Ohio State and the College of Arts and Sciences is dedicated to creating an environment that promotes the intellectual and personal development of high-ability undergraduate students and offers highly motivated students an enriched academic experience through the integration of curricular and co-curricular programs.
Arts and Sciences Honors Program
The Honors Program in Arts and Sciences provides high-ability students opportunities to pursue challenging academic programs. Honors students are encouraged to construct an enhanced curriculum that includes honors courses, upper-division courses to meet general requirements, rigorous sequences, honors seminars, a minor and a strong major, including a significant research experience.
Students may apply to the Honors Program either before or after enrolling at Ohio State; interested students are encouraged to apply early in their enrollment.
Arts Honors Program
Arts Honors is a track within Arts and Sciences Honors. Students with a major in the following departments and schools follow the Arts Honors track:
- Department of Art
- Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy
- Department of Dance
- Department of Design
- Department of History of Art
- Department of Theatre, Film and Media Arts
- School of Music
Ed Quinn is the Arts Honors Program Manager. His office is located in 100 Denney Hall. Please send an email to quinn.142@osu.edu to schedule an Arts Honors appointment.
Requirements
- 3.4 overall GPA
- 18 credit hours of Honors coursework or Honors-quality coursework
- 9 credit hours over the first 2 years.
- For some majors in the Arts, this is difficult to achieve, due to limited scheduling opportunities in the GE, few Honors offerings in the major programs, and lockstep curriculum in the majors. The Arts standard allows students to defer 3 credit hours until the 3rd year if necessary, reflecting the individualistic, focused nature in the arts.
- 9 credit hours over the second 2 years.
- 9 credit hours over the first 2 years.
- Arts Honors Contract (fulfill 18 credit hours of Honors coursework or Honors-quality coursework per an Honors contract): Students graduate ‘with Honors in the Arts and Sciences.’
- Arts Honors contracts will be reviewed at the conclusion of each academic year. Students will be informed via Ohio State email of their continuance or non-continuance in the program.
- Students in their sophomore year will submit an Arts Honors contract by the conclusion of finals week autumn semester.
- Students who find they need to revise their contract may do so with the Contract Revision Form, which can be submitted to Arts Honors Program Manager, Ed Quinn.
Honors/Honors-quality options:
- Honors/Honors-quality options:
- Honors course
- Upper division course outside major (4000+)
- Upper division elective course in major for 1st and 2nd year students
- Graduate level course
- Honors embedded course (maximum of 3 total)
- Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity (3-5 credit hours)
- Special Individual Study (maximum of 3 total; includes study abroad course not required for the major, internship not required for the major)
- A minor (outside the major)
- Second Major (outside the major)
- Students may petition for other courses/experiences to count
Arts Distinction and Research Distinction
- Most students’ majors encourage or require a capstone or senior project, which can become a distinction project. Arts Honors students may also choose to complete creative theses or research theses.
- Arts Honors students completing a creative thesis in the arts will earn ‘with Honors Distinction’ in their major.
- Arts Honors students completing a research thesis, rather than a creative thesis, will earn ‘with Honors Research Distinction.’
Arts Honors Application Process:
1. Honors Faculty Advisor signature
- Art: George Rush (rush.172@osu.edu)
- Art Education: Richard Fletcher (fletcher.161@osu.edu)
- Arts Management: Richard Fletcher (fletcher.161@osu.edu)
- Dance: Daniel Roberts (roberts.338@osu.edu)
- Design: Matt Lewis (mlewis@accad.osu.edu)
- Film Studies: Janet Parrott (parrott.1@osu.edu)
- History of Art: Kris Paulsen (paulsen.20@osu.edu)
- Moving-Image Production: Janet Parrott (parrott.1@osu.edu)
- Music (all majors): Daryl Kinney (kinney.61@osu.edu)
- Theatre: Janet Parrott (parrott.1@osu.edu)
2. Arts Honors Program Manager Signature
- Ed Quinn, quinn.142@osu.edu, 100 Denney Hall
University Scholars Program
The Ohio State Scholars Program is comprised of 17 unique living and learning communities designed to provide students the chance to live and learn with others who share similar interests and to complement students' academic experiences. Each of the Scholars programs is centered around a theme or area of study and is open to all students regardless of major.
Students must apply to Scholars when filling out the Common Application for admission to Ohio State.
Scholars programs with an Arts and Sciences focus
The Arts Scholars program offers students in any major the opportunity to enhance their educational experience through lectures and specialized workshops, group excursions to museums and professional performances, a juried student art exhibition and performance showcase, community involvement, and domestic and international trips. First-year Arts Scholars live in Baker Hall West on South Campus.
Learn more about Graduating with Distinction in the Arts.
The Biological Science Scholars actively explore the world of science through a combination of academic and co-curricular components. Students are exposed to science at Ohio State, career and graduate program opportunities, and innovative research happenings. Although all majors are welcome and many are represented, a large portion of our students are in science fields (biology, chemistry, animal sciences, microbiology, zoology, neuroscience, etc.), or are considering pre-health graduate programs (medical, dental, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, etc.).
The Humanities Scholars program offers students of any major an enriched study of the liberal arts through beyond-the-classroom programs focusing on literature, language, philosophy, history, culture and other humanities disciplines. Students who enjoy discussing the world and the experiences of humanity will find the Humanities Scholars Program to be an excellent fit.
The International Affairs Scholars program provides rich opportunities for students from all majors who want to gain in-depth understanding of world/global themes, foreign countries and international affairs. IA Scholars explore global issues through political, social and economic lenses while also learning about other cultures. Students in the International Affairs program also have the opportunity each year to study abroad as part of the program.
The Politics, Society and Law Scholars explore current political and legal issues from a practitioner’s perspective via discussions, debates, off-campus outings and other activities. Students explore the role such issues play in society and in related careers including law, journalism, business, education, science, the arts or any other field of interest. Guest speakers, debates and interactive discussions are common, as are behind-the-scenes outings to learn about Ohio’s judicial system, annual election and State of the Union events, and a professional exploration trip to Washington, DC, every spring.
The STEM Exploration and Engagement Scholars program welcomes students with interests or potential majors in any of the STEM fields, including chemistry, physics, biology, computer science, data analytics, engineering, math, actuarial science or exploration. Students engage in STEM tutoring, experiment development, and volunteering within the local community, while exploring the many diverse STEM careers and reflecting on how this diversity is essential in addressing scientific questions. Incoming students who are particularly interested in the outreach and career exploration components are encouraged to apply.