Honors - Barrett, the Honors College policies
Students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and intellectual curiosity are invited to apply for admission to Barrett, The Honors College. Admission requires a separate application that must be submitted by the stated Barrett deadlines.
Barrett conducts a holistic, test-optional review. ACT or SAT scores are neither required nor retrieved from ASU records; however, applicants may choose to self-report their scores on the Beyond the Classroom section of the Barrett application if they believe the scores strengthen their candidacy.
Applicants must provide academic records, including high school and college transcripts and any AP or IB test scores, along with information about their activities, leadership, community involvement and personal experiences. High school GPAs used in the evaluation process are calculated in accordance with the Arizona Board of Regents competency requirements, pursuant to ABOR Policy 2-121 Undergraduate Admission (PDF).
The Barrett admission application and additional information about the college and its activities are available at the Barrett website.
Notice of nondiscrimination
ASU prohibits all forms of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Students should review ASU’s policy ACD 401: Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation.
Title IX protects individuals from discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity operated by recipients of federal financial assistance. As required by Title IX, ASU does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education programs or activities that we operate, including in admission and employment. Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX may be referred to the ASU Title IX coordinator or to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights or to both. For more information, students should email [email protected], call 480-965-0696, or visit the office located at 1120 S. Cady Mall, INTDSB 284. For information on making a report, students should reference the Report It website.
Undergraduate policies
Advising
Barrett students are supported by an assigned Barrett Honors Advisor, an advisor in the college of their major, and Faculty Honors Advisors across the university. Students are expected to meet with their Barrett Honors Advisor during their first, second and third years, and are encouraged to stay in regular contact with all advising resources. Appointments with a Barrett Honors Advisor can be scheduled via the Academic Support Team link on MyASU.
Students can explore honors opportunities within their majors on the Faculty Honors Advisors page. Special pre-professional advising is also available, and additional information can be requested by emailing [email protected].
Degree requirements
Barrett academic course requirements
To graduate from Barrett, lower-division students must complete 36 credit hours of honors coursework and meet the following requirements:
- HON 171 and HON 272: The Human Event. A two-semester sequence course taken in the first two semesters of enrollment.
- Thirty additional credit hours of honors coursework must be earned with a letter grade of "C" (2.00) or higher. This may include HON prefix classes, honors sections of classes, honors enrichment contracts, internship and research credit, honors study abroad programs, leadership and community engagement credit, and graduate-level coursework.
- Of the 36 honors credit hours, at least 18 must be upper-division or graduate-level courses completed with a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher. Students should investigate specialized honors upper-division tracks within their majors.
- Students must complete an honors thesis project, earning up to six credit hours, which count toward the 18 required upper-division honors credits. The thesis is confirmed with a prospectus, which includes a commitment from the thesis director and second committee member on a topic and project plan. Before enrolling in thesis credit, students complete a required thesis workshop and advising session. The final thesis must be defended and submitted by the published honors deadline in the student’s graduation semester.
- ASU graduation requirements for an academic major must be met.
- Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher by graduation.
Barrett course requirements may be met in a variety of ways. Only courses in which a student receives a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher may be used to meet Barrett requirements.
Lower-division students may complete up to 18 lower-division honors credit hours, including HON 171 and HON 272: The Human Event, and at least 18 upper-division honors credit hours, for a total of 36 honors credits. HON 171 and HON 272 are transdisciplinary seminars that acquaint students with ideas that form the foundation of a university education and emphasize critical thinking, discussion and writing.
Students entering Barrett as upper-division students must complete 21 upper-division honors credit hours, including HON 370: The History of Ideas, 18 additional upper-division honors credit hours, and an honors thesis. Upper-division transfer students are required to complete 21 upper-division honors credit hours.
Barrett Online students must complete 21 honors credit hours, including HON 370: The History of Ideas taught by an honors faculty fellow, 18 additional honors credit hours, and an honors thesis. Both lower- and upper-division credit hours earned through oCourses may count toward the 18 honors credit hours.
Departmental honors-only courses are restricted to honors students and provide a deeper, more rigorous intellectual experience than their non-honors equivalents. Other disciplinary honors courses may group honors students in small cohorts for shared research projects or combine honors and non-honors students while offering specific honors opportunities.
Honors enrichment contracts are available in many academic department courses offered by the major. These allow honors students to contract with the instructors of designated non-honors courses to earn honors credit hours by pursuing enrichment activities, which include supplemental sessions with the instructor. Honors enrichment contracts are filed during the first weeks of the session and are to be completed during the semester in which the course is offered. The enrichment contract form offers guidelines to aid students and faculty in developing appropriate contracts. Contract work is due on the last day of the session unless otherwise indicated by the supervising faculty member.
Courses reserved for students in Barrett, and that always count for honors credit, are those listed in the online ASU Class Search and Course Catalog as course numbers 492 Honors Directed Study, 493 Honors Thesis and 497 Honors Colloquium; all classes with the HON prefix; and those with a departmental prefix or course note that carries the honors designation. Barrett recognizes internships, research, teaching assistant courses and 500-level graduate courses for honors credit. The honors courses webpage provides guidance on honors courses.
Academic department courses numbered 492 and 493 are reserved for honors students completing their honors thesis. A student may enroll in these courses with approval from the sponsoring academic department and the faculty member who serves as the student’s thesis project director. Passing credit in 492 and 493 courses counts as upper-division honors credit for Barrett students.