MSU Honors College: A Comprehensive Guide to Requirements and Opportunities

The Michigan State University (MSU) Honors College offers a unique and enriching academic experience for high-achieving students. This article provides a detailed overview of the Honors College requirements, opportunities, and application process.

What is the MSU Honors College?

The Honors College at MSU is designed to provide academically talented and motivated students with a challenging and rewarding educational experience. It emphasizes academic flexibility, innovative approaches to learning, in-depth study, and personal attention from instructors. The Honors College aims to help students make the most of their college experience by offering smaller classes, research opportunities, and a supportive community dedicated to scholarship and intellectual development.

Benefits of Joining the Honors College

Membership in the Honors College offers numerous advantages:

Enriched Academic Program: Honors College students benefit from a more rigorous and engaging curriculum.
Smaller Class Sizes: Many Honors courses are smaller than their non-Honors counterparts, fostering greater classroom interaction.
Research Opportunities: Honors students have access to research opportunities unavailable to most undergraduates.
Dedicated Community: Students live in a community dedicated to scholarship and intellectual development.
Personalized Attention: Honors students receive personal attention from instructors and advisors.
Flexibility: The Honors College allows for flexibility in fulfilling university requirements.
Recognition: Honors College affiliation is noted in the graduation program, on the student’s diploma, and on the transcript. Each graduating member wears an Honors College stole during the commencement ceremonies.

Honors College Requirements

To maintain Honors College membership and graduate with Honors College notation, students must fulfill specific requirements:

Honors Experiences: Complete at least three Honors experiences by the end of their second Spring semester at MSU and at least eight total Honors experiences by graduation. Students completing two degrees require a total of 10 Honors experiences for Honors College notation on both degrees.
Coursework: Complete at least six courses in the program.

Specific Course Requirements

The specific courses required within the Honors College program are:

Read also: UMD Honors Programs

UHC 110: Freshman Honors Seminar: Unless the student has already completed GEP 101 (or an equivalent foundations course). Students who have already completed a first-year foundation course may take a General Honors course or an Experiential Learning course instead.
UHC 397: Honors Colloquia.
UHC 410: Senior Honors Seminar.
General Honors Courses: Three of the courses will be General Honors courses.
Honors Experiential Learning Course: One will be an Honors Experiential Learning Course, which may include study, undergraduate research, or an internship/apprenticeship.
Honors Colloquia Course: One will be an Honors Colloquia course.

Students choosing to complete Departmental Honors will be required to complete 12 additional hours of coursework in their major area, as determined by the Department Head.

Honors Experiences Explained

Honors experiences provide an opportunity for in-depth study of specific course topics or topics of interest. These experiences can take various forms, including:

Honors Courses: Many departments offer Honors courses specifically for Academic Scholars Program and Honors College students. These classes are often smaller, cover material in greater depth, and involve more classroom interaction.
Honors Sections: In some multi-section courses, one or more sections may be designated as an Honors section. These classes are usually smaller, move more briskly, and involve more classroom interaction.
Honors Options: An Honors Option involves more extensive or more advanced work than is required of all students in a regular course.
Graduate Courses: Graduate courses can be completed within or outside the student’s academic college. To enroll in a graduate course, an Honors College student should first consult the instructor to determine whether the student has the necessary preparation. The student then needs to arrange for an override into the course, either through the instructor or the departmental office that offers the course. *Beginning Summer 2024, OST courses 500 level and above would require Honors College Advisor approval to be considered for an Honors Experience.

University Requirements Substitutions

Honors College members must use approved substitutions to complete University Integrative Studies (IAH, ISS, ISB, ISP, WRA) requirements, unless enrolled in an Integrative Studies Honors course or section.

Integrative Studies and Writing Requirements

The Honors College requirements replace the University’s Integrative Studies and Writing requirements, offering flexibility in how students fulfill these obligations.

Writing

Any student who has not earned Advanced Placement credit or waiver in writing (via an AP English exam) must complete a one-semester course in composition. Honors Tier I writing courses (AL 192H, WRA 195H) are available for students who are placed into Honors writing during the New Student Orientation program. An Honors College student may satisfy the writing requirement by taking something other than a Tier I course provided the course chosen contains a substantial writing component.

Arts and Humanities

This includes the areas of literature and language, history, philosophy, religious studies, and the fine arts. Some courses in these areas are considered “skills” courses and are not appropriate for general education. For example, foreign language courses that focus on learning vocabulary and grammar (usually the first two years of study) or on practicing composition or conversation are not suitable. Foreign language literature courses, however, make excellent University Integrative Studies selections for students who desire a third year of language study. Similarly, art and music courses that teach techniques are not acceptable options, while art history and music history courses are appropriate choices.

Natural Sciences

This includes the physical and biological sciences. Honors College students who elect to take departmental offerings in the natural sciences are not required to take one course in physical and one course in biological science, and, depending on the courses selected, are not necessarily held to a laboratory requirement.

Social Sciences

This includes the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. Most courses in anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology make suitable general education classes. Courses focusing on research methods and data analysis normally are not allowable choices.

Credit from AP/IB/Dual Enrollment

Credit earned through College Board Advanced Placement (AP) exams may be applied to University Integrative Studies requirements. A student who earns a score of 4 or 5 on an AP English exam (either Literature or Language) receives credit for a Tier I writing course and has fulfilled the writing requirement. Some credit earned via International Baccalaureate (IB) or dual enrollment may also be applicable to the University Integrative Studies requirements.

Admissions

Admittance to the Honors College is by invitation only. All high school students who apply and are admitted to Michigan State University in the fall semester of their senior year are considered for an Honors College invitation, generally six to eight weeks after admission to the university. Typically, invitations are sent six to eight weeks following admission to MSU.

The admission process begins at the conclusion of Fall semester and closes by early February. Students will receive a notification via the Registrar’s Office Confidential Messaging System that they have been invited.

Eligibility Criteria

MSU does not have a minimum or specific GPA or test score - the average test scores among students who submitted SAT/ACT scores in 2023 was a 1450 SAT and 32 ACT.

Application Process

Students who are invited to join the Honors College must complete an application. Applications will be reviewed and scored by faculty and staff. An emphasis will be placed on the extent to which students personalize their response indicating a specific plan to take advantage of the Honors College experience.

The application prompt asks students to describe their interest in joining the Honors College by tying the unique opportunities offered to their personal narrative. A list of activities that occur outside of classes since starting at MSU (employment, clubs, programs, volunteer activities, involvement in athletics, music or the arts, etc.) should be included.

Admissions staff may also be in touch for a short conversation as part of the process. Note: Reviews of international students who attend school outside of the United States typically begin in January. Wait approximately six to eight weeks for review.

Second Chance Admission

Yes. All first-year students who are not already incoming Honors College students can be reviewed again for an Honors College invitation after the conclusion of their first semester on campus.

Academic Scholars Program (ASP)

The Academic Scholars Program (ASP) is a unique opportunity that provides high-achieving students a pathway towards Honors College membership. While ASP is administered and advised in the Honors College, membership is separate.

Declining an Invitation

No - your response to our Honors College invitation is non-binding and can be declined if you are not interested in Honors College membership.

Enhancing Educational Experience Without Honors College Membership

Students who are not invited to Honors College membership may still enhance their educational experience through Honors Options in regular courses or by requesting an override from the sponsoring department into a specific Honors course/section (overrides are granted based on availability and a review of students’ overall academic progress and program). Standardized test scores are not required to be considered for an Honors College invitation.

Housing

All Honors College students can choose to live on an Honors floor in one of eight residence halls across campus. As an incoming Honors College student in a living-learning program (Lyman Briggs, James Madison, Business, etc.), you will be placed in your living-learning Program. There is no separate application process.

The housing sign-up process for incoming students takes place each year during the summer prior to the fall semester. Once students have paid their enrollment deposit and signed a housing contract, specific instructions and details will be communicated after May 1.

The Honors Community LLC is located in Scholars House, but participation is optional.

Honors College Mythbusters

Honors courses are harder: Many agree that Honors courses are NOT harder; they simply delve deeper into the material and emphasize class discussions rather than lectures.
Honors students are not fully a part of college life: No, Honors Students are as fully a part of college life as is possible, participating in government, clubs, and residence hall activities such as the marching band, sports, English, and pre-med clubs, etc.
Honors College provides scholarships: Scholarships are optional, though MSU is in the process of finding a donor to remedy the situation.

Success Stories

MSU Honors College boasts many successful alumni:

Brian Batayeh interned in South Africa and worked with youth on projects effecting their community.
Show business brings out Chris Ryan's creative side. The marketing major keeps busy with stand-up comedy.
Jasmine Jordan, a 2021 graduate from the College of Social Science, has been named a Gates Cambridge Scholar for the second time. Scholarship supports student's research on bone fractures.
Physiology student William Davie conducted service projects abroad and did research at the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station.

Conclusion

The MSU Honors College provides a distinctive and advantageous educational path for motivated students. By understanding the requirements, exploring the opportunities, and engaging with the Honors community, students can maximize their college experience and prepare for future success.

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