Undergraduate Honors Program

The College of Information Sciences and Technology partners with the Schreyer Honors College to offer honors courses, a thesis experience, research opportunities, internships, study abroad experiences, graduate opportunities, and advising to students who seek an honors education. Our goal is to produce critical thinkers who push the boundaries of what we know, and thoughtful researchers who undertake meaningful and rigorous studies of the impact of information technologies on individuals, organizations, and society.

Schreyer Honors College IST Honors Thesis Guide

Students may enter honors study in the College of IST in one of two ways:

Entering first-year students can apply to the Schreyer Honors College during the fall of their senior year in high school.
Current Penn State students can apply to the Schreyer Honors College in the spring semester of their freshman or sophomore year.

Honors students in the College of IST receive guidance from both a faculty honors adviser and an IST academic adviser.

Academic advisers work with you on issues related to your academic progress at Penn State. Faculty honors advisers work with you on all things honors-related.

The undergraduate thesis enables you to explore ideas in a culminating academic experience. From exploring ideas, narrowing a specific topic, and writing chapters, you’ll make progress on your thesis each semester. For more information about the thesis, see the College of IST’s thesis guide and the SHC thesis webpage.

Participating in faculty member’s research lab is a great way to prepare for your thesis. Work with your faculty adviser to identify and contact faculty who are doing research that interests you. By asking to observe weekly research meetings, offering to help in exchange for the experience of being in a research lab, or proposing a new topic, you can dive deeper into your interests.

Explore research opportunities with IST faculty, exhibitions and symposia, grants, travel support, and research opportunity postings through the Office of Undergraduate Education.

Honors students may take graduate courses by obtaining permission from course instructors. Graduate courses count toward the Scholar’s requirement for honors credit. Scholars can also apply for an Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate (IUG) degree, which allows the student to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree at the same time.

IST’s Office and Career Solutions and Corporate Engagement offers many services to students to help them secure an internship. In addition, the SHC Career Development team provides internship opportunities for Scholars only on its Career Development page.

Students interested in studying abroad can work with their assigned Faculty Honors Adviser and the Office of Global Programs to find an opportunity that is right for them.

Honors Courses

These courses are offered regularly and range from introductory (IST 110H) to advanced (IST 445H and IST 489H) levels. Check the Schedule of Courses each semester to find these and other less regular honors offerings. Use the Additional Search Criteria to specify College of IST and Honors Courses.
Honors Option Courses

These courses are honors versions of standard courses that are individually negotiated. For a course in which a student wants to do deeper work, the student requests that the faculty member oversee an Honors Option and works with the faculty member to write a plan for modified course assignments that will enrich and enhance the learning in the course. This type of course allows students to customize their honors experience.

In addition to standard College of IST courses, faculty work with students in credit-bearing, individual or joint research project courses and one-on-one independent study courses. These courses are numbered with a “94” at the end for research or a “96” at the end for independent study.
Research Project Courses

These courses in the College of IST (294/494) are intended for students who are carrying out research in a faculty lab setting or as work on an independent honors thesis. After identifying a faculty member with a research opportunity and agreeing on your tasks, visit the Undergraduate Research page to complete the research credit request form.

If you want to complete both research and honors thesis work for credit outside of the College of IST, contact the appropriate honors adviser in that department for information on how to register for research credits.

If you’re doing honors-level work and want to add an “H” to these credits, submit the honors option proposal form in Schreyer’s Student Records System. These credits count toward your academic requirements for honors credits.
Independent Study Courses

You can take independent study courses (296/496) if you want to explore an area of interest that is not addressed in formal courses. You must identify a faculty member to support your study and discuss your plan with your academic adviser before proceeding. To learn more, visit the Independent Study page.

If you’re doing honors-level work and want to add an “H” to these credits, submit the honors option proposal form in Schreyer’s Student Records System. These credits count toward your academic requirements for honors credits.
Graduate Courses

You can take graduate courses by obtaining permission from course instructors. These credits count toward your academic requirements for honors credits. You can also apply for an Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate (IUG) degree, which allows you to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree at the same time.

Undergraduate Honors Program

Questions? Contact us.

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Undergraduate Honors Program

Questions? Contact us.

Carleen Maitland

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