Programs
In addition to their enrollment in the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College, students pursue a major in one of Boston University’s eight undergraduate schools and colleges. Only courses with a grade of C or higher will count towards completion of Honors College requirements.
There are six required components of the program:
The First-Year Seminars
Freshman Year: Two courses. One per semester (4 credits each). 8 credits total.
During the first year, students take two seminars—one in the Fall Semester, one in the Spring Semester—that introduce them to research, creation, and discovery through an intensive look at an example of current work in a specific discipline. Seminars give students the chance to explore important contemporary themes and problems in different fields. Supplementing the seminars are studios that help students acquire the skills that creative activity demands—the ability to write lucidly, argue effectively, speak clearly, reason quantitatively, locate and assess the reliability of sources, and conduct research ethically.
The First-Year Studios
Freshman Year: Two courses. One per semester (2 credits each). 4 credits total.
Studios complement the other elements of the Honors College curriculum by providing first-year students with a structured, curricular setting in which they can develop their abilities in writing, communication, and mathematics as well as their understanding of research methods and ethics. In the writing-and-communication component of the course, students develop their abilities in written, visual, and verbal communication by sharing, discussing, and working on appropriate projects from other courses or co-curricular activities. Students receive explicit instruction in argumentation, prose style, and citation conventions, as well as an introduction to the library and the use of online catalogues and databases. Students will also work to develop quantitative reasoning skills.
The Second Year: Insight and Invention
Sophomore Year: Two courses. One per semester (4 credits each). 8 credits total.
During the sophomore year, students take a two-semester course that explores nature, art, and society from the perspective of selected disciplines. This course is divided into six units, each of which devotes four to six weeks exploring practices of research, invention, and creation in specific disciplines and across three broad overlapping areas. Units will exemplify work in a variety of disciplines.
The Third-Year Seminar
Junior Year: One course. Either semester. 4 credits total.
In the third year, students engage in research, invention, and creative activity in their major discipline. While working closely with a faculty member in their own field, students will take part in a seminar that cuts across disciplinary boundaries in the arts, sciences, and professions. In this one-semester course, students develop and defend a proposal for their senior keystone project. The form of the proposal depends on their chosen discipline, but they must be able to communicate the problem they address—and their approach to it—to a non-specialist audience. Students have the option of taking the course either in the fall or spring semester to allow for study abroad or a full-time internship.
The Fourth-Year Keystone
Senior Year: Two courses. One per semester (4 credits each). 8 credits total.
During the fourth year, students complete their keystone project, an example of creation, research, and discovery in their major discipline. The form of the keystone project will vary from field to field but must be appropriate to the standards of the student’s discipline. Projects can be completed individually or by a team cutting across disciplines or colleges. Students will work on their project with a major advisor in their discipline while they continue to develop and communicate their work with peers in the Honors College. Honors College students will plan a conference or series of workshops in which they present their keystone projects to students and faculty before graduation.
Co-Curricular Activities
The mandatory co-curricular activities are designed to allow Honors College students to interact with committed, stimulating, and accomplished faculty and thinkers inside and outside of Boston University. The activities include performances, readings, lectures, and site visits and spotlight the back story of artistic, technological, and political activity in metropolitan Boston. They provide opportunities to meet artists, scientists, writers, physicians, entrepreneurs, and scholars.
A calendar of co-curricular activities will be available to students prior to the start of classes and can be changed at any time. Participation is considered mandatory unless a student has an approved academic conflict. Any student who cannot attend a co-curricular event must contact the Honors College office to be excused. The most up-to-date calendar of Honors College events can be found on the Honors College website.
Breakdown of Required Coursework
9 courses: 32 credits
Freshman year |
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|---|---|---|
Fall |
Seminar | 4 credits |
| Studio | 2 credits | |
Spring |
Seminar | 4 credits |
| Studio | 2 credits | |
Sophomore year |
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Fall |
Insight and Invention, Part 1 | 4 credits |
Spring |
Insight and Invention, Part 2 | 4 credits |
Junior year |
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Fall or Spring |
Third-year course | 4 credits |
Senior year |
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Fall |
Keystone Seminar, Part 1 | 4 credits |
Spring |
Keystone Seminar, Part 2 | 4 credits |
Integration of Required Honors College Coursework with School and College Requirements
School of Management
Completion of the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College curriculum satisfies liberal arts electives for SMG students. Honors College will fulfill three Level A electives, three Level B electives, and the writing requirement. If students have fulfilled these electives in other ways, they may work with their SMG advisor to use the Honors College curriculum to fulfill other SMG liberal arts electives.
School of Hospitality Administration
Completion of the Honors College curriculum satisfies 32 credits of distribution requirements for SHA students as follows: CAS WR 100, CAS WR 150, one humanities course, one natural science course, one social science course, and 12 general elective credits.
School of Education
Completion of the Honors College curriculum will fulfill two humanities courses, two laboratory science courses, two social science courses, CAS WR 100, and CAS WR 150 for secondary education majors.
College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
The Honors College curriculum will fulfill writing credit, humanities electives, social science electives, and general electives for students in the Human Physiology, Health Science, and Speech, Language & Hearing Programs. The electives fulfilled vary by program.
Human Physiology: CAS WR 100 and CAS WR 150, one humanities elective, two social science electives, and two general electives.
Health Science: CAS WR 100, two humanities electives, one social science elective, two general electives, one minor/specialty elective.
Speech, Language & Hearing: CAS WR 100 and CAS WR 150, two social science electives, three general electives.
College of Engineering
The Honors College curriculum will fulfill the 24-credit general education requirement for students in the College of Engineering, which includes the following: CAS WR 100, CAS WR 150, one general education elective, and three social sciences or humanities electives.
College of Communication
All Honors College courses totaling 32 credits will count toward COM degree requirements. COM will work with Honors College students to determine—based on their individual circumstances and aspirations—the ways in which Honors College courses will contribute to the fulfillment of each student’s degree requirements. The intent is to offer students the greatest flexibility in course selection and advise how Honors College courses count not only toward general education requirements, but also, in certain cases, toward upper-level requirements. COM will provide academic advising to Honors College students each semester so that they know how Honors College courses will fulfill their COM degree requirements.
College of Fine Arts
Completion of the Honors College curriculum satisfies liberal arts electives for CFA students. The electives fulfilled vary by program.
School of Theatre: 28 credits of liberal arts courses are required to complete the course of study for graduation. Completion of the Honors College curriculum fulfills liberal arts requirements for students as follows: writing requirement, one CAS liberal arts elective, two CAS art history electives, two CAS social science electives, one Shakespeare elective.
School of Music: 28 credits of liberal arts courses are required to complete the course of study for graduation. Completion of the Honors College curriculum fulfills liberal arts requirements for CFA students as follows: freshman writing, four liberal arts electives, two English literature courses, two general electives.
School of Visual Arts: At least 28 credits of liberal arts courses are required to complete the course of study for graduation. Completion of the Honors College curriculum fulfills 28 credits of liberal arts requirements.
College of Arts & Sciences
Completion of the first year of the Honors College will fulfill CAS WR 100 and CAS WR 150 for CAS students. If a student has satisfied the writing requirement using other courses, they will receive divisional studies credit in the discipline of the Honors College seminar(s) they have taken. Students may also choose to enroll in WR 100 and WR 150 and use the first-year Honors College curriculum to fulfill two divisional studies courses.
Completion of the second year of the Honors College will fulfill two divisional studies courses. The courses the Honors College sophomore course will fulfill will be determined in consultation with CAS and Honors College advisors.
