(D-Phi) Shakespeare in the Parking Lot
A free live performance of Macbeth, followed by a discussion with the directors, cast, and university professors.
Honors Program "NerdHerd" Pizza Party
Honors Summer Camping Trip 2022
Honors Summer Camping Trip 2022
Honors Summer Camping Trip 2022
Visiting Fulbright fellow from Pondicherry University to Honors Colloquium in Fall 2022.
MSU Denver Honors at Western Regionals Honors Conference 2019!
Western Regionals Honors Conference 2018
Honors Summer Camping Trip 2018
Western Regional Honors Conference in Missoula 2019
Visit to Yellowstone National Park at Western Regional Honors Conference in Missoula 2019
Honors student Cassie presents her thesis at MSU Denver Undergraduate Research Conference, 2022
Upcoming Events
Most Honors events are open to all MSU Denver students! Honors students earn co-curricular points for attending events.
Fall Block Party
Come hang out with students and staff from all Undergraduate Studies programs! There will be food, games, music, and fun!
Food for Thought Volunteer Opportunity
Join Honors in packing food bags for Food For Thought on campus. RSVP at the link below!
Upcoming Honors Conferences
Submit to Scribendi until Oct. 13th!
Scribendi is a nonprofit, annual print publication that publishes creative work from Honors students across the country!
58th Annual NCHC Conference | Chicago, IL
Liberty, Equality, and Humanity are the themes of this year's conference.
Western Regional Honors Conference 2024 | Long Beach, California
Application Deadline: December 17, 2023
What is the Honors Program?
About: The Metropolitan State University of Denver Honors Program is a community of highly motivated and academically adventurous students and faculty members dedicated to working together to attain new levels of achievement. The program is designed to develop in our students the ability to apply critical and creative thinking as well as conduct high-quality research and creative work. Honors students learn to integrate a variety of disciplines in their approach to a given project, demonstrate civic and intercultural knowledge and engagement, and reflect critically upon their values and the learning process. This is an innovative program that allows students to achieve the Honors Program credential by completing an individually tailored combination of both academic courses and co-curricular honors options.
The Honors Program is designed to develop in our students the ability to apply critical and creative thinking as well as conduct high-quality research and creative work. Honors students learn to integrate a variety of disciplines in their approach to a given project, demonstrate civic and intercultural knowledge and engagement, and reflect critically upon their values and the learning process. This is an innovative program that allows students to achieve the Honors Program credential by completing an individually tailored combination of both academic courses and co-curricular honors options.
Who is an Honors Student?
Are you the kind of student who truly enjoys learning? Do you read for pleasure? Are you curious about more topics than you have time to pursue? Do you enjoy in-depth dialogue and/or debate? Does intellectual challenge motivate you? If you find yourself answering in the affirmative to many of these questions, you just might be an honors student!
Open to new, continuing, and transfer students in all majors, the Honors Program provides an enriching academic experience for motivated students with broad academic interests. Designed to promote independent thought and creative inquiry, the majority of honors credits are earned in conjunction with your degree program—not as additional hours. Students who enroll in Honors should expect a challenge that stimulates curiosity and research while broadening perspectives in unexpected ways.
President Davidson visits the MSU Denver Honors Program, which provides a challenging curriculum and engaged community for high-achieving students.
Why join the Honors Program?
Students in the MSU Denver Honors Program enjoy the combined benefits of a small community of engaged learners and dynamic instructors, while also having access to the substantial resources of MSU Denver and its vibrant urban campus.
- Supportive community
- Access to the Honors House and its many resources
- Priority registration
- Unique honors courses
- Additional advising and academic support
- Undergraduate research opportunities
- Funding for local, regional and national conference travel
- Work closely with faculty
- Recognition at graduation and Honors designation on transcripts
- Improved preparation for graduate and professional school
- Special cords at graduation
Program Requirements
Admission Criteria
The Honors Program is open to any student who wishes to apply. Acceptance is based on the quality of the application.
This program is designed for highly engaged and intellectually curious students who want to achieve their best and get more out of their college education. The Honors Program brings together a vibrant community of students from diverse academic backgrounds and with many different approaches to learning.
Good Standing
To graduate with MSU Denver Honors Program distinction, each student completes Honors coursework and an Honors thesis, and achieves a 3.3 undergraduate GPA by the time of graduation.
**Most of the Honors Program courses are offered face-to-face only. If you are an online-only student, please reach out to us before applying.**
Requirements
The Honors Program curriculum requires 21 units of approved courses and activities. Each student is able to design their own path through the Honors curriculum by completing the Honors core courses and combining a selection of academic and co-curricular options.
