The University Honors College combines the benefits of a liberal arts college curriculum with the opportunities of an urban research university. The College centrally engages Portland State’s mission to “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” and draws on Portland State’s institutional commitment to community engagement, sustainability and internationalization as well as its civic leadership and its location in downtown Portland. The College serves high-achieving, academically-motivated students by providing an engaged and challenging educational experience using the city of Portland as a living/learning laboratory.
Students have the opportunity to work closely with faculty on applied research projects, to network through internships and to take advantage of the resources of a large urban institution in the space of an intimate College. Students who participate in this unique and challenging curricular experience will graduate with University Honors in their chosen field.
The Honors College offers courses in the theory and methods of the human, natural, and social sciences, opportunities for independent study, honors colloquia and the production of a baccalaureate thesis. Honors College classes are small, and students work closely with advisers both in the College and in the academic departments of the University to plan their work toward the degree.
The University Honors College engages faculty from across the campus, giving students the opportunity to work with our finest teachers and researchers.
Degree Maps and Learning Outcomes
To view the degree map and expected learning outcomes for University Honors' undergraduate degree, go to www.pdx.edu/undergraduate-programs.
Eligibility and admission
Interested students must complete a separate application to the University Honors College available on the Honors website: www.pdx.edu/honors. All students admitted to the University Honors College must first be admitted to Portland State University.
First-Year Students (entering from high school) minimum criteria:
Writing samples and letters of recommendation are also considered for application. Student who may not meet these criteria but provide examples of outstanding achievements are also invited to apply.
- 3.50 cumulative un-weighted high school GPA
OR
- 1820 on the SAT
OR
- 27 on the ACT
Transfer/Current PSU Student minimum criteria:
- Transfer college cumulative 3.25 GPA
OR
- PSU cumulative 3.25 GPA
Graduation Requirements
All University Honors College (UHC) students must complete a required number of honors courses (see below) and a thesis/creative project supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. To graduate from the University Honors College, they must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25.
UHC students entering as first-year students (30 credits or below):
|
Credits
|
|
Foundations: Hon 101, Hon 102, Hon 103
|
15
|
|
Methods: Hon 201, Hon 202, Hon 203
|
12
|
|
Total lower-division
|
|
|
Honors credits required
|
27
|
|
UHC seminars Hon 407
|
4-12
|
|
Thesis research and project Hon 401, Hon 403
|
6-10
|
|
Internship
|
0-8
|
|
Departmental Honors seminars
|
0-8
|
|
Honors contracts
|
0-4
|
|
Honors colloquia
|
0-4
|
|
Total upper-division credits required
|
18
|
UHC transfer students entering with lower-division standing (31-89 credits):
|
Credits
|
|
Methods: Hon 201, Hon 202, Hon 203
|
12
|
|
Total lower-division Honors credits required
|
12
|
|
UHC seminars Hon 407
|
4-12
|
|
Thesis research and project Hon 401, Hon 403
|
6-10
|
|
Internship
|
0-8
|
|
Departmental Honors seminars
|
0-8
|
|
Honors contracts
|
0-4
|
|
Honors colloquia
|
0-4
|
|
Total upper-division credits required
|
18
|
UHC transfer students entering with upper-division standing (more than 90 credits):
|
Credits
|
|
UHC seminars Hon 407
|
0-12
|
|
Thesis research and project Hon 401, Hon 403 (or departmental prefix)
|
6-10
|
|
Internship
|
0-8
|
|
Departmental Honors seminars
|
0-8
|
|
Honors contracts
|
0-4
|
|
Honors colloquia
|
0-4
|
|
Total upper-division credits required
|
18
|
Honors students are exempt from University Studies requirements.
Honors courses count towards the baccalaureate distribution requirements in the following way:
Hon 101, Hon 102, Hon 103 meets 8 credits in the area of arts and letters and 4 in the social science distribution area.
Hon 201 meets 4 credits in the area of the social sciences.
Hon 202 meets 4 credits in the area of arts and letters.
Hon 203 meets 4 credits in the area of the sciences.
Completing this sequence also includes 3 credits of Wr 121.
Completing this Hon 201-203 sequence would also meet the University's lower-division writing requirement.
Honors Curriculum
First year: Foundations
The Global City
Hon 101, Hon 102, Hon 103 (15 credits)
This year-long sequence introduces ways to think critically about the urban environment and the interdependence between the city and the global world. It begins the study of representations and perceptions of the city, the city in historical context, and the processes that shape the city’s geopolitical manifestations. Class size limited to 30.
Second year: Methods
Urban Discourses
Hon 201, Hon 202, Hon 203 (12 credits)
Three connected courses on research methods: Urban Social Structure / Urban Culture/ Urban Ecology. These courses emphasize undergraduate research, with the city of Portland serving as archive, stage, and laboratory.
Hon 201
Students explore the concepts and systems by which cities operate through the application of primarily qualitative social science methodologies, such as ethnography and spatial/geographic analysis.
Hon 202
This course examines the urban surround, this time through the lens of the humanities, by careful examination of artifacts, texts, and cultural institutions.
Hon 203
Students explore the concepts and ecological systems by which cities operate through the application of primarily quantitative science methodologies.
Third year: Knowledge and Praxis "Let Knowledge Serve the City"
Seminars. (4-12 credits)
Students may choose from a wide variety of interdisciplinary seminars broadly focused around key methodological and interdisciplinary questions today. Honors seminars in the student’s individual majors, if offered, are required and will substitute for University Honors seminars. Class size limited to 20.
Honors colloquia (0-4 credits)
Faculty from across campus can propose Honors colloquia open to all Honors students. These 1 to 4 credit experiences should provide creative and engaging projects for students in a small alternative class. Examples of honors colloquia might include:
- attending the Portland arts and lecture series with a faculty, then participating in a discussion and then writing a critical response;
- Oregon urban/rural boundary tour: a five day ecological tour of wild spaces just at the end of Portland's urban boundary.
Internships (0-8 credits)
Internship opportunities are available Portland, Or, focused around organizations that serve multiple aspects of the urban experience, for example, OHSU, the National Institute for Health, the Smithsonian, the Portland Art Museum, the Multnomah County Library, Mercy Corps.
Fourth year: Community Engagement and Scholarship
Research and Thesis (6-10 credits)
Students will have the opportunity to take a short thesis prospectus course through the Honors College as well as research credits in their majors as students work closely with faculty advisors in their home departments. Additionally, students will work together throughout the year of their thesis research to better understand the public dimensions of their work. Part of their end-of-year defense will be to invite community partners and other public participants to discuss the implications of their work.