Honors Program courses take the place of Citadel general education requirements but focus on developing analysis and research skills that can then be applied to each student’s chosen area of academic specialization.
Almost all Citadel Honors Program courses replace Citadel general education Strand requirements. The emphasis in Honors Program courses will not primarily be acceleration but, instead, enrichment. Honors courses are multidisciplinary and go into extra depth, examining more closely the significance and implications of the material studied, or presenting that material in a broader cultural context.
In general, Honors courses will employ discussion in order to establish habits of rigorous inquiry and intellectual independence. The plan behind the curriculum creates an environment of learning in which the students’ intellectual habits form. The curriculum teaches the patterns and processes of intellectual and scholarly inquiry – not merely the results of others’ research.
Honors Program students may follow one of two tracks: Gold Seal or Certificate
Upon completing the requirements for a Gold Seal, students receive an Honors certificate, a distinguishing notation on their diploma, and a notation is made on their transcript, highlighting the completion of this top-level program and its requirements.
Students who complete the Honors Certificate requirements receive an Honors certificate. A notation is made on their transcript, highlighting the completion of this program and its requirements.
A note about transfer credits…
The Citadel Registrar will evaluate Advanced Placement (AP) test scores as well as transferred Dual Enrollment (DE) courses and courses taken at other colleges in order to determine which courses transfer and what courses they count as. Transfer courses are usually credited as electives.
The Honors Program offers Honors Program versions of these General Education requirements. This gives Honors Program students the opportunity to satisfy the college’s requirements. It also allows students to participate in engaging Honors Program courses with other academically-focused students and dynamic instructors.
Additionally, our Honors courses are significantly different from both the non-Honors courses they take the place of in The Citadel curriculum in terms of class size, course structure and topics, and student interaction. We believe that this ensures that the Honors Program courses will be significantly different from the AP and transfer courses that high school students experienced.