Honors Courses & Registration

Honors classes are designed to promote discussion, personalized study, in-depth research and writing, and close relationships with faculty and peers. Classes are capped at 25 students providing the opportunity for an engaging, challenging experience. Honors classes are offered throughout all programs and in every category of General Education. Students select the classes that appeal to them and fit their program of study.

After freshman year, students may enroll in Honors Scholars Seminars. These interdisciplinary courses, capped at 16 students each, encourage interdisciplinary perspectives and experience outside the classroom. Past seminars have covered current interest topics such as looking at the American presidency during the 2008 election or the impact of the Star Trek franchise on society during its 50th year on television (2018). Alternatively, they can follow a theme, such as the environment or sustainability. These seminars can be used towards upper-level elective requirements in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or Natural Sciences, and many seminars count as WR courses.  Because admission to all Honors Scholars Seminars requires permission from the University Honors Program, you must see an Honors advisor prior to registration to obtain permissionAll advisors are available by appointment prior to the start of registration through the Honors Advising Campaign. Please see Honors Advising for information on scheduling an appointment with an advisor.

All Scholars Seminars are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and the Honors Program does not over-enroll any of its courses. However, waiting lists are kept for Scholars Seminars, which are managed internally by the Honors advisors and staff. Students who wish to have their name added to the wait list for a closed Scholars Seminar must see an Honors advisor. If a space becomes available in the Seminar, students are given two days to register for the course before their spot is relinquished to the next student on the list. Wait lists for Scholars Seminars are separate from the wait lists managed through ULink.

All regular Honors classes are restricted to students who are currently in Active status within the University Honors Program and meet the prerequisites of each class.  While Honors advisors will encourage students to select the appropriate regular Honors classes that fit their interests and requirements during advising appointments, Honors students will register for these courses in the same way as they would for non-Honors classes during priority registration.  Wait listing is also possible with regular Honors classes, but instead of internal wait lists, these classes will utilize the regular automated wait list system provided on ULink.  Current UofL students who are not active members of Honors but who meet the minimum Honors GPA criteria (3.35 cumulative UofL GPA or above) may request permission from an Honors advisor to enroll in an Honors class (regular or Scholars Seminar) after priority registration.  These requests will be granted on a case-by-case basis.

Fall & Winter 2024 Scholars Seminars - now available!