General Beadle Honors Program
At DSU, our General Beadle Honors program challenges the brightest minds and motivates students to think independently and imaginatively. Live in the Honors dorm. Excel through academics. Embark on senior-level research. Take on creative projects with peers and faculty.
We have carefully crafted our program to include coursework and experiences that are exciting, inspiring, and captivating. General Beadle Honors students represent the best of DSU. From freshmen to seniors, we have over 120 students who encounter learning that encourages critical thinking and reasoning.
The Honors Program trains students to successfully complete their degree and get rewarding jobs, but it also nurtures intellectual curiosity beyond your degree requirements to open life-long avenues of fulfillment. It is about how to make a life in addition to how to make a living.
Unique honors opportunities
Honors students enjoy intellectual, cultural, and professional travel opportunities throughout the year. Many honors courses involve funded off-campus experiences that are part of course content. The honors program also allows students the opportunity to experience live theater and music in Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, and Kansas City. And students get the opportunity to meet other honors students and present their research on campuses throughout the Midwest at our annual regional Honors Conference.
- Smaller class sizes in honors-only classes. Enjoy smaller classes featuring not more work but different work.
- Study subjects more deeply & broadly with innovative materials. Come to class and participate instead of being lectured to.
- Honors-specific advising and preferential course registration.
- Honors-specific housing.
- Funded research and travel experiences. Experiential Learning – Embrace an education that also takes place outside of class & off campus. Research – Work with faculty, get your hands dirty & learn that it’s okay to fail (at first)!
Honors curriculum
To graduate with Honors, students must maintain a minimum 3.2 GPA and complete at least 28 credit hours through required courses and electives. Students with prior general education credits may qualify for a reduced number of Honors courses, based on a sliding scale.
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HON 102 - Introduction to Honors (1 credit)
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HON 202 - Intermediate Honors Seminar (1 credit)
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HON 390 - Seminar (3 credits)
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HON 392 - Topics: Thesis Preparation (1 credit)
Complete your remaining general education requirements with a series of rolling, honors-only general education courses. Honors courses vary significantly from the non-honors sections with the same course title and are required to include the same four characteristics:
- All courses make use of and reinforce critical thinking skills throughout the semester as an integral part of instruction.
- All courses seek to maximize student discussion and participation in the delivery of course content.
- All courses place a premium on written, creative or other original student expressions of course content for purposes of assessment.
- All course themes and content seek to encompass the broadest intellectual applications.
Recent honors general education courses have included:
- ENGL 101 (Comp. I)
- ENGL 201 (Comp. II)
- CMST 215 (Public Speaking)
- MUS 100 (Music Appreciation)
- PHIL 100 (Introduction to Philosophy)
- HIST 122 (Western Civilization from 1500 to Present)
- CMST 201 (Interpersonal Communication)
- HIST 152 (US History 1877 to Present)
- ASC 121 (Honors Integrated Science)
- GEOG 132 (Physical Landscapes)
- MATH 281 (Introduction to Stats).
Students who have pre-completed general education requirements have a reduced honors requirement depending on the number of credit hours they have completed. Honor students are never required to take additional courses beyond the existing general education requirements. Contact the Honors Director for an exact assessment of your honors general education obligations based on your transcript.
All Honors students must complete a substantial academic project in their major, demonstrating advanced understanding and original analysis. This process begins with a thesis prospectus, submitted the semester before the thesis.
Students must enroll in HON 392 (1 credit) to develop their prospectus, which outlines the project's scope, significance, methodology, and expected outcomes. A completed Thesis Application Form is required.
The following semester (usually the student’s final semester), students enroll in the independent research course (498) for their major. This class fulfills existing requirements for the major and is NOT in addition to what is required for the major. Following the successful submission of the thesis, students will defend their thesis in front of a faculty committee.
Prospectus deadlines
Fall: November 15 for following spring semester thesis
Spring: April 15 for following fall semester thesis
(Advisor approval required before submission)
Thesis deadlines
Fall: November 15
Spring: April 15
(Thesis must include the original application form and advisor approval)
JOIN THE BEADLE HONORS COMMUNITY
Take the next step to joining the honors program:
Daniel Spencer
Instructor
Department
College of Arts & Sciences
Contact
Office Location: Beadle Hall
Phone: (605) 256-5270
Email