Honors Courses and Seminars

Honors sections of departmental courses (e.g., Chemistry 1010 (HON)) are Honors versions of courses offered at Clemson University.

Although Honors sections typically cover the same material as their non-Honors section counterpart, the smaller class sizes in Honors sections allow Honors students to analyze course content at a deeper level and from different perspectives.

You will find a variety of Honors sections available to you throughout your degree program, including general education and upper-level coursework.

Clemson Honors students have the opportunity to take Honors sections of a wide range of department-based courses, including many elective and required courses in mathematics, the physical sciences, engineering, the life sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences.

Course examples include:

• BIOL 1100 (HON) — Principles of Biology I
• CH 1010 (HON) — General Chemistry
• ECON 2110 (HON) — Principles of Microeconomics
• ENGL 1030 (HON) — Accelerated Composition
• MATH 1060 (HON) — Calculus of One Variable I
• MUSC 2100 (HON) — Music Appreciation
• PHYS 2210 (HON) — Physics with Calculus II
• PHIL 1030 (HON) — Introduction to Ethics
• PSYC 2010 (HON) — Introduction to Psychology

Find your Clemson Honors Student Handbook for details, including requirements for completing the General Honors curriculum track.

Students pursuing the Departmental Honors curriculum track enroll in a series of courses in their academic major that prepare them to conduct and present their research.

Departmental Honors students are enrolled in advanced courses in their disciplines, leading, in general, to the completion of a senior research project or thesis. Examples of recently submitted Honors projects include:

• Effect of Mutations on the Expression of CG13222 Regulatory Element
• Understanding Acetate Kinase Metabolism: The Search for Answers
• DR/SD: Disaster Relief/Shelter Development
• Happy Daggers and Other Stories
• Merger Analysis: The Walt Disney Company Acquisition of Marvel Entertainment
• United States' Public Opinion of China
• 3-D Image Reconstruction of Aortic Aneurysms for Real-Time Biomechanical Analyses
• Robotic Bead Deposition System for Bio-fabrication
• System Identification of Vehicle Parameters
• Assessing the Effectiveness of a High Risk Appraisal and Counseling Intervention in Managing Obesity and Obesity-Related Diseases among a Latino Population

Departmental Honors Requirements

Find your Clemson Honors Student Handbook for details, including specific requirements for completing the Departmental Honors curriculum track in your area of interest.

You can also explore Departmental Honors Research Grant Funding.

Departmental Honors Contacts

Find your Departmental Honors faculty contact to learn more about Departmental Honors in your chosen major.

The Interdisciplinary Honors curriculum track is equivalent to the Departmental Honors distinction and is specifically for students who wish to combine at least two academic disciplines into one cohesive project.

Visit the Interdisciplinary Honors web page for details. 

Honors courses are indicated by having (HON or Honors) in the title of the course.

You can find the most current list of Honors courses in iROAR. 

You can also find Honors courses in the online Undergraduate Catalog. Honors courses will have “Includes Honors sections” as part of the course description located within the Courses of Instruction section. A course may not be taken for Honors credit unless it has been approved as an Honors course by the appropriate curriculum committees and by the Clemson University Honors College Committee.

You can also download the list of Honors course options available for Spring 2025. 

Students receive Honors credit by earning a grade of A or B in Honors courses (except in limited circumstances in which courses are offered as pass/fail).

Honors students must register for an Honors class or have an approved exemption in their Honors student file by the last day to add a class in the Fall or Spring semester.

Students who do not meet this requirement may be removed from the Clemson University Honors College and lose all Honors rights and privileges.

Students are encouraged to register for their Honors class or classes during priority registration.

If you require a one-semester exemption to add an Honors course, please complete this form:

• One-Semester Honors Course Exemption Form

Honors seminars are special topic courses designed to meet your major's general education requirements. Recent topics include "Imaginary Friends in Fiction," "Religions, Cults, and Secret Societies," and "Puzzles and Paradoxes." Capped at 19 students, these seminars allow for engaging discussion and developing strong mentoring relationships with many of Clemson's top professors.

Every semester, the Clemson University Honors College offers more than 25 Honors seminars on topics drawn from the arts, the humanities, and the social, physical, and biological sciences.

First-Year Seminars

In the fall semester, first-year Honors students are eligible to sign up for intensive, discussion-based seminars on a wide range of classic and contemporary topics.

First-year seminar students can receive general education credit in a range of general education areas. Past seminars have included:

• The Enlightenment: Rights, Power, and Liberty
• The History of Evil
• The Epic and Authority
• The Fictions of War
• The 1960s: Decade of Change

Explore Seminar Options

Explore seminar options, including dates, times, and course descriptions:

• Spring 2025 Honors Seminars (PDF)

Honors contracts allow Honors students to work individually with faculty members to create specialized Honors courses.

Students simply enroll in a non-Honors course, then work out an agreement with the instructor to make additions or modifications to the course syllabus and requirements. All contracts must be approved by the Honors College.

Students may earn Honors credit for a 3000- or 4000-level course by means of an Honors contract, and can contract up to two courses throughout their membership in the Honors College.

Purpose of Honors Contracts

Students may earn Honors credit for a 3000- or 4000-level course by means of an Honors Contract (in exceptional cases contracts for 1000 and 2000-level classes may be approved). The purpose of such contracts is to enable students to experience the educational enrichment that typifies Honors courses, and to explore topics in greater depth than is normally possible in a regular undergraduate course.

It is required that you meet with your professor prior to submitting this form. Please refer to Honors Student Contract Course Policies (PDF) for additional details about Honors Contracts.

Form Submission Deadline

The Honors Contract Form is due on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 for Spring 2025 classes, but we strongly encourage students to submit their contract before the end of the Fall 2024 semester. Late contracts will not be accepted. The contract form will open with Spring Registration on Monday, November 6, 2024.

Process

Once students submit the Honors Student Contract Proposal form, the professor listed on the Contract will be asked to review and submit the final proposal to the Honors College.

Students should email the professor to notify them when the contract proposal form has been submitted so they can be on the lookout for an email to review and submit the final proposal. Students should also let the professor know that that email may go to the "junk" or "clutter" folder of their email.

The Honors Contract Faculty Review for Spring 2025 is due by Wednesday, January 15 at 11:59 p.m. Students will receive a decision email when the Honors contract is approved. Students will be registered in the 0-credit hour Honors Contract course, HON 4000, by the Honors College Registration Coordinator, upon contract approval.

Faculty

At the end of the contract period (semester or summer term), the instructor shall submit the grade of P (pass) or NP (no-pass) in the iROAR system for the HON 4000 section assigned to the contract.

Questions?

Please email Johnsie Stancil.