Honors College Classes and Requirements

Honors College Core Curriculum

The 22-credit Cook Honors College Core Curriculum replaces some of the Crimson Core classes required for all IUP students.

For the rest of your honors credits, you’ll choose a minimum of six credits from among the following options:

• HONR 201: The Educated Citizen (3cr)
• AMPA 212: Exploring Leadership (3cr). Look for “/H” sections, and if those aren’t available, this can easily have an “H” project added to get honors credit.
• One graduate-level course (3cr). This requires an application and acceptance.
• An honors contract added to any regular course (3cr). This requires paperwork and pre-approval from your instructor.
• An experiential opportunity equaling or equivalent to three credits. This may include study abroad, internships, and undergraduate research projects, and requires approval from the associate director. 

*HNRC 202 may be taken in any spring semester after the first year.

HNRC 201 may be taken any fall semester after the first year (with permission).

HC Elective may be taken in any semester.

Honors Experiential Component: a graduate-level course, a significant study abroad experience, a second honors elective, an internship, an honors independent study, or an honors thesis. This requirement may or may not be a credit-bearing experience and may be taken in any semester or summer.

Core Classes Replace IUP Class Requirements

• HONR 101 meets the Crimson Core requirements of Written Communication and Values and Ethics. HONR 102 meets the Crimson Core requirements of Human and Creative Inquiry and Global Learning.
• HONR 201 101 meets the Crimson Core requirement of Civic Readiness. AMPA 212 (Section) meets the Crimson Core requirement of Leadership and Teamwork.
• HNRC 202 replaces Crimson Core Studies requirements for either one non-laboratory science and one social science or two non-laboratory sciences or two social sciences, depending on the units selected.
• Departmental honors courses (H-designated courses) count toward the total number of honors credits required for Cook Honors College graduation. Students are also encouraged to convert upper-level courses in their major into H-designated courses by proposing and adding an honors project in consultation with their course professor. Students may also enroll for honors thesis credit by completing the necessary approval forms and scheduling HNRC 483 honors thesis/independent study or, in some departments, by scheduling a departmental honors thesis course.
• Students are encouraged to do at least one of the following experiential components: study abroad, internship, honors thesis, research, or independent study. In the absence of a suitable cocurricular experience, an additional graduate course may be substituted. This requirement may or may not be a credit-bearing experience.

GPA Guidelines

Cook Honors College students are required to maintain a cumulative 3.25 GPA. If you fall below the 3.25 GPA, you will have one semester of honors probation during which you may attempt to raise your cumulative GPA to 3.25 to remain in good standing.

The Honors College staff and faculty, along with your advisor for your major, are available to guide you throughout your college experience. If you are having a rough semester, talk to them about your situation. They can point you toward tutoring opportunities, the Writing Center, taking a class as pass/fail, the counseling center, and other resources that might be helpful.

Students who are dismissