Honors website

The hallmark of a university education is the cultivation of intentional learners who adapt to new settings, integrate knowledge quickly, and continue to learn throughout their lives. Such intentional learners are informed about their social and natural milieu, empowered by their analytical and critical thinking skills, and awakened to their responsibilities as citizens in a diverse democracy.

The University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS) Honors Program serves rigorously trained students who share a desire to become intentional learners. Honors at UCCS offers students a choice of two levels of participation: University Honors or Mountain Lion Honors. Students in both programs work with specifically selected and highly qualified faculty in smaller class settings, thus encouraging them to engage in a collaborative, vigorous intellectual life that prepares them for admission to and success in graduate and professional schools. Both University and Mountain Lion Honors students also have access to the Honors Lounge in Library 231, are afforded early registration privileges, enhanced library check-out privileges, are given the opportunity to live on the Honors Floor in UCCS Housing, and are given special recognition at UCCS graduation and on UCCS transcripts.

University Honors and Mountain Lion Honors students enter as a cohort, taking a special section of the First-Year Seminar, called Gray Matters, designed specifically for them. Then, during their next three years, University Honors students enroll in at least four Honors dedicated and/or designated courses, usually smaller sections of courses reserved especially for honors students. Finally, both University and Mountain Lion Honors students return together for a senior-level Honors Seminar in which they and their colleagues reflect upon their experiences, discuss their plans for the future, and develop a senior capstone project.

Each spring semester a unique seminar series is held on campus. These lectures, film and book series, and other activities are reserved exclusively for those in University and Mountain Lion Honors. These experiences help to enrich the curricular experience and serve to make Honors students at UCCS an active and engaged learning community.