Texas Public University Honors Colleges and Honors Programs
Honors education is characterized by in-class and extracurricular activities that are measurably broader, deeper, or more complex than comparable learning experiences typically found at institutions of higher education. Honors experiences include a distinctive learner-directed environment and philosophy, provide opportunities that are appropriately tailored to fit the institution's culture and mission, and frequently occur within a close community of students and faculty (Definition provided by the National Collegiate Honors Council/NCHC).
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For Students: Honors Program Opportunities
Honors participation as an undergraduate student is completely different from achieving honors status in high school. Don't count yourself out --instead, spend time envisioning yourself as a university honors student.
As you explore prospective university campuses, we encourage you to visit with an honors representative. Just as you tour residence halls, discuss course offerings and majors, explore career paths and submit financial aid packages, a meeting with an honors representative will provide valuable insight in understanding the overall university community.
Texas honors administrators were invited to share key concepts surrounding honors. A sampling of their responses are provided here:
--University honors participation provides an exciting range of personal and professional growth opportunities in a challenging academic environment, with the characteristics of each university program as unique as the students they serve.
--Honors programs provide a deeper learning experience with Liberal Arts exposure, focus on individual connections for students, and offer scholarship/financial aid resources.
--Honors offers a smaller learning community, more support and better connections for your next steps.
--College can be intimidating. A "home base" is provided through honors participation.
--Honors assists in identifying your next steps academically and in terms of career planning.
--Honors participation provides individualized instruction, mentoring, one-on-one interactions, collaboration and connections with departments across the campus.
--Honors provides a value-added classroom experience advancing who you will become through your college experience.
--Honors offers the best of both worlds -- providing access to the full range of campus resources with individual attention.
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Honors Resources
Each honors college and program in Texas is structured differently. They reflect the mission and learning environment of their respective campus.
General information and resources regarding Honors Colleges and Honors Programs is provided below:
A Directory of Texas public 2- and 4-year honors program administrators was created in 2022 to facilitate local, regional and statewide collaboration. This directory is in the process of being updated (here)
The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) has identified best practices that are common to successful and fully developed honors colleges.
Additionally, the National Collegiate Honors Council has identified a number of best practices that are common to successful and fully developed honors programs.
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College Board National Recognition Programs grant students academic honors that can be included on college applications. Colleges use these honors to identify students from underrepresented groups who have excelled on their PSAT/NMSQT and in their classrooms (CollegeBoard).
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Texas Public University Honors Colleges & Programs
List of all Texas public university honors websites, here.
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Angelo State University (ASU)
Lamar University (LAMAR)
Midwestern State University (MSUTexas)
Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU)
Sam Houston State University (SHSU)
Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU)
Sul Ross State University (SULROSS)
Tarleton State University (TARLETON)
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU)
Texas A&M University (TAMU)
Texas A&M Univ.-Central Texas (pending)
Texas A&M University-Commerce (TAMUC)
Texas A&M Univ.-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC)
Texas A&M University-Galveston (TAMUG)
Texas A&M University-Kingsville (pending)
Texas A&M Univ.-San Antonio (TAMUSA)
Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT)
Texas Southern University (TSU)
Texas State University (TXSTATE)
Texas Tech University (TTU)
Texas Woman's University (TWU)
University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
University of Texas at Austin (UTEXAS)
University of Texas at Dallas (UTDALLAS)
University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)
Univ. of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB)
Univ. of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)
University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)
University of Texas at Tyler (UTTYLER)
University of Houston (UH)
University of Houston-Clear Lake (coming soon)
University of Houston-Downtown (UHD)
University of Houston-Victoria (UHV)
University of North Texas (UNT)
University of North Texas-Dallas (pending)
West Texas A&M University (WTAMU)