Department website: https://www.atu.edu/honors

University Honors is a long-held tradition firmly committed to creating a community of scholars. Honors provides intellectual and personal growth opportunities in a unique environment that supports rational query, critical analyses, curiosity, exploration, and thoughtfulness. With University Honors, you become trailblazers joining a vibrant community of minds that hunger for knowledge, yearn for connection, and dream of leaving the world a brighter, bolder place. As a member of University Honors, you will be expected to challenge your pre-existing beliefs, think creatively, and engage meaningfully with your peers in small, innovative Honors courses designed with you in mind.

Honors classes are interactive and discussion-based for highly motivated students, with opportunities for interdisciplinary studies. Faculty are selected for Honors courses based on thought-provoking coursework and their ability to create an innovative, exciting, learning environment. The work and course of study in Honors are challenging, and you are up to the challenge as a member of University Honors. Know that Faculty and your Honors classmates will set the bar a little higher.

If you are a high school student and are thinking about joining University Honors, you should apply in the fall of your senior year, as soon as the application opens. The deadline for applications is noon on December 15

University Honors Scholars are selected through a competitive process requiring admission to Tech, a written essay, and at least one interview. You cannot apply to University Honors before you have been admitted to Tech. To be eligible for University Honors, the high school student must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher, and either be in the top 10% of their high-school graduating class or have an ACT Composite of 27 or higher.

Scholars in University Honors take Honors-specific General Education courses designed to meet their unique abilities. Sophomores are required to complete volunteer projects; Juniors must elevate the incoming Freshmen as peer mentors during the junior year. Seniors must complete a Senior Honors Project of their choosing, and present their project at the Annual ATU Research Symposium.

Scholars selected for University Honors may receive stipends in addition to any academic scholarships Tech has designated for them.¹ University Honors Scholars also have enhanced opportunities, preferred preregistration and housing selection, living in our Honors Living/Learning Community, individually directed study with Faculty, and special recognition at commencement. The prescribed curriculum for the University Honors program is provided below. 

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University Honors stipends are not eligible for Academic Intervention or Summer Earn Back programs.