A Cohort of the Curious

The Honors Program is a community where students and faculty work together to build intellectual engagement.  

The Honors Program is meant for the student who has intellectual curiosity, independence of thought, excitement in learning, appreciation of knowledge—for the young man who sparks the enthusiasm of fellow students and inspires his professors to learn more.  

The program will help you find connections, starting with interdisciplinary connections between different ideas. But you’ll also connect to the College’s professors, creating opportunities for future mentorship — and to connect with a diverse network of deeply curious students. The Honors Program draws together entrepreneurs, future medical professionals, athletes, artists, leaders, and other high-achieving students from across the campus. 

What does being an Honors Scholar do for you?

  • “With College Honors.” Completion of the program comes with this special recognition on your diploma. 
  • Community. You’ll have chances to interact and network with other outstanding students at Hampden-Sydney.  
  • Special courses. The required first-year course and Honors 201-202 sections can count towards general education requirements. Courses offered are special topics: recent offerings include “Satire and South Park,” “Science and Democracy,” “Religion and Food,” “Spara,” “Health Care and Big Data,” “Nazism and Memory,” and “Climate Fact/Climate Fiction.” 
  • Housing. Upper-class honors students have the option of living in a wing in Venable Hall — a nineteenth century landmark newly renovated in 2024. 
  • Professional development opportunities. Optional program workshops and sessions connect you to career and study-abroad opportunities, among others.
  • The Capstone. The Honors Capstone is a two-semester project that may overlap with major requirements — but is uniquely flexible, allowing you to work across majors and position yourself as distinctive and interesting to future employers and graduate programs.

What does the Honors Program require? 

The program includes five requirements:

Freshman Year First Year Honors Course (replacing a core education course)
Sophomore Year Sophomore Honors Seminar (may replace a core education course)
Individualized Track: pick one option Second Honors Seminar Summer Research or Independent Research 3 1-credit Honors Readings courses
Junior Year (fall) HONS 301: Capstone Proposal (1 credit)
Senior Year Two-semester Capstone Project

The program requires 7-10 credits of coursework (summer research can substitute for a course in the individualized track), plus a capstone. Six credits can count against core requirement — enhancing your liberal arts studies without taking time away from your majors and other campus opportunities. 

The Honors Program Handbook      Honors Program Advising Checklist

When can I join the Honors Program?

Students applying or transferring  to Hampden-Sydney interested in joining the Honors Program can apply through the student portal, or contact the honors director, Dr. James Frusetta-Ulfhrafn, for more information. 

Students with a 3.5 after their first semester and a 3.3 after their second semester will be invited to join.

Apply to the Honors Program

Honors Program Requirements

If accepted into the program, students are expected to maintain a 3.3 grade point average and must graduate with a 3.3 GPA or higher to receive College Honors. The program requires the following course of study:

First year honors sections.
In the fall semester of the freshman year, all honors scholars are enrolled together in a special honors section of a core course. In addition to fulfilling a requirement of the College core curriculum, this class provides honors students with the opportunity to engage intellectually with each other and with a faculty mentor.

In the sophomore and junior years, students complete two additional requirements:
During the sophomore year, honors students enroll in one of the Honors Seminars 201-202. These interdisciplinary seminars are designed around varied and engaging topics, and are meant to foster intellectual curiosity while building analytical skills. Students may choose one of the following four options to personalize the other requirement:

1) Independent research undertaken in the junior year. Independent research includes a minimum of 3 credit hours. Proposals for independent research must be reviewed and approved by the Honors Council in advance. The course description must specify that it is to count for Honors.

2) Summer research. Students may choose to submit a proposal for participation in the summer research program. To fulfill this option they must complete the approved project, as evaluated by the Honors Council.

3) An additional Honors Seminar 201-202.

4) Honors Reading Seminars. Students may combine three 1-credit HONS 261-262 courses to fulfill this requirement.

In the junior and senior year, honors students undertake the Honors Capstone.
Honors students enroll in HONS 301 in the fall of their junior year. Honors students may appeal to be released from either or both courses, on demonstration of sufficient ability or experience as evaluated by the Honors Council and in consultation with their capstone advisor.

Honors Capstone. The honors capstone promotes independence, self-reliant study, and appreciation of the intricacies of an academic discipline within the broader spectrum of the liberal arts. The senior capstone project allows students to design and implement a year-long project in their major department(s). Students submit a capstone proposal in the junior year, which is then reviewed and approved by the Honors Council. The student’s work is supervised by a committee comprised of departmental representatives and Council members. Successful completion of the capstone includes both an oral defense of the thesis before the supervisory committee and submission of an appropriate scholarly product (e.g., paper, presentation, display, exhibit, performance) at the end of the second semester.

From the Academic Catalogue, updated 8/16/24

Honors Courses

Director: Dr. James C. Frusetta-Ulfhrafn
Faculty of the Divisions of Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences

HONORS 201-202. (3-3) HONORS SEMINAR. Consideration of a selected topic designed to introduce students to modes of inquiry and underlying assumptions of various disciplines. Prerequisite: Honors scholar status; permission of the Honors Council required. Offered: 201 in the fall semester; 202 in the spring semester.

HONORS 261, 262, 361, 362, 461, 462. (1) HONORS READING SEMINAR. A small-group seminar course normally meeting weekly and following one book over the course of a semester. Students participate in and take turns leading discussions. Additional reading, speaking, and writing assignments may be given. Open to honors scholars (sophomore and above level) and to other students with instructor’s permission. Up to six courses can be taken for up to six hours counting toward graduation. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each semester.

HONORS 301. (1) HONORS PROPOSALS. Students participating in the Honors Capstone take Honors 301 in the fall semester of their junior year. This course explores how research is framed in different disciplines and develops students’ abilities to prepare a full proposal that illustrates the aims, process, and anticipated outcomes of a capstone project. Offered: fall semester.

HONORS 497-498. (3 to 6 credit hours each semester) HONORS CAPSTONE. Students participating in the Honors Capstone may undertake, under the guidance of an advisory committee, three to six hours of original scholarship during each semester of the senior year. Prerequisites: senior status and designation as an Honors Scholar; approval of proposed scholarship by members of the Honors Council. Offered: 497 in the fall semester; 498 in the spring semester.

From the Academic Catalogue, updated 8/16/24

Evin Burton ’25

Evin Burton ’25 took a deep dive this summer into the world of Noh theatre, focusing on how Western notions of theatre inform our perception of the unique Japanese theatre style.

Evin Burton ’25

Honors Program

Dr. James W. Frusetta-Ulfhrafn, Director
Elliott Associate Professor of History
Maples Hall, 006
Hampden-Sydney College | Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943
(434) 223-7206
jfrusetta@hsc.edu

Information icon