In the senior year, all honors students take the Senior Seminar, in which topics of interest to students in both colleges are tackled in a discussion format. During all four years, spaces for honors students are reserved in honors elective courses. These courses are among the most interesting and rigorous available on campus and are taught by some of the most outstanding faculty scholars. Thus, honors students are challenged as a group, primarily in small course sections, and are provided the opportunity to learn from each other as well as from Notre Dame's honors faculty. Honors Program students are also offered many opportunities for intellectual and cultural growth outside the classroom.
All honors students become involved in research, usually in their major field.
Before or during their senior year, honors students write theses reporting the results of their research. Honors Programs colloquia, held one evening per month, offer opportunities to participate in discussions led by Notre Dame experts. Opportunities for informal discussions with prominent scholars visiting Notre Dame are also offered, through Honors Program breakfasts or receptions. More detailed descriptions of the components of the program are provided below.