Are you ready for a life-changing experience? The Honors College will inspire and challenge you for a lifetime of learning and making meaningful connections. To stay in the program, you must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.33 or higher (on a 4.0 scale). In order to graduate, you must complete the following robust curricula:

  • Freshman seminar
  • Honors Core Curriculum
  • Two Honors Colloquia
  • An Honors Senior Project
Freshman Seminar

All matriculating Honors College students must take the freshman seminar (0.5 credit) in the fall semester. This course will orient you to the Honors program and Ball State. It is supervised by an advanced Honors student (Peer Mentor) and offered on a credit/no-credit basis only.

The sessions include discussions of university resources; diversity, equity, and inclusion; your four-year graduation plan; and student organizations and other social activities.

These classes emphasize the relationships of the sciences to human concerns and society, including social and ethical consequences of scientific discovery and the application of science to issues confronting contemporary society.

Honors College students must select one of the following three courses to fulfill part of the University Core Curriculum science requirement:

  • HONR 176 Inquiries in the Physical Sciences (3 credits)
  • HONR 177 Inquiries in the Earth Sciences (3 credits)
  • HONR 178 Inquiries in the Life Sciences (3 credits)
  • HONR 179 Science and Society (3 credits)

For nearly five decades, the humanities sequence has been fundamental to honors work at Ball State.

Taught by faculty from a wide range of departments (such as architecture, classics, English, history, and modern languages), the humanities sequence lies at the heart of the Honors curriculum.  These courses explore the major intellectual, artistic, and cultural achievements of cultures from across the globe.  The courses include class discussion, journals, essays, and creative projects. 

Honors College students must take all three of the following courses:

Honors College students must take two upper-division honors colloquia (2-6 credits total). These special classes, available for a maximum of 15 students, explore topics not normally offered, or not offered in depth, in the Ball State curriculum. Some of these courses also count towards the African American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies minors. Some colloquia are offered year after year, but many may be offered only once while you’re at Ball State.

  • Photography and Visual Culture
  • Latin American Thinking (Pensar Latino Americano)
  • Jane Austen's England
  • Black World Studies
  • Civil War in American memory
  • Math and Art
  • The Selfie
  • Global Violence against Women
  • Robin Hood
  • Otherness and Empowerment in American Literature and Theory
  • Music of the Holocaust
  • Science on the Stage

The required capstone experience for each Honors College student is a senior honors project (3 credits), which is normally completed in the seventh or eighth semester.

This is an individualized opportunity to work in-depth, one-on-one with a professor of your choice on a topic that is meaningful to you. The research or creative project (or a combination of the two) is usually—but not always—within your major or minor, and the form it takes depends upon your interests.  Please refer to info for current students for forms and information regarding your senior project.

What's New in The Honors College?

African American Studies

Honors College students now have the option to pursue an African American Studies minor as part of their Honors requirements. This synergy between the Honors College and Ball State’s African American Studies program will strengthen diversity within the Honors curriculum as well as connections with likeminded programs across Ball State’s campus.

Learn More


Requirements for staying in the Honors College

Students admitted to the Honors College must make regular progress in the Honors curriculum.

Each student should complete at least one Honors core course by the end of the first year and at least three Honors core courses by the end of the second year. The Honors core courses include HONR 189; 199; 201; 202; 203; and one of 176, 177, 178, or 179.

Each student should complete at least one Honors core course by the end of the first year and at least three Honors core courses by the end of the second year. The Honors core courses include HONR 189; 199; 201; 202; 203; and one of 296, 297, or 298.

In order to graduate with an Honors diploma, students must complete the Honors curriculum and finish with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.33.

Scholarships

Diploma

On top of the dozens of funding options Ball State offers its students, those in our program have scholarships specifically for them. Learn more.

Questions?

Two full-time academic advisors in the Honors College specialize in working with honors students: Amanda Ballenger or Sarah Haley.

You may also call the Honors College at 765-285-1024 with questions or to get an appointment with an advisor or dean.

Ready to Apply?

Have you decided that you’re ready to truly test yourself intellectually and discover new ways to look at the world around you? Then it’s time to apply.

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