Honors colleges and programs

{{Short description|Special accommodation constituent programs at universities}} {{About|the topic, itself|a list|List of honors programs and colleges in the United States|high school honors courses|Honors student#Honors courses}} {{redirect|University Scholars|the secondary school program|Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School}} {{Use American English|date=November 2020}}

An '''honors program''' is an undergraduate program in an institute of higher education providing exceptional scholars with supplemental or alternative curricular and non-curricular programs, privileges, special access, scholarships, and distinguished recognition. Originating in the United States, an '''honors college''', typically a unit within a larger institution, offers honors programs to all students. Honors programs may be offered at public and private universities and community colleges.<ref name="InsideHigherEd 2010 Aug 8" />

== History == === Public universities === Higher education policymakers in state governments overwhelmingly support honors programs not only to better serve exceptional young scholars but also to attract and retain them in their respective public education systems.<ref name="Bastedo-Bumport 2003" />

Many honors programs began after World War II, when a surge of highly qualified students seeking higher education exceeded the capacities of highly selective private universities.<ref name="Sederberg 2008" /> Current modeled honors programs began in public universities around the beginning of the second half of the 20th century.<ref name="Singell-Tang 2012" /> The first of the current type can be traced to one that was founded at Michigan State University on November 9, 1956,<ref name="MSU Press Release" /> Based on that foundation, Michigan State University-Oakland, now Oakland University, was the first university founded with assistance of an honors college student advisory group made up of honors students from that first honors college,<ref name="MSU-O Newsletter" /> and was announced on January 3, 1957. Four honors college were founded by 1960,<ref name="Chaszar 2008" /> including that at Wesleyan University, the University of Missouri, and at the University of Oregon – Robert D. Clark Honors College.<ref name="PlanII-Clark note" group=lower-alpha /> By 1990, honors programs became ubiquitous and evolved.<ref name="Singell-Tang 2012" /> ''Peterson's Smart Choices: Guide to Honors Programs & Colleges'', in 2005, indicated that there were nearly 600 honors-type programs at both two- and four-year institutions in the United States.<ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 2005" group=lower-roman /> A 2008 survey of honors programs affiliated with the National Collegiate Honors Council reflects that much of the growth in honors programs is recent, with over 60% of honors programs having been established since 1994.<ref name="Sederberg 2008" />

However, earlier honors programs – those founded before World War II – include Plan II Honors at The University of Texas at Austin, still in existence, which is an interdisciplinary liberal arts degree itself. The program began with 50 students who were given a broader, less specialized, liberal arts curriculum as opposed to that of the traditional Bachelor of Arts degree (Plan I).<ref name="PlanII-Clark note" group=lower-alpha /><ref name="TexasHandbook: Parlin" /> Michigan's LSA Honors Program, another earlier program, was founded around 1958.

Outside of the United States, honors colleges can also be found at Thompson Rivers University, the National University of Singapore, and the University of Macau.<ref>{{cite web |title=Honours College: Faculty of Student Development |url=https://www.tru.ca/student-development/departments/honours-college.html |website=Thompson Rivers University |access-date=2025-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About Us - NUS College |url=https://nuscollege.nus.edu.sg/about-us/ |website=National University of Singapore |access-date=2025-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Home - Honours College |url=https://hc.um.edu.mo/ |website=University of Macau |access-date=2025-04-14}}</ref>

=== Private universities === One notable early honors program at a private institution, that exists today, is that of Swarthmore College, founded in 1922 by its then President Frank Aydelotte and initially modeled on the tutorial system of Oxford University.<ref name="Rinn 2006" /><ref name="Swarthmore note" group=lower-alpha />

The more recent increase of honors programs at private institutions, beginning around the start of the 21st century, is somewhat a response to the success of honors programs and colleges of public universities. Smaller private institutions, in particular, are desirous of increasing admission yields of exceptional undergraduate scholars being lured by other competing institutions, public and private.<ref name="NYTs 2001 Nov 4" />

=== Interinstitutional and multinational === Global Honors College, an exemplary model of an {{lang|en|interinstitutional}} and multinational honors program, was organized by Waseda University (Tokyo). The college convenes faculty and undergraduate students from universities worldwide to conduct joint, structured, and sustained investigations of enduring and emerging global issues. Students from public and private institutions, including Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Peking, Korea, Waseda, and others, participate in a Global Seminar – an annual, summer-long intensive course on Earth sustainability matters ranging from food and agriculture to natural disasters.

