Our curriculum consists of four categories: core classes, elective classes, one beyond-the-classroom experience and a senior thesis. Together these make up the 45 credit hours necessary to graduate with honors from the South Carolina Honors College. You may choose to fulfill these requirements in ways that work with your major, minor or personal interests (i.e., there is no specific order in which you must take certain classes). You may also complete more than 45 credit hours, if desired.
Required Courses*
As part of a well-rounded, liberal arts education, you will take classes in multiple subjects. A detailed breakdown of the curriculum is below. While college credit earned from AP, IB or dual enrollment classes can advance degree progress, please note these credits cannot be used to exempt any Honors College course requirements.
| REQUIREMENTS | CREDITS REQUIRED | COURSES |
|---|---|---|
| English or Literature | 3 | Any English composition or literature course |
| History of Civilization | 3 | Any history of civilization course |
| Humanities | 3 | Any humanities course |
| Social/Behavioral Science | 3 | Any social or behavioral science course |
| Natural Science with Lab | 4 | Any natural science course with associated laboratory course |
| Analysis | 3 | Mathematics, logic, statistics, computer science or other related course |
| Electives | 19 | Any Honors course; up to 9 credit hours can be satisfied through additional beyond-the-classroom experience |
| Beyond the Classroom | 3 | Honors service learning course, undergraduate research, internship or study away (may be a non-Honors course) |
| Thesis Prep (SCHC 390) | 1 | Senior thesis preparation course, usually taken spring semester of the junior year |
| Thesis (SCHC 499) | 3 | One credit taken fall semester of the senior year and two credits completed in the final semester |
| Total | 45 |
Progression Requirements
| End of Year | First-year (1st year) | Sophomore (2nd year) | Junior (3rd year) | Senior (4th year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPA | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
| Minimum Honors Credits Completed | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 |
*A student must maintain a cumulative 3.3 GPA in order to graduate with honors from the University of South Carolina. Students must earn a “C” or better in each Honors course in order for these credits to satisfy curriculum requirements.