Clemson Faculty Resources

Help Honors Students Grow, Personally and Academically

• Honors Courses

  Although Honors courses vary in size and structure, they share the common feature of being qualitatively different than non-honors courses. In other words, they should be more challenging and demanding not by simply assigning more work, but by mining more educational value from the work that is assigned. There are several different types of Honors courses:

  • Honors seminars are small classes taught under the HON rubric. They may be taught at the 1000- (first-year seminars) or 2000-level and typical provide General Education credit. Faculty may also submit proposals to create a new honors course.
  • Many academic departments regularly offer smaller, focused standalone honors sections of disciplinary courses with smaller enrollments.
  • In cases where a standalone honors section isn’t feasible, departments may offer an embedded Honors section in which a small number of students take a standard course for Honors credit, typically with enhanced coursework.
  • Even non-honors courses can be "honorized" with the CHC honors contract.
• Departmental Honors Faculty

  Students engaged in Departmental Honors research are enrolled in advanced courses in their disciplines, leading, in general, to the completion of a senior research project or thesis.

  • Faculty are engaged in this process in two major ways:
    • Faculty across majors serve as research advisors for Honors students conducting Departmental Honors research. This may involve serving as the instructor of record for required research hours as stipulated in a department’s Departmental Honors requirements, available in the Honors College Student Handbook (PDF).
    • Academic departments appoint or elect a departmental Honors contact. Among other duties, this faculty member is responsible for serving as a point of contact for all students pursuing departmental honors.
  • Departmental Honors requirements are determined by each department according to its curriculum processes and guidelines. These requirements must be approved by the Clemson University Honors College Committee.

  Learn more about Departmental Honors. 

• Interdisciplinary Honors Faculty

  Faculty members may also serve as an Interdisciplinary Honors faculty advisor.

  Interdisciplinary Honors is specifically for students who wish to combine at least two academic disciplines into one cohesive project.

  The faculty advisor serves as instructor of record for two to three one-hour HON courses attached to disciplinary courses and supervises the student’s research hours. 

  Learn more about Interdisciplinary Honors. 

• Faculty Service and Engagement Opportunities
  • Many faculty members, university-wide, open their labs for the Summer Program for Research Interns (SPRI) each summer. SPRI involves rising high school seniors from the Governor's School for Science and Math (GSSM) who come to campus to undertake six weeks of scientific research. Clemson faculty are mentors to the GSSM students, who return to school in the fall to work further on the research they started at Clemson.
  • Before they officially begin their Clemson careers, many Honors students participate in EUREKA!, a mentored research program in which eligible faculty are paired with incoming freshmen for a five-week summer research experience.
  • The Dixon Fellows Program brings together some of Clemson University's best students and faculty to form a unique community dedicated to intellectual, cultural, and personal learning and growth. At the heart of the Dixon Fellows experience is the mentor group, a small number of students (the junior fellows) meeting together with a professor (senior fellow) who acts as role-model, mentor, and guide. These small groups meet regularly throughout the semester to engage in a variety of formal and informal programs and events, each designed to encourage discussion and conversation, and to enable the junior fellows to learn from the senior fellows, from invited guests, and from each other.
  • Faculty members across the university serve as Honors College application reviewers, reading and evaluating new student applications to the Honors College. Faculty members are selected for this opportunity due to their commitment to the Honors College and expertise in identifying and developing high-achieving students. If you are interested in participating, contact Dr. Jeff Fine.
  • The Honors College Committee formulates and recommends policies and procedures for Clemson University Honors College to the Council on Undergraduate Studies. The faculty members on the committee serve as the curriculum committee for the Honors College. Each disciplinary college elects a member of the committee to serve a three-year term; two additional faculty members are appointed to one-year terms by the Executive Director of the Honors College.
  • Each department elects or appoints a departmental Honors contact. This person serves as a liaison between the Honors College and the academic department. Although specific duties may vary by departmental needs and structure, this faculty member typically serves as the point of contact for all students planning to pursue or currently pursuing departmental Honors and may also participate in or lead Honors advising, curriculum, and engagement for the department.
• Honors Faculty Teaching Resources
  Are you a faculty member interested in teaching an Honors course? Join the Honors Faculty Teaching Resources Canvas Workgroup!
• Questions?
  For more information about faculty opportunities with the Clemson Honors College, contact Dr. Kristine Vernon.