The Honors College at SAU

Those of us involved with the Honors College are delighted you want to learn more about us by visiting this website. We hope the information provided here will allow you to understand the scope and depth of SAU’s Honors College and our commitment to academic achievement.
Students in the Honors College take up to eighteen hours of General Education classes together. The Honors College General Education classes allow Honors College students to learn and achieve together in small classes designed to enhance their academic preparation for whatever career goals they may have. Some of the classes available in the General Education curriculum are world history, literature, art appreciation, film appreciation, psychology, U.S. history, philosophy, and Honors Seminar, the first class taken by all Honors College students. Honors College students must complete a minimum of 24 total hours of honors courses in order to receive an honors degree.
The Honors College student population is quite diverse. While most come from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and other states, some come from around the world. Honors students have traveled from Canada, Bulgaria, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Yugoslavia, Nigeria, Vietnam, China,Venezuela, Cameroon, Malaysia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Korea, Tunisia, Togo, Bahamas, and India to participate in our program.
Students in the Honors College have an opportunity to take trips together. In the past students have visited historic and educational places, including Vicksburg and Natchez, Mississippi, and Arkansas’ own Eureka Springs. More recently, honors students visited three museums in Ft. Worth, the Clinton Presidential Library, and the Heifer buidling. Honors students also receive full financial support to attend professional meetings in order to present their academic work or research. In 2010, four students traveled by train to Greenville, SC in order to present papers at the Southern Regional Honors Council (SRHC). In 2011, eight students traveled to Little Rock to present papers at the SRHC meeting. Students have presented posters at the last three meetings of the National Collegiate Honors Council held in New Orleans, Denver, and Chicago. Six students will present posters in Seattle in 2016.
Students in the Honors College have an opportunity to live together in Honors Hall, a residence hall for Honors College students. This residence hall offers them a quiet environment in which to live and learn. Honors Hall also has a computer lab and a classroom, where some Honors College classes are taught.
Students who qualify and participate in the honors program will also receive a $600 a year stipend in addition to their academic scholarships.
Students who complete the course requirements of the Honors College will receive special recognition at graduation and will receive the distinction as “Southern Arkansas University Honors College Graduate” on their transcripts and diplomas.
Recent Blog Posts
- Honors Grads Earn PhDs
We received word recently that two graduates of the Honors College had earned PhD degrees. One was in Chemical Engineering (Corbitt, University of Arkansas) and the other was in Biology (Dhungana, University of Missouri).Kiley Corbitt (right, and also an SAU Honors College grad) celebrates with her husband Dr. Joshua Corbitt.Dr. Singha Dhungana and his wife celebrate his PhD in Biology.The […]
- Food Summit Report
Hunger Summit Summary Report(by Dani Mesick & Michael Flowers)Honors Arkansas and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance recently held an event in Little Rock: The College Hunger Summit. Here is a report by: SAU AmeriCorps+VISTA Fellows ● Student Panel: Defining the Problem A panel of students from varying backgrounds discussed statistics on how hunger impacts college students. On […]
- Big Award Day at LPA
The annual Liberal and Performing Arts College's award ceremony was held on 14 April 2022. Three students: Madelynne West (Theatre), Mackenzie Downs (Political Science), and Kel Vin Tee (Psychology) received awards from their respective departments. In addition, West was named the outstanding student in the College.Madelynne West holding her awardsMadelynne will continue her studies soon at the […]
- Jonathan Mitchell Travels to SWPA
Jonathan Mitchell presenting his poster at SWPA and showing his Mulerider Pride!The Southwestern Psychological Association (SWPA) held its first in person meeting in two years in Baton Rouge recently. Among the attendees and presenters was honors student Jonathan Mitchell. His poster was titled:Factors contributing to burn out in college studentsThat, obviously, is a timely topic given […]