Honors Program
Mission
The Honors Program provides a student-centered learning environment that challenges and inspires students through curricular and co-curricular activities. Students are encouraged to be active and engaged leaders in the university, Prescott, and global community. The program offers individualized academic advising and small classes dedicated to Honors Students. The program also provides funding for leadership, research, global engagement, and service.
Vision
The Honors Program will create a community of scholars who are able to address problems and issues that others do not even see, engaging in and changing the world as thoughtful forward-thinking individuals.
Honors Program Admission
The application process for the Campus-Based Honors Program for Spring 2020 is now open. Applications are due 10 January 2020. We will be accepting applications from currently enrolled 1st - 3rd year students as well as transfer students. The application process includes an essay, academic resume, letter of reference, and an interview. It is strongly recommended that you secure your letter of recommendation prior to the start of the winter break. Please contact Anne Boettcher (boettcha@erau.edu) if you have any questions.
Please note: We are reevaluating how our Honors Academic Requirements will be offered. Thus, the descriptions for the current Honors seminar courses: HON150, 250, and 350 may be changing as we move forward. Should you wish to enroll in HON250 or 350, which are being offered in SP20, please contact Anne Boettcher (boettcha@erau.edu) immediately and provide your student ID. There are slots open in both of these classes for students interested in Honors.
Benefits
The benefits of becoming an Honors student include priority registration beginning the 2nd semester; priority housing; Honors advising; funding opportunities for global engagement, research/scholarship, and service and leadership programs and projects; and Honors recognition on permanent transcript and at graduation ceremonies.
Honors Program Tracks and Requirements
The Honors Program Tracks align with our pillars: Leadership, Research, and Ethics, with an additional blended track that combines the three - Interdisciplinary. The curricular and co-curricular components of the tracks are linked to our Vision of preparing our graduates to address broad reaching, emerging issues. Each has a unique focus, but still exposes students to experiences across each pillar.
Leadership Track
The Leadership Track is designed to provide students with the opportunity to expand their leadership capabilities and to explore possibilities for enhancing learning capacities and strategic thinking. Students are asked to enhance their understanding of leadership and hone their personal leadership skills through coursework and action. Student must maintain a GPA of 3.25 while on the Leadership Track.
Complete 2:
- HON250
- Eagle Leadership Series Program
- Emerging Leaders Retreat
Complete 2:
- HON150
- HON350
- Honors Designated Course - specific courses to be identified
- Honors Contract Course - specific courses to be identified
Complete 3:
- Campus or Community Leadership Position (including SGA, RA, CAM, etc.)
- Leadership Event - Lead
- Emerging Leaders Retreat
- HONX99 Leadership Focused
Complete 1:
- Undergraduate Research Experience - Lead URI, Space Grant, other internal, or External
- Internship
- Global Engagement Experience
- Nationally Competitive Scholarship/Fellowship (NAFA Listing)
Complete 1:
- 300 cumulative service hours
- Lead on Service Project through Honors Program or Community (independent of HON250)
- Service Learning Course (independent of HON250)
Research Track
Studying abroad, doing a co-op, a research internship, or other intensive educational experiences can help you make the most of your life. As an Honors student you are encouraged to explore programs that will challenge you, deepen your understanding of the world, and gain knowledge that pertains to your goals. Student must maintain a GPA of 3.25 while on the Research Track.
Complete 2:
- HON150
- Undergraduate Research Experience
- Global Engagement Experience
Complete 2
- HON250
- HON350
- Honors Designated Course - specific courses to be identified
- Honors Contract Course - specific courses to be identified
Complete 1:
- Campus or Community Leadership Position (including SGA, RA, CAM, etc.)
- Eagle Leadership Series Program
- Emerging Leaders Retreat
Complete 3:
- Undergraduate Research Experience - Lead URI, Space Grant, other internal, or External
- Internship
- Global Engagement Experience
- Nationally Competitive Scholarship/Fellowship (NAFA Listing)
- HONX99 Experiential Learning Focused
Complete 1:
- 300 cumulative service hours
- Lead on Service Project through Honors Program or Community (independent of HON250)
- Service Learning Course (independent of HON250)
Ethics Track
Honors students engage directly with contemporary challenges, bridging classroom and community. The track is guided by the idea that ethical thought has application to current social questions and conflicts, and it seeks to encourage moral reflection and practice in areas such as business, technology, international relations, law, medicine, politics, science, and public service. Student must maintain a GPA of 3.25 while on the Ethics Track.
