Honors Curriculum and Program Requirements Impact

Honors Curriculum and Program Requirements

Once you've been admitted to the Honors Program, you will need to maintain an overall GPA of 3.4 and you will need to meet the following requirements in order to successfully complete the program:

Curriculum Requirements

For Students Who Entered the Honors Program during or after 2021/2022

Students who enter the Honors Program during or after the 2026/2027 academic year must complete the Honors Program Curriculum requirements outlined below. Please consult the academic catalog for more detail on individual courses. 

Honors Core Requirements

All Honors students will complete the 10 credit hours outlined below.

  • Honors Introductory Seminar (1 credit hour)
    • Satisfied by HONR 1100 or HONR 1115
  • Honors Portfolio Development (3 credit hours total)
    • HONR 2225 – Honors Portfolio Development I (1 credit hour)
      • To be completed between the 2nd and 4th semester of study.
    • HONR 3335 – Honors Portfolio Development II (1 credit hour)
      • To be completed between the 3rd and 6th semester of study.
    • HONR 4445 – Senior Honors Portfolio (1 credit hour)
      • Must be completed in the last semester of study.
  • Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar (3 credit hours)
    • Satisfied by HONR 3350, HONR 3351, or HONR 335+
  • Honors Keystone Experience (3 credit hours)
    • May be satisfied by independent study in the students' major / minor field or with HONR 4998. 

Core Curriculum / Elective Honors Requirements

In addition to the Honors Core outlined to the left, Honors students will complete an additional 6-15 credit hours* through a combination of courses with an Honors designation, including but not limited to:

  • Core Curriculum in Basic Skills, Critical Reasoning, and Personal Development with Honors designation
  • HONR 2200 (Honors Mentoring) – repeatable for credit
  • HONR 3301 (Honors Study/Travel) – repeatable for credit
  • HONR 3350 (Honors Seminar in Special topics) – repeatable for credit
  • Major Requirements or Electives with Honors designation
  • Independent Study as approved by faculty advisors.

* NOTE: The number of additional required credit hours with the Honors attribute will be determined by a sliding scale based on the number of credit hours a student has earned at the time of their admission to the Honors Program. (see table below)

Credit Hours Upon Arrival* Number of Additional Credit Hours in Honors Total Credit Hours in Honors
0-15 15 25
16-30 12 22
31-45 9 19
46-60+ 6 16

*The number of credit hours upon arrival will be determined based on dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate credit for first-time freshman, transfer credits from accredited colleges or universities, or credit hours earned at Fairmont State for returning or current students who did not begin in the Honors Program during their first semester of study.

Students who entered the Honors Program prior to the 2026/2027 Academic Year should consult with the Dean of Honors and Global Engagement and the appropriate academic catalog regarding their requirements. 

Honors Course Offerings

We offer a number of Honors sections of Core Curriculum classes as well as other Honors courses that can be applied to your major. 

Learn more here!

Honors Keystone Experience

Your Honors Keystone Experience will be the capstone of your studies and will help you take your next steps beyond Fairmont State.

Learn more here!