Curriculum

Foundations (3 or 4 Credits)

In their very first semester, all Honors students take a course that introduces them to the practices used when pursuing research questions at the university level and asks students to begin articulating the significance of their work. The course concludes with a research exhibition where students share their research projects with students, faculty, and staff from across the university.

  • HNRS 110 - Principles of Research and Inquiry + HNRS 111 - Colloquium OR                                                        
  • HNRS 302 - Principles of Research and Inquiry                                                                                                          

Inquiry in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (12 Credits)

Students will complete a variety of coursework in the arts, humanities, and social sciences that emphasize collaboration, critical thinking, writing, and analytical reading skills. Each section approaches a different big idea or topic, asking students to engage deeply with specific questions developed by Mason's top faculty. AP/IB/Dual Enrollment Credit is accepted for many of these classes.

  • HNRS 122 - Reading the Arts                                                                                                                                          
  • HNRS 130 - Identity, Community, and Difference                                                                                                       
  • HNRS 131 - Contemporary Social Issues                                                                                                                      
  • HNRS 240 - Reading the Past                                                                                                                                         

Civic Engagement (3 Credits)

Honors Civic Engagement courses explore our roles and responsibilities in society and address issues of public or community concern in a collaborative learning environment. Students have the opportunity to complete this requirement in experiential learning sections that place them at the center of partnerships that provide meaningful services to the greater Mason or Northern Virginia community.

  • HNRS 260 - Society and Community Engagement OR                                                                                                 
  • HNRS 261 - Community Connection Practicum                                                                                                            

Multi-Disciplinary Topics and Challenges (3 Credits)

Students have the opportunity to apply the skills they have learned throughout the curriculum to complex issues or problems that require consideration from the perspectives of multiple professions or fields. Students do this in topical seminars in which they develop multi-disciplinary research or in guided experiential learning classes, both of which continue to build collaborative skills. Courses involve working across academic disciplines, team-based problem solving, and the consideration of multiple perspectives.

  • HNRS 360 - Multi-Disciplinary Topics OR                                                                                                                     
  • HNRS 361 - Multi-Disciplinary Practicum                                                                                                                     

Quantitative Reasoning, Science, and Honors Electives

Honors Quantiative Reasoning and Science requirements mirror the major. However, students may choose to take enriching and challenging Honors sections of many of the quantitative reasoning and science classes required for their degrees, as well as select classes in other disciplines such as business, economics, computer science, and many more