DON’T FOLLOW. LEAD.
THE HONORS COLLEGE AT PSU
is a vibrant and supportive community of learners with the opportunities and challenges of a rigorous curriculum. The Honors College courses are part of your degree, not in addition to it — courses fulfill general education, writing, and many degree requirements. Honors pairs with any major at PSU.
“HONORS HAS GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW MY PORTFOLIO AND BUILD MY DESIGN EXPERIENCE. WORKING AS AN HONORS COMMUNICATIONS INTERN HAS ALLOWED ME TO WORK ON PROJECTS IN A PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT THAT SUPPORTS MY CREATIVITY AND EXPLORATION.”
Malcolm Church
CURRICULUM
The Honors four-year curriculum (two or three years for transfer students) prepares you step by step to graduate PSU as a published scholar.
FIRST YEAR
Form tight bonds with your peers in a small, year-long course, focused on developing advanced writing skills through intensive study of the urban environment.
SECOND YEAR
Learn how to tackle questions in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities by investigating how researchers approach problems in their fields.
THIRD Discover through seminars, opportunities,
“I ORIGINALLY WANTED TO GO TO A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE, BUT THE COST WAS TOO MUCH TO CONSIDER. I ENDED UP HEARING ABOUT THE HONORS COLLEGE HERE AT PORTLAND STATE, AND LOVED IT AND REALIZED THIS WAS THE PLACE FOR ME.”
BENEFITS OF THE HONORS COLLEGE
Work one-on-one with faculty mentors on your thesis project
Access to internships, research experiences, and study abroad
Fulfills general education requirements
Priority registration
Personalized advising and academic support
Specialized writing center
Dedicated Honors housing
24-hour access to the Honors Commons (student lounge and computer lab)
TRANSFER STUDENTS
THIRD YEAR
Discover yourself in the world through interdisciplinary seminars, internships, research opportunities, or studying abroad.
FOURTH YEAR
Apply your expertise to an in-depth thesis project of your own design. Work alongside a faculty mentor in your major and publish your work in PDX Scholar.
Connect with other new students and faculty in Honors’ unique courses for transfer students, designed to introduce you to Honors writing and research tools and to build a cohort. Continue with second or third year coursework depending on how many college credits have been earned before admission to PSU.
TO APPLY
pdx.edu/honors
honorsadmissions@pdx.edu
Complete the PSU application, Common Application, or Coalition Application and the Honors College supplemental essay questions. If you already submitted the PSU application you can log in to your application portal and submit the supplemental Honors essay questions.
Apply by August 1
For priority consideration for Honors scholarships, apply by January 1.
“WITH A UNIVERSITY AS LARGE AS PSU, BELONGING TO SOMETHING LIKE THE HONORS COLLEGE IS A REALLY SPECIAL THING. FEELING LIKE YOU BELONG AND THAT YOU ARE A PART OF SOMETHING LARGER THAN YOU IS SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.”
Sam Kemp