== Institutional objectives == === Recruiting exceptional students === Recruiting exceptional students is an impetus for offering Honors programs. In a study of graduation rates by Alexander Astin, 66% of the variation in retention rates between institutions can be explained by differences in the quality of entering students.<ref name="Astin-Dey 1993" /> And, to some extent, honors colleges and programs attract students who contribute to higher retention rates.

=== Student retention === But, from another perspective, engineering educators Phillip Wankat and Frank Oreovicz assert that offering honors programs (and merit societies) during the first year, or early in the second year is critical, when losses in enrollment is highest, particularly in rigorous academic disciplines such as engineering. Wankat and Oreovicz insist that any sort of extra attention – athletics, clubs, informal socials, small first-year seminars, eating meals with professors, visiting professors homes, and the like – helps retain students who have the makings of good scholars. In the case of undergraduate engineering, extra attention – including offerings of honors programs for undergraduate engineering majors – also helps keep potential engineering majors from changing majors.<ref name="Wankat-Oreovicz 2005" />

Along with Wankat and Oreovicz, there is an ongoing debate on how social media plays a role in the retention of honors students. Corinne R. Green at Purdue University attests that "in the face of new technologies, honors faculty and staff should begin understanding the way their students interact with these technologies to apply them appropriately within the honors experience".<ref name = "Green Cor 2018 Sep No1" /> Green believes that within the future of honors colleges and programs, there needs to be a push and effort to integrate social media in a way that not only shows off the honors colleges in a good light but also can be properly applied to the curriculum without limiting learning. Green has also taken from others to say that the debate is at a stand-still due to some believing that social media can be incorporated beneficially.<ref name = "Green Cor 2018 Sep No2" />

=== Enrichment ''vs.'' acceleration === Research that supports pedagogical approaches are mostly based on empirical evidence and theory. Providing great education and experiencing it is not an exact science. While many successful institutions of higher learning share consensus on a number of pedagogical approaches, they are not always uniform.

For honors colleges and programs that offer exclusive accredited coursework and labs for participants, the style often places less emphasis on testing and more on personable interaction, such as small seminar-styled classes and mentoring and academic apprenticeship. Usually, the objective is to cultivate a more {{lang|en|enriched}} learning experience. But enrichment is not the objective of all honors colleges and programs. Engineering, technical fields, undergraduate sciences, and pre-med, for instance, might place more focus on acceleration, in lieu of enrichment, with the goal of taking the student further. In accounting and engineering, for example, professional accreditation is paramount and the academic coursework required is great. For fast and efficient learners, acceleration might be more ideal. Moreover, accounting and engineering degrees represent professional education. Students on professional tracks likely aspire to start careers as soon as possible.

Outside honors colleges and programs, not all liberal arts oriented institutions avoid acceleration. Reed College, for example, internationally known for its liberal arts, offers acceleration for its fast learners – for various reasons. In many cases, concerns over enrichment ''vs.'' acceleration are moot because students at the collegiate level can determine their workload by the classes they choose.

==== Economic influences on enrichment ''vs.'' acceleration ==== The balance between enrichment and acceleration can sometimes fluctuate, correlated to the economy and job market. In a poor economy, enrichment, for those who can afford it, might be more desirable. Why rush to be in a bad job market? Or the reverse correlation can occur: an extended period (a decade, for instance) in a weak economy with a poor job market can serve as a {{lang|en|reality-check}} for liberal arts programs, even those of international rank, swaying academicians and students to surrender liberal arts enrichment in favor of professional education.

==== Funding requirements of enrichment ''vs.'' acceleration ==== From a funding perspective, enrichment is often more expensive than acceleration. The logic being that, with acceleration – for math and engineering, as an example – professors simply cover more advanced material at a faster pace – using resources in hand and curricula already developed. By contrast, enrichment often requires extra materials and resources, particularly during a launch phase.

