Honors Program

Our academic community values intellectual inquiry and creative approaches to teaching and learning.

Honors designated courses are smaller, more interactive, innovative and student-centered, allowing students to pursue academic interests while developing personal and professional skills needed to become part of the next generation of leaders. By the end of the program, students not only graduate with an honors designation on their diploma, but with a strong professional network and a personal definition of success that will motivate them to succeed long after graduation.

The Honors Difference is Your Advantage

There are many benefits you will experience as an honors student at Southwest.

Engage Your Curiosity: Working with faculty who like to experiment with new approaches means that the classroom is never dull. With an emphasis on experiential and student-driven methods, honors education challenges the idea that learning should confined to the classroom or a lecture format. In honors courses, students will find a collaborative and innovative environment that will spur their academic and personal growth. Smaller class size gives students the support they need to take those intellectual risks.
Be part of a campus community: Honors courses and honors contracts are designed to encourage close collaboration between students and faculty members. The program is intended to create a community of scholars where students and faculty have space to engage and express their love of learning. The program encourages students to share their research, ideas, and creative approaches to learning within the larger college community.
Distinguish yourself: The first priority of the Honors Program is to help students get the very most they can out of their learning experience at Southwest. The program aims to provide opportunities for the inevitable growth that happens when intellectually curious people spend time and energy learning together. Participation in an Honors Program also looks great on job applications and college and scholarship applications. The program has been an important stepping stone for the future success of many of the College’s past students.
Earn an Honors Program designation on your diploma and transcript: To graduate with an Honors Program designation on the diploma and transcript, Honors Program students must have been accepted to the program, must take at least 15 honors credits, either through honors contracts or honors classes, and graduate with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA, excluding learning support classes.
Students must earn a grade of B or better in honors courses in order to receive honors credit. Students working on an honors contract must earn a B or better in the course and a B or better on the honors portion of the contract, as determined by the course instructor, to receive honors credit for the course.