University Honors Scholars

Competitive 4-year Honors Program with an enhanced liberal arts core and a focus on undergraduate research.

[The final cohort of the UHS program was recruited in Fall 2020. For information on the ETSU Honors Programs currently accepting new students, click here.]

 

The University Honors Scholars Program

From it's beginnings in 1993, the University Honors Scholars Program served as the most competitive and elite of ETSU's honors programs. It was the only full academic scholarship honors program at ETSU. This highly-selective program admitted its final class in Fall 2020. Applicants had to have a minimum ACT of 29 and high school GPA of 3.5.

UHS students participate in a rigorous academic curriculum of honors courses, many of which meet their general education requirements, while also being engaged in degree programs across the university. The curriculum culminates in a year-long honors thesis project. An enhanced liberal arts honors core, undergraduate research and creative activity, and experiential learning are the cornerstones of the program.

The UHS program has a 94% graduation rate. Our graduates go on to do amazing things, including

  • attending medical school at ETSU Quillen, UT, Wake Forrest, Ohio State, Emory, and Midwestern
  • attending pharmacy school at ETSU Gatton, UT, and the University of Arkansas
  • attending law school at University of Chicago, Villanova, Lincoln Memorial, and the University of Alabama
  • pursuing PhD degrees in Bioengineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, in Physics at Clemson, in Biological Anthropology at Binghamton University, and in Health Psychology at UNC Charlotte,
  • Earning master's degrees in International Relations at King's College London, in Accounting from Ohio State, in Nursing from Vanderbilt, in English from the University of Georgia, in Public Health from UT, in Fisheries and Aquaculture from the University of Georgia, and in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dayton
  • Accepting jobs as a forensic accountant at the FBI, as a laboratory tech at Eastman Chemical, as an animator in Hollywood, nurses at JCMC, a software engineer for the Department of Defense, an English teacher in France, and a Construction Estimator/Planner for Wilson & Associates.

 

The Scholarship

Admission was highly competitive; 22 funded scholars were admitted each fall. These full academic scholarships include 8 semesters of full in-state and out-of-state tuition, mandatory fees, course fees up to $800/semester, room and board (a standard residence hall and meal package), and a $500 book stipend each semester.

The Curriculum

  • HUMT 1218 & ENGL/PHIL 1228 Honors Quest for Meaning and Values I & II (6 hours)
    • an honors, two-semester, interdisciplinary first-year seminar in English and Philosophy
  • UHON 1108, 2108, 3108, & 4108 Honors Colloquium (8 hours total)
    • a one-hour course each semester that focuses on personal and professional development, campus engagement, and community service  
  • Honors Artistic Experience (3 hours)
    • a special honors section of a Fine Arts general education course taught specifically for the University Honors Scholars cohort and emphasizing experiential learning.
  • PHYS 1218 Great Ideas in Science (3 hours)
    • an interdisciplinary honors seminar on some of the main shifts in scientific thinking
  • Honors Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or Honors Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3 hours)
    • a special honors cohort section of one of these social and behavioral sciences general-education courses
  • Honors Sophomore Literature Survey (3 hours)
    • a special honors section of one of the honors literature sophomore surveys that count for the literature general education
  • UHON 3008 Foundations of Research (2 hours)
  • Honors Thesis (6 hours)
    • a year-long, faculty-led research or creative activity capstone in the student's major
  • Honors Electives (12 hours)
    • Honors enriched courses, study abroad, internships, or other forms of experiential learning

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