Complete 2:
- HON250
- Lead on Service Project through Honors Program or Community (independent of HON250)
Complete 2:
- HON150
- HON350
- Honors Designated Course - specific courses to be identified
- Honors Contract Course - specific courses to be identified
Complete 1:
- Campus or Community Leadership Position (including SGA, RA, CAM, etc.)
- Eagle Leadership Series Program
- Emerging Leaders Retreat
Complete 1:
- Undergraduate Research Undergraduate Research Experience - Lead URI, Space Grant, other internal, or External
- Internship
- Global Engagement Experience
- Nationally Competitive Scholarship/Fellowship (NAFA Listing)
Complete 3:
- 300 cumulative service hours
- Lead on service project through Honors Program or Community (independent of Foundation requirements)
- Ethics or Diversity Event - Lead
- Service Learning Course (independent of HON250)
- HONX99 Service Focused
Interdisciplinary Track
This track allows for students to develop their skills equally across the three pillars. While conceived for students entering the program later in their undergraduate careers, it is suitable for any student who values scope and perspective.
Complete 3:
- HON150
- HON250
- HON350
- Honors Designated Course - specific courses to be identified
- HONX99
- Honors Contract Course - specific courses to be identified
Completing any Honors Track requires 10 "points" total. Each of the program tracks requires that a minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) of work be completed in Honors. No item may count toward more than one category. NOTE: Students may include a maximum of one Honors Contract Course toward their academic requirements.
To receive Honors Program designation at graduation, students must complete all requirements of one of the four Honors Program Tracks, including a minimum of 3.25 cumulative grade point average, and abide by the Honors Program Code: "As a member of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Honors Program, I adhere to the principles of truth, integrity, humility, and respect, by practicing excellence in character, leadership, service, and learning."
In order to remain in good standing, all Honors students must maintain a 3.25 cumulative grade point average, make progress in the Honors Program Track of their choice during the current and previous terms, and abide by the Honors Program Code. At the discretion of the Honors Program Director, a failing grade in an ERAU course can result in dismissal from the program.
Honors Curriculum
Academic requirements for Honors students are more rigorous than those of non-Honors students. Honors students have many unique opportunities to delve deeper into course content, explore areas beyond normal course content, and develop high-level research and leadership skills. Honors students also contribute to their campus and community while maintaining exceptional academic standards.
(HON150, 250, and 350) are designed to replace general education courses and provide Honors students with a meaningful and engaging experience that aligns with the Program's focus on leadership, research, and ethics. The three seminars bridge disciplines and emphasize ethics in all areas.
- HON150: Research Skills and Ethics is an introduction to the research process, including proposal writing, ethical principles of research and scholarship, and general methodologies. Students in the course learn about the iterative process of research and scholarship, the collaborative nature of many scholarly and research-based activities, as well as ethics and the application of ethics to research and scholarship. The curriculum is integrative; students build upon ethical principles gleaned from class discussions and apply them to a variety of strategies for a synthesized understanding of the research/scholarship process.
- HON 250: Teambuilding and Leadership Development - In this course, students can advance their own development and growth by reflecting on and applying their strengths through a focus on peer leadership and team-building. A study of leadership, project management, communication, and effective team-building is involved. Applied leadership foundations will be effectively tested as students venture out into the local Prescott community to change the world through planning and management of a service project. Class periods will include active learning instructional periods along with time allotted for team project work. The end-goal of this course envisions students confidently considering their own strengths as well as the strengths of others as they think conscientiously about what their team needs from them to be successful.
- HON350: Variable Topic, Discussion-Based Course. The desired consequence of this course post-graduation is for each student to live a successful life as defined by that student. Engagement in this course will ask students to seek to understand and work to apply great ideas to (timeless) challenges people have faced, are facing, and will face during their lives. In one of these discussion-based courses, for example, students focus on building Self Leadership abilities where they will critically think about, discuss and review published works to proactively define what will constitute power and riches in their personal life. Applied self-leadership foundations will be effectively tested as these students actively participate in a community-based MasterMind Group.
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