Curriculum

What is the Honors College curriculum?   

• Inquiry-based learning
• Evidence-based reasoning
• Engaging multiple perspectives
• Unique approach to general education (alternative to the Mason Core)
• Small seminars  
  
  

Honors College Curriculum at a Glance

Honors Seminars: 

• Foundations 
  Introduces practices for identifying and pursuing lines of inquiry and articulating the civic and scholarly significance of findings.
  • New Students:
    • HNRS 110 Principles of Research & Inquiry
    • HNRS 111 Honors College Colloquium 
  • Continuing and Transfer Students:
    • HNRS 302 Principles of Research & Inquiry for Transfer Students
    • HNRS 111 Honors College Colloquium 
• Inquiry in the Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
  Focused lines of inquiry in the arts, humanities, and social sciences that stress critical reading, writing and thinking skills.
  • HNRS 122 Reading the Arts
  • HNRS 130 Identity, Community, and Difference
  • HNRS 131 Contemporary Social Issues
  • HNRS 240 Reading the Past 

Students may be able to use current courses and AP/IB/DE credit to substitute for courses in the ”Inquiry” category.   

• Civic Engagement 
  Explores roles and responsibilities in society and addresses issues of public or community concern.
  • HNRS 260 Society & Community Engagement   
• Multi-Disciplinary Challenges 
  Addresses complex challenges through scholarly research or experiential learning.
  • HNRS 360 Multi-Disciplinary Topics 

Requirements Beyond HNRS Seminars:

• Natural Sciences 
  Honors College students must complete their major’s Natural Science requirement.  
• Quantitative Reasoning 
  The Honors College curriculum defaults to your major’s quantitative reasoning requirement.  

 
* Notes: Honors College students do not need to take Mason Core requirements if they complete Honors College requirements specified above. If you have taken Mason Core courses prior to joining the Honors College, some of the courses will be counted as general electives and others may substitute for certain HNRS seminars. Please check out these slides detailing how Mason Core courses will be counted for the Honors College. 

Honors College Curriculum at Mason Korea 

During their time at Mason Korea, Honors College students will take the following courses: 

For new students: 

• HNRS 110 Principles of Research and Inquiry (3 credits; offered every Spring)
• HNRS 111 Honors College Colloquium (1 credit; offered every Fall) 

For continuing students: 

• HNRS 302 Principles of Research and Inquiry for Transfer Students (3 credits; offered every Fall)
• HNRS 111 Honors College Colloquium (1 credit; offered every Fall) 

While Honors College students are typically waived from Mason Core requirements and complete Inquiry courses in their place, Mason Korea students have the flexibility to mix and match Mason Core and Inquiry courses to fulfill their degree requirements.

After transitioning to the Fairfax campus, Mason Korea students in the Honors College will continue their participation in the program and complete the following courses: 

• HNRS 260 Society and Community Engagement Topics (3 credits)
• HNRS 360 Multi-Disciplinary Topics (3 credits)