classes that cover more material. Rather, they invite students to be active participants and partners with the faculty in intellectual exploration and knowledge creation. In most honors-designated classes, students read primary source texts from multiple perspectives, lead course discussion, and complete some kind of research or creative project.
