The Honors College invites you to explore every opportunity to enhance your academic experience at Kent State University. 

Through flexible and unique learning opportunities, called Honors Experiences, students are encouraged to personalize their education in order to create a diverse and integrative collection of knowledge and experience.  With the exception of the required FHC sequence, students can choose from any combination of Honors experiences to meet their membership requirements.

Students who wish to earn recognition for graduation from Honors must complete 24 hours of Honors work, but the opportunities for learning and exploration are limitless with the guidance of faculty and an Honors advisor.

Download a copy of the Honors College Experiences.

Credit Options

Honors College Courses

The major characteristic of an Honors course is the active engagement of minds. Material should be treated in depth, and instructors should lead students to explore the manner by which things are known and the means by which questions are asked and problems attacked. Honors courses challenge students to produce, require them to think critically, and encourage them to take some initiative in determining the direction of the course. This experience may be repeated.

Class Project Agreement*

The Class Project Agreement (CPA) is an opportunity for a student to earn an Honors experience in association with a non-Kent Core, non-introductory course. This project may be added to standard letter graded, upper-division, non-Honors courses only (30000-40000 level; at least 3 credit hours). This experience may be repeated.

Graduate Course

A student may count one graduate-level course taken for an undergraduate program as an Honors experience. Student must obtain permission and register for graduate-level courses through their academic departments.

Individual Honors Work*

Individual Honors Work (IHW) is an opportunity for students with the appropriate academic background and sophomore standing or higher to do faculty-directed independent work. The goal of this project is to provide students with an enriched educational experience in the major or other field of interest. This experience may be repeated.

Individual Investigation

The Honors College permits students to count graded Individual Investigations in academic departments as Honors experience. Registration must be for a standard letter grade. This experience may be repeated.

Senior Honors Thesis**

The Senior Honors Thesis is a 6-credit-hour independent project completed in the senior year. The thesis is typically completed over three semesters and may be a research, creative, or applied project under the direction of a faculty member. This is a graded experience that counts as two Honors experiences. This experience may not be repeated.

Senior Honors Portfolio*

The Senior Honors Portfolio is a graded one-credit-hour project which involves the collection of 8-10 artifacts from a student’s undergraduate career accompanied by a reflective paper that explains how each artifact contributed to the student’s intellectual and/or personal growth.

*A contract is required prior to completing this experience. 

**The Senior Honors Thesis requires completion of the Senior Honors Thesis Preparation semester.

Non-credit Options

Community Service*

The Honors College permits Honors students to count one supervised community service experience as an Honors experience. The student will devote a minimum of 40 hours of service to the experience. Prior to starting the service, the student must submit a contract. This experience may not be repeated.

Internship*

The Honors College permits Honors students to count one supervised internship as an Honors experience. The student will devote 48 clock hours of service to the experience. Prior to starting the internship, the student must submit a contract. This experience may not be repeated.

Research Experiences (REUs)

REUs are special research programs at Kent State University or other universities that are designed for undergraduate students majoring in the sciences. REUs may be counted as Honors experiences. This experience may be repeated.

Study Away*

The Honors College encourages all of its students to acquire broader national and global perspectives and appreciate cross-cultural values and achievements. To earn Honors experience credit the student must participate in a study away program of four weeks or longer through an accredited university. Prior to departure, the student must submit a contract. This experience may be repeated.

*A contract is required prior to completing this experience.