Honors is going to Footloose!
We will meet at the Honors House at 6:45 and walk over together! Reserve your free ticket below.
Most Honors events are open to all MSU Denver students! Honors students earn co-curricular points for attending events.
Register now for summer courses!
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.
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.
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.
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. This program promotes community engagement, interdisciplinary study, and independent research and creative scholarship.
The Honors Program is open to any student who wishes to apply. Admission is based primarily on the essay submissions. The essays are the focus of our admissions process because they help us to determine if the program is a good fit for the applicant. Honors is a good fit for students who are excited about learning and thinking critically about topics and ideas beyond their major; participating in a dynamic community of learners; completing an independent research or creative project as part of their degree process.
Essays will be evaluated on both form and content. The essays should demonstrate good control of language and clear organization of ideas. They should also include content that gives a clear sense of who you are, your interests, goals, and personal perspectives.
If a student is denied admission, based on their essays, they are encouraged to rewrite and resubmit their essays for reconsideration. The Writing Center offers support to students for the re-application process.
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 remaining (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!
Good standing means being active in the program by taking at least one honors course per academic year and passing honors courses with B- or better. Participation in co-curricular events also indicates active participation in the Program and earns units that count towards the honors distinction.
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.**
Students wishing to apply to the MSU Denver Honors Program should complete the Honors Application and submit it to the Honors Program. Applications will be evaluated on an ongoing basis for the following semester.
The application form requires the following information:
Please be advised that the Honors Program House has stairs at the entrance and is not wheelchair accessible. Please contact Jennifer O’Dell to schedule an appointment in another location if needed.
If you have questions, please contact the Honors Program, or call 303-615-1154.
Date/Time: T/R 9:30-10:45
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Maria Akrabova
Description: In this colloquium, students will examine historical and contemporary artifacts such as political documents, food, poetry, clothing, video, fiction, and non-fiction from the perspectives of cultural, social, political, and personal forces that shaped each artifact. Specific artifacts from the 19th and 20th centuries will include such items as Vietnamese paintings, Romanian eggs, Indian clothing, and African children’s books.
After discussions, students will respond creatively in writing to evidence their prediction, comparison, and synthesis of primary documents with their own chosen contemporary artifacts. For the final project, students will synthesize learning of paired historical and contemporary documents into student-created a1tifacts, formal research reports, and class presentations.
Date/Time: M/W 12:30-1:45 (online hybrid-synchronous)
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Adam Graves
Description: This colloquium explores major topics and questions in moral psychology through the lens of the classic Hollywood epics of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Moral psychology names an interdisciplinary field that compares and critically evaluates ethical theories by examining them in light of the behaviors humans exhibit in particular morally charged contexts. Generally speaking, moral psychology traditionally relied upon the resources of mythology, literature, testimony and philosophical thought experiments.
Today, the unique narrative dimension of film offers a new and remarkably rich stock of examples from which one can draw fresh insight into the nature of human morality. This seminar will utilize film as a means for examining competing moral theories from a wide range of disciplines and authors, including philosophers (Plato, Aristotle and Kant), theologians (St. Paul, Augustine and Kierkegaard), and psychoanalytic theorist (Freud and Lacan/Zizek). Topics will include: the limits of human freedom and responsibility; competing conceptions of virtue and goodness; the nature and diversity of human error; the relationship between desire and evil; etc.
Date/Time: T/R 11:00-12:15
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Bridget Arend
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: This course is for students new to the Honors Program and explores current theories, research, and applied practices regarding how people learn. Students analyze research-based strategies and emerging ideas about learning from social and behavioral sciences and include relevant ideas from different disciplines. Offered in a colloquium style, students discuss and debate learning issues, self-assess their own learning strategies, and apply learning theories to their own practice.
(does not currently fulfill General Studies credit)
Date/Time: M/W 11:00-12:15
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Julie Clockston
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: This course is an interdisciplinary inquiry where students learn about the dynamics of social change. Discussions focus on important examples of radical social transformation throughout history and from around the globe. Students explore definitions and theoretical models that can be used to explain and institute change. Students are also encouraged to learn about and connect with community-based organizations involved in creating change and promoting social justice. Some sections of this course may be offered as Service Learning courses.
General Studies: (Social and Behavioral Sciences, Global Diversity)
Date/Time: T/R 12:30-1:45 (Hybrid synchronous in-person)
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Ferrell
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: In this course students learn about the initial discoveries that sparked new scientific fields and about the subsequent revolutions caused by such discoveries. By examining the role of the scientific method in the production of knowledge, students improve their own scientific literacy and learn to critically examine historical scientific experiments. Students investigate the methodologies used, the theories and hypotheses tested, and manipulate original data created in selected experiments. Course discussions also examine the complex relationship between science and world views.
Date/Time: T/R 12:30-1:45 (Hybrid synchronous in-person)
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Ferrell
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: In this course students learn about the initial discoveries that sparked new scientific fields and about the subsequent revolutions caused by such discoveries. By examining the role of the scientific method in the production of knowledge, students improve their own scientific literacy and learn to critically examine historical scientific experiments. Students investigate the methodologies used, the theories and hypotheses tested, and manipulate original data created in selected experiments. Course discussions also examine the complex relationship between science and world views.
Date/Time: M/W 9:30-10:45
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Jason Jordan
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
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: M/W 9:30-10:45
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Kishore Kulkarni
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: TBA
General Studies: Business/Social and Behavioral Sciences
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 2:00-3:15
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Jessica Parker
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description:Students explore the expectations that shape scientific writing in their various scientific disciplines and employ the correct forms, interpret and synthesize the literature and present their researched writing to various audiences. Students draw on research appropriate for discipline-specific publications and/or conference presentations. During this course, students transform their work into publishable/presentable texts with the guidance of instructor feedback and peer review. This course is ideal for students who are majoring in a science discipline.
Note: B- or better required for Honors credit.
General Studies: Written Communication
Date/Time: Online
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Jane Vigil
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description: This course introduces key concepts and practices of professional writing, including various written genres, research, document design and visual rhetoric, and use of style guides. Students explore the expectations that shape professional writing such as how to employ the correct forms, interpret and synthesize the literature and present their researched writing to various audiences. During this course, students learn to transform their work into sharable documents with the guidance of instructor feedback and peer review. This course is ideal for students to develop and polish writing skills that will be needed for their career.
Note: B- or better required for Honors credit.
General Studies: Written Communication
Date/Time: Thursday, 2:00-4:50 (Hybrid, Synchronous In-person)
Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Philip Bernhardt
Prerequisite(s): Enrollment in the Honors Program or Permission from the Honors Director
Description:In this senior experience course, students will have opportunities to synthesize the knowledge, skills, and theoretical constructs learned throughout their undergraduate studies. Students will design an action research project relevant to their field of study, discipline, and/or profession. The course requires students to identify applicable research topics, formulate research questions, analyze the quality and credibility of research, synthesize research to develop and organize a literature review, select appropriate research designs and methods, and develop a research proposal aligned with the elements and requirements outlined by MSU Denver’s IRB process and Human Subjects Protection Program. Students will have the opportunity to present and discuss their research proposals to demonstrate developed expertise.
Note: B- or better required for Honors credit.
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
Connect with the Honors Program!