David S. Durant, Ph.D., is Director of the Honors Program.
The Honors Program at UK serves an important function in the University's commitment to excellence in undergraduate education. Through its special curriculum and related academic activities, the Honors Program provides an unusual course of instruction for outstanding, highly motivated students.
Singletary Scholars, National Merit and National Achievement Semifinalists automatically become members of the Honors Program by completing the application form without writing the required essays.
Students whose academic performance may vary from the above (high GPA and lower test scores, for example) or who have talents and motivation that are not reflected in standardized testing procedures are invited to make their best case for admission to the Honors Program and to solicit recommendations from supportive teachers or supervisors.
Upper-division students at UK or transfer students with one semester or more of academic study at a college or university may apply to the Honors Program. They submit a copy of their college transcripts along with the materials requested of first-year students. All applicants must demonstrate strong academic performance at the college level (3.0 GPA or better).
The Honors Curriculum
The Honors curriculum is designed to acquaint students with major ideas and intellectual developments which have shaped Western culture. The four multi-disciplinary colloquia cover the historical range of thought from the ancient Greeks to the modern era by examining monuments and texts in various media, such as: Plato's Republic, a New York skyscraper, a Beethoven symphony, scientific discoveries by Galileo and Einstein, Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, fairy tales, the Parthenon on the Acropolis, Kafka's Trial, St. Augustine's Confessions, and twentieth-century painting.
The colloquia are taught as interdisciplinary small-format seminars, emphasizing class discussion and exchange, critical thinking, special projects, and regular writing (free-writing, quizzes, essays, exams, and journals), in order to develop these important skills and encourage participatory learning styles.
Honors students are expected to maintain good academic standing to continue in the program; normally this is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. In circumstances when academic performance drops below this level, the Director of the Honors Program will consult with the student to determine whether and by what means the student may restore performance to an acceptable level and may institute a period of probation and review.
During the junior and senior years students complete an independent project -- a work of research or artistic expression, in collaboration with a faculty scholar/researcher -- affording them the chance to identify a challenging topic and to design, carry out, and present their individual work.
Students in the program may elect to live in Boyd and Patterson Halls, study-intensive, co-ed Honors residence halls equipped with a computer lab, seminar rooms, and library.
Other social, service and cultural activities organized by and for Honors students include the Honors Program Student Advisory Council or HPSC (social and service activities), the JR/SR Network (career advising and preparation, support for Independent Project), and JAR, the campus literary magazine published by Honors Program students. Students may also participate in the Journal Project, for which they keep a journal during their undergraduate career, sharing the journal with a staff member, administrator, or faculty member who volunteers as an advisor.
Honors students in good standing are eligible for a number of special grants and scholarships during and at the conclusion of their undergraduate career. These include scholarships based on financial need, grants to support independent research conducted in the U.S. or abroad, scholarships to support study-travel for members of the Journal Project, the Diachun Award for students continuing studies in graduate school, and several other literary, service, and book awards.
How To Apply
Students interested in the Honors Program should write for an application to: