Honors is not a major in and of itself. Honors students, like other students, major in particular departments in preparation for professional careers. Yet in place of fulfilling the General Education Requirements expected of other students, honors students pursue an enriched, often interdisciplinary curriculum designed for active learners. During their four years at the university, honors students receive extensive advising through the Honors College and through their own academic departments. Honors students and regular students fulfill approximately the same number of required general education hours, but they do so in different classes.
Honors courses are small and are taught by established faculty members.
Based on an enriched, interactive model rather than an accelerated curricular model, honors courses offer students the opportunity to establish close intellectual relationships with their instructors and peers. Incoming freshmen at WSU Pullman are selected on the basis of high school grade point average, scores from college and pre-college testing programs, and information obtained from the student and from high school advisors. During the spring or summer preceding their first year, eligible students will receive letters inviting them to join the University Honors College. Those who do not receive such letters but wish to investigate possible participation in the college should contact the Honors Center for information. Students who are not admitted in the initial selection may petition to enter the University Honors College at any time after the end of their first semester but no later than the beginning of their junior year.