Honors Programs

Customized for Texas Science

With seven different honors program, the College of Natural Sciences offers options to find support in a unique community with specialized courses, small learning community experiences and enrichment galore.

Dean’s Scholars, Health Science Scholars, and Polymathic Scholars are available to students anywhere in the college. We also have a number of Major-Specific Honors Programs worth learning about: Turing Scholars is for computer science majors, and Texas Computer Science and Business Honors is for computer science and business double majors, Honors in Advanced Nutritional Sciences is for nutrition majors and Honors in Advanced Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS) is for HDFS majors.

Unique Courses  

College honors programs offer unique courses like the following.

UGS 303 / Originality in the Arts and Sciences

Students in Dean’s Scholars, Health Science Scholars and Polymathic Scholars are automatically admitted to the Freshmen Research Initiative. UGS 303, restricted to students in these programs, satisfies the research methods course requirement for the FRI. As its name implies, the course prepares students to undertake original research in both the hard sciences and the humanities. The final project is a competition that requires students, working in teams, to develop an idea for a grant, consult with relevant faculty on constraints, cost projections and current research in the field, and deliver their proposal to the class. 

NSC 110H /CNS Honors Seminars

One of the advantages of being a CNS honors student is having access to these unique small seminars, which connect students with the university’s best teachers and top researchers. The format of NSC 110H seminars is simple: Faculty select a topic they're passionate about, lead discussions organized around a few readings, and let each student lead part of a class on one of the readings. The seminars foster the honors community by bringing together students in each program and fomenting lively, productive exchanges. 

Thesis Planning Workshops (Course names vary)

All honors students, except Texas Computer Science & Business Honors students, will complete a thesis that they begin during their second year through their seminars and classes. Special workshops help students with their progress on their theses as they work towards completion during their senior year. 

Applying for honors

Meet College-Wide Honors Students

Representatives of each of our college-wide honors programs stand ready to meet you:

• Dean’s Scholars students are highly interested in conducting research during their time in college. Many attend graduate programs post-graduation, and enjoy in-depth opportunities to connect with top scientists through the program. 
• Health Science Scholars students are heavily involved in community service and volunteering and know they want to pursue a career in the medical field. 
• Polymathic Scholars are students with many interests, who are passionate about science as well as subjects outside of science. Students follow their curiosity and go into a variety of fields post-graduation. Polymathic Scholars students create their own field of study with a minor, which is also the topic of their thesis. 

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