The honors program enhances the education of some of our finest students within an eight-credit-hour curriculum that allows them to work intensively with a single professor in the production of a project relevant to their career or graduate education interests. The projects vary widely in scope. Some students elect creative works in music, drama, or spatial arts. Others may do specialized research on historical or literary topics. Students in the sciences may wish to complete original research. Often, topics will be interdisciplinary. In all cases, students' projects are begun and completed with the approval and close support of the honors committee, their divisions, and their readers, as explained in the sequence below.

Successful honors students find that participation in this program not only brings them closer to professionals in their chosen fields, but also grants them substantial credentials in their applications to graduate schools or employment opportunities.

The honors program at Rocky Mountain College is open to students who, at completion of the second semester of their sophomore year, have achieved a GPA of 3.40 or better or are recommended by a faculty member. Interested students may also petition the honors committee for admittance to the program.

Honors students enjoy reserved carrels in the library, freedom from academic overload fees (students are exempt from overload fees due to enrollment in their honors courses; any extra credits students taken beyond the 19 non-honors credits would normally be subject to the overload fee), and an increase in scholarship assistance as they pursue projects during their senior year (honors students enrolled in HON490 are eligible for a $300 scholarship each semester they are enrolled in HON490).

Spring semester junior year

Approved entrants participate in HON309, Honors Proposal Development. Students will spend the semester selecting and developing topics related to their major field of study, and will produce a research proposal to be presented to the Honors committee for approval. Only well-developed proposals will be approved for academic support and possible funding by the committee. Students who successfully defend their proposals then move forward with their projects, taking two semesters of HON490 as well as HON409 (Fall) and HON491 (Spring) during their senior year.

Fall semester senior year

Honors students commence work on their projects in HON490, Senior Honors Project, as well as participate in a leadership course, HON409.

Spring semester senior year

Honors students register for a second semester of HON490, Senior Honors Project as well as HON491, Project Presentation, a rehearsal seminar climaxing in the graded public presentation of the completed project. In cases of mid-year graduation, HON491 will also be provided for the fall semester.

HON309 - Honors Proposal Development

Semester: Spring
Semester hours: 2
The goal of this course is to produce a research proposal of the highest academic caliber. Students will spend the semester selecting and developing relevant topics, learning the methodology of research design, formulating analytical research questions, and gathering scholarly research related to their chosen course of study. At the end of the semester the proposal is presented to the Honors committee for approval, and only proposals approved by the committee will receive academic support. Proposals not approved may be resubmitted, at the discretion of the committee, with appropriate modifications.

HON409 - Leadership

Semester: Fall
Semester hours: 1
A course that considers classical and contemporary leadership issues and focuses on an issue determined by students and the faculty instructor.
Co-requisite: HON 490

HON490 - Senior Honors Project

Semester: Fall and Spring
Semester hours: 4; 2 credits each semeste
Students undertake senior papers/projects approved by the honors committee and their divisions. Students sign a contract with their faculty readers (mentors) outlining their objectives, timelines and final project. Students are expected to finish a rough draft of their projects by midterm of their second semester. Copies of the completed paper or a description of the project are due to the first (and second) reader and the director of the honors program by 4 p.m. on the second Friday in April (fourth Friday in November for those planning to graduate in December). Students present their projects to the college community in the second week before finals in each semester.
Prerequisite: HON 309 and HON 409
Co-requisite: HON 309 and HON 409

HON491 - Project Presentation Seminar

Semester: Spring
Semester hours: 1
A regular meeting of honors students preparing to deliver graded public presentations of their senior honors projects. Rehearsals, student and mentor critiques, use of audio/visual aids, and presentation techniques constitute the foci of these workshops.
Co-requisite: HON 490