Please note that typically, students need at least 2 academic years (or 60 credits) to be able to complete the Honors Program along with their degree requirements. For students who only have 1 academic year left (30 credits), the Honors Program offers a Thesis-only track. Please contact us for more information.
To become a member of the Honors Program community, complete the form below. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Apply Now!
Click here to apply
Fall 2023 - Colloquium Classes
Date/Time: M/W 11:00-12:15
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Judy Strathearn
Description: In this honors seminar, we will be exploring the importance of expressing, embracing, and defending identity as we discuss All Boys Aren’t Blue (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2020), by journalist and activist, George M. Johnson. This book is a series of personal essays that follow Johnson’s journey growing up Black and queer from childhood to college graduation. Johnson revisits and reflects on his family life, navigating what it means to be queer in the Black community and the struggles of gender normative expectations. They allow us to see with harsh and sometimes very difficult language the traumas they lived through in order to come out on the other side with the knowledge that the only way to truly live in this life is to do so authentically.
This course will be highly interactive/discussion-based and will incorporate various disciplines like Africana Studies, Gender & Sexualities Studies, psychology, film, and creative writing. We will address topics including the banning of books, the quest for authentic identity against societal rules and challenges, struggles, and the path to joy for Black queer folks.
Fall 2023 - Honors Classes
Date/Time: M/W 9:30-10:45 or M/W 12:30-145
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Rich Kessel
Description: This course teaches students how to design and deliver effective, ethical presentations. The ability to adapt to different audiences and contexts – such as professional or public situations – is emphasized. The course provides instruction on and practice of organization, delivery and performance, technology, and research skills. Students also learn effective listening techniques and critical thinking skills. The course empowers students to become successful professional presenters and public speakers.
Note: Credit will be granted for only one prefix: COMM or HON.
Sections of this course may be offered in-person, in hybrid format, or online.
General Studies: Oral Communication
Cross Listed Course(s): COMM 1010
Date/Time: M/W 11:00-12:15
Credits: 3
Instructor: Eileen Mooney
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: This is a course for students in the Honors Program and addresses the process of writing extended essays supported by research. The course includes an introduction to research methods, practice in critical reading, thinking, and writing across the disciplines, integration of source material, and the conventions of MLA and APA styles of documentation. Students can expect to do a series of shorter writing and research assignments leading to the longer, documented paper and will write reflectively on their writing process.
General Studies: Written Communication
Date/Time: T/R 9:30-10:45
Credits: 3
Instructor: Rey Hernández
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: This course offers an introductory analysis of economic decision making in a market system. The roles, actions, and interactions of consumers, firms, and the government are explored. Market failure and government failure are also considered. Microeconomic principles and analysis are applied to current events and problems and are used to explore human behavior.
Note: B- or better required for Honors credit.
General Studies: Business/Social and Behavioral Sciences
Date/Time: T/R 9:30-10:45 (online synchronous)
Credits: 3
Instructor: Marci Steiner
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the fundamental concepts of human nutrition, including digestion, absorption, metabolism, and the function of nutrients as they relate to human health and disease.
Note: B- or better required for Honors credit.
General Studies: Natural and Physical Sciences without a Lab
Date/Time: T/R 12:30-1:45 (In-person and Synchronous Online)
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Mark Flory
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director.
Prerequisite(s) or Corequisite(s): ENG 1020 or ENG 1021
Description: In this interdisciplinary course, students learn about how grand narratives have shaped and transformed notions of subjectivity over time, from the ancient and/or medieval world through the present day. The focus is on works that have had a literaly, philosophical, and artistic impact on the notion of the self. The goal is to comprehend significant changes over time in the relationship between the individual and the world. Students are encouraged to make thematic connections across disciplines. B- or better required for Honors credit.
Grads in the News
Substance abuse and the mother-child bond
Graduating student’s research sheds light on how addiction impacts new moms.
The opportunity of a lifetime
How one student’s passion for scientific research landed him a full ride in an Ivy League doctoral program.
Double-major role model
MSU Denver’s Individualized Degree and Honors programs helped chart Shayla Bischoff’s path through college.
DIY disease detection
Testing for Carrión’s disease in Andean populations is severely lacking.
Becoming Ted
Saya “Ted” Richthofen turned his personal struggles into a passion for making the Auraria Campus a more welcoming place.
A Sustained Ability to Reinvent
Becky Alter toured much of the world as a musician. Her next gig is preserving it for generations to come.
Honors Program Location
We are located just west of the West Classroom, or south of the restaurant Los Molinos along the row of old houses. Look for the yellow one!
Location MapMonday: 8am-5pm
Tuesday: 8am-5pm
Wednesday: 8am-5pm
Thursday: 8am-5pm
Friday: Closed
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Honors House
1033 9th Street Park
Denver, CO 80204
Connect with the Honors Program!