Emphasis is on independent and creative thinking, discussion, and exchange of ideas. Honors courses are usually open by invitation but any student may ask to enroll in one or more courses. Lower division courses typically fulfill Core Curriculum requirements. Most departments require honors students to have a GPA of 3.0 or better. Faculty Instructors in honors are volunteers or are chosen by their departments because of their excellent teaching reputations.
All honors faculty members hold doctoral or terminal degrees in their fields.
No graduate students or part-time instructors teach honors classes. All honors professors maintain two or more office hours every school day. Many entertain honors students in their homes and provide other opportunities for special attention to student needs. At the junior-senior level, honors courses rarely enroll more than 15 students. More honors students go on to graduate study than is typical of the general University population.