== Considerations and criticism == === Funding === Inadequate funding of honors colleges and programs can lead to a system of borrowing faculty members from elsewhere within an institution, which, on one level, has the effect of {{lang|en|shortchanging}} undergraduates who are not in the program. Along with that, since money is such an important factor when it comes to honors colleges, they try to attract donors to help with said inadequate funding. This donor funding may be either through donations (whether it be alumni, celebs, or other), or fundraising in direct support to the honors colleges specifically.<ref name="Gardner 2016 April" /> Notwithstanding concerns over funding, honors programs, initially (in the early 1960s), served as less costly alternatives to scholarships when competing for exceptional students. However, as programs have evolved, scholarships have become more universally prevalent.

=== Isolation === Attracting exceptional young scholars is a goal of most if not all universities. Exceptionally bright, motivated students who perform at high levels cultivate strong leaning experiences for university communities. The students of many honors programs and colleges usually take the same classes as regular students. But, to the extent that students of honors colleges and programs are isolated among themselves – by way of exclusive classes or activities or living quarters – the overall benefits might accrue in isolation, while at the same time, can also be a drain on quality academic environment for the larger student population who otherwise would benefit from more interaction with exceptional students. Further to that end, Michael Harris, in one of his blogs about his experience teaching in an honors college, expressed concern over a "{{lang|en|have}} and {{lang|en|have-not}}" academic experience that honors programs tend to cultivate. Harris harbored another concern that some of the new-found (post-1960) enthusiasm over honors colleges and programs were driven more by consumerism, albeit a type of consumerism that was antithetical to altruistic efforts towards elevating learning experiences and academic excellence.<ref name="Harris 2015 Aug" />

=== Honors colleges ''vs.'' honors programs === Admission to honors colleges and programs is selective. Honors colleges often have smaller classes. The difference between an honors college and honors program varies, but has little to do with the level of resources allocated by a university. For example, some public universities, namely large universities, offer multiple well-funded honors programs for specific academic disciplines, including arts and sciences or liberal arts (with a broad sub-list of possible disciplines, including mathematics), business, natural sciences, health sciences, engineering, and computer science. Aside from that, honors programs, compared to honors colleges, are sometimes smaller and less formal, but might not offer additional resources – such as exclusive residences and academic buildings.<ref name="NYTs 2015 Aug 26" />

In some institutions, very few, honors programs are built around unique degree programs unto themselves. Most honors colleges, academically, offer no degrees, but administratively are structured as autonomous collegiate units on equal footing with the other collegiate units of their respective institutions.

The decision to structure an honors program as a college may relate to how an institution itself is structured. A collegiate university, one that is composed of several constituent colleges might, administratively, favor an honors college over an honors program. Alternatively, university departments, constituent institutes, and constituent colleges might prefer honors programs specific to their respective missions. If a university is institute centric, an honors program might be structured as an honors institute.

=== Selected commentary === Frank Bruni – a journalist with the ''New York Times'' and author of the 2015 book ''Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be, An Antidote To The College Admission Mania''<ref name="Bruni 2016" /> – has expressed general {{linktext|acclaim}} for honors colleges and programs and cites some advantages. In his 2015 column "A Prudent College Path",<ref name="Bruni">{{cite news|last=Bruni|first=Frank|title=A Prudent College Path|work=The New York Times|date=August 8, 2015|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-a-prudent-college-path.html|access-date=December 7, 2016}}</ref> he cited the value of public university honors colleges and programs and recommended books by John Willingham, who evaluated honors colleges for many years.

== Ratings == ''Peterson's Smart Choices: Honors Programs & Colleges'' published its fourth edition in 2005.<ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 1997" group=lower-roman /><ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 1999" group=lower-roman /><ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 2002" group=lower-roman /><ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 2005" group=lower-roman /> Several liberal arts oriented institutions, including Reed College, have strongly rejected the validity of ratings, namely those of ''US News & World Report,'' arguing that, among other things, the ratings lead to data-driven educational policies that, in turn, cause institutions to alter programs at the expense of quality – simply to look more appealing. They have asserted that, with respect to liberal arts programs in particular, ratings are insufficient and can be misleading.<ref name="AnnapolisLetter college ratings 2004 Aug" /><ref name="PresidentsLetter 2007 May 10" />

==See also== * List of honors programs and colleges in the United States * National Collegiate Honors Council

== Notes and references == === Notes === {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha|50em|refs=

<ref name="PlanII-Clark note">While the 1935 founding of Plan II Honors at the University of Texas predates the 1960 founding of Clark Honors College at Oregon, Plan II was neither structured nor named as a college. ''Ergo'', Clark Honors College carries the distinction of being the oldest honors college in the US.</ref>

<ref name="Swarthmore note">The oldest honors program still in existence is that of Swarthmore College, founded {{cardinal to word|{{age|format=raw|1922|09|01}}}} years ago (in 1922).</ref>

}}

=== References === {{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="NYTs 2015 Aug 26">{{cite news | newspaper = New York Times | title = A Prudent College Path | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-a-prudent-college-path.html | last = Bruni | first = Frank |author-link=Frank Bruni | date = August 8, 2015 | accessdate = August 26, 2015 }}</ref>

<ref name="Bruni 2016">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=rbqFBAAAQBAJ Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions],'' by Frank Bruni, Grand Central Publishing (2016) {{OCLC|913557450}}</ref>

<ref name="MSU Press Release">https://archive.lib.msu/DMC/state_news_19561112.pdf{{Dead link | date=February 2026 | fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

<ref name="MSU-O Newsletter">{{cite journal |title=Full Issue |journal=Newsletter |volume=1 |issue=3 |date=February 1959 |publisher=Michigan State University — Oakland |hdl=10323/122 |url=https://our.oakland.edu/bitstream/handle/10323/122/msuonewsltr1959feb.pdf}}</ref>

<ref name="Chaszar 2008">{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Chaszar |first=Julianna K. |title=The Reinvention of Honors Programs in American Higher Education, 1955–1965 |date=2008 |publisher=Pennsylvania State University|url=https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/8831}}</ref>

<ref name="Bastedo-Bumport 2003">{{cite journal |title=Access to What? Mission Differentiation and Academic Stratification in U.S. Public Higher Education |first1=Michael N. |last1=Bastedo |first2=Patricia J. |last2=Gumport |journal=Higher Education|volume=46 |issue=3 |date=October 2003 |pages=341–359 |doi=10.1023/A:1025374011204 |oclc=424976956 |jstor=3447507 |s2cid=142559686 |id={{ERIC|EJ678034}}}}</ref>

<ref name="Singell-Tang 2012">"The Pursuit of Excellence: An Analysis of the Honors College Application and Enrollment Decision for a Large Public University," by Larry D. Singell, Jr., PhD, & Hui-Hsuan Tang, Phd, ''Research in Higher Education,'' (Springer), Vol. 53, No. 7, November 2012, pp. 717–737; {{oclc|5659940006}}, {{ISSN|0361-0365}}, {{JSTOR|41679545}}</ref>

<ref name="Sederberg 2008">"[http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nchcmono/4 The Honors College Phenomenon"], by Peter C. Sederberg (ed.) & Jeffrey A. Portnoy (gen. ed.), NCHC monographs series, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (2008); {{oclc|701546442}}</ref>

<ref name="NYTs 2001 Nov 4">[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/nyregion/a-hofstra-education-with-an-asterisk.html "A Hofstra Education With an Asterisk"], by Linda F. Burghardt, ''New York Times'', November 4, 2001 (retrieved August 7, 2017)</ref>

<ref name="Wankat-Oreovicz 2005">"Making Them Want to Stay," Phillip Wankat, PhD, & Frank Oreovicz, PhD, ''ASEE Prism'', Vol. 14, No. 7, March 2005, p. 53, {{JSTOR|24162345}}</ref>

<ref name="Green Cor 2018 Sep No1">{{cite journal |last1=Green |first1=Corinne |title=Social Media for Honors Colleges: Swipe Right or Left? |journal=Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council |date=1 September 2018 |volume=19 |issue=2 |page=101 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1588&context=nchcjournal |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Green Cor 2018 Sep No2">{{cite journal |last1=Green |first1=Corinne |title=Social Media for Honors Colleges: Swipe Right or Left? |journal=Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council |date=1 September 2018 |volume=19 |issue=2 |page=102 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1588&context=nchcjournal |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="Gardner 2016 April">{{cite journal |last1=Gardner |first1=Lee |title=Honors Colleges Promise Prestige, but They Don't All Deliver |date=1 April 2016 |journal=The Chronicle of Higher Education |volume=62 |issue=29 |page=A11 |url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/honors-colleges-promise-prestige-but-they-dont-all-deliver/ |access-date=September 28, 2020}}</ref>

<ref name="InsideHigherEd 2010 Aug 8">[https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/02/04/honors "2-Year Honors Boom – Courses for High-Achieving Community College Students are Getting More Exposure and Becoming More Competitive"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809001558/https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/02/04/honors |date=2017-08-09 }}, by David Moltz, ''Inside Higher Ed'', February 4, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2017, ''via'' {{URL|https://www.insidehighered.com}}</ref>

<ref name="Astin-Dey 1993">"Statistical Alternatives for Studying College Student Retention: A Comparative Analysis of Logit, Probit, and Linear Regression," by Alexander William Astin, PhD, & Eric L. Dey, PhD (1962–2009), ''Research in Higher Education'' (Springer), Vol. 34, No. 5, October 1993, pp. 569–581, {{JSTOR|40196112}}</ref>

<ref name="Harris 2015 Aug">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170227173119/http://higheredprofessor.com/2015/08/10/the-problem-with-honors-colleges/ "The Problem With Honors Colleges"]}}, by Michael S. Harris, EdD, ''Higher Ed Professor – Demystifying Higher Education'' (blog of Michael Harris), August 2015 (retrieved August 7, 2017)</ref>

<ref name="TexasHandbook: Parlin">[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fpa32 "Parlin, Hanson Tufts"], ''Handbook of Texas Online'', uploaded on June 15, 2010, published by the Texas State Historical Association (retrieved August 8, 2017)</ref>

<ref name="AnnapolisLetter college ratings 2004 Aug">[https://archive.today/20041216091455/http://collegenews.org/x3451.xml "Liberal Arts College Presidents Speak Out on College Rankings;"] statements by the presidents of:<div style="margin-left:2em">Dickinson, Reed, Puget Sound, St. John's College, Hamilton, Earlham, Hendrix, Colgate, Washington & Jefferson, Centre, Ursinus, Connecticut, Kenyon, Mt. Holyoke, and Skidmore</div>Originally posted August 2004 on the website of The Annapolis Group ({{URL|https://www.annapolisgroup.org/}}) (retrieved August 9, 2017, ''via'' archive.li)</ref>

<ref name="PresidentsLetter 2007 May 10">[http://www.educationconservancy.org/presidents_letter.html "Presidents' Letter to Colleagues"] (signed initially by 12 college presidents, joined by 54 additional college presents), sponsored by The Education Conservancy, Lloyd Thacker, Executive Director, May 10, 2007 (retrieved August 9, 2017)</ref>

<ref name="Rinn 2006">{{cite journal |title=Major Forerunners to Honors Education at the Collegiate Level |first=Anne |last=Rinn |journal=Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council|date=October 2006 |page=17 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=nchcjournal}}</ref>

}}

=== Ratings references === {{Reflist|group=lower-roman|30em|refs=

<ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 1997">''Peterson's Honors Programs: the Only Guide to Honors Programs at More Than 350 Colleges and Universities Across the Country,'' compiled by Joan Digby, PhD ''(née'' Joan Hildreth Weiss; born 1942), Peterson's for the National Collegiate Honors Council (1997); {{OCLC|37327349}}<div style="margin-left:2em">Note: Dr. Digby, a nationally recognized expert on Honors Programs, has, since 1977, been head of the Honors Program at LIU Post.</div></ref>

<ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 1999">''Peterson's Honors Programs: the Official Guide of the National Collegiate Honors Council'' (2nd ed.), compiled by Joan Digby, PhD ''(née'' Joan Hildreth Weiss; born 1942), Peterson's for the National Collegiate Honors Council (1999); {{oclc|42925412}}</ref>

<ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 2002">''Honors Programs & Colleges'' (3rd ed.), compiled by Joan Digby, PhD ''(née'' Joan Hildreth Weiss; born 1942), Peterson's for the National Collegiate Honors Council (2002); {{oclc|50079543}}</ref>

<ref name="Peterson's Honors Programs 2005">''Peterson's Smart Choices: Honors Programs & Colleges'' (4th ed.), compiled by Joan Digby, PhD ''(née'' Joan Hildreth Weiss; born 1942), Peterson's for the National Collegiate Honors Council (2005); {{oclc|62073602}}</ref>

}}

colleges and programs Category:University and college admissions Category:University programs Category:Higher education in the United States Category:Undergraduate education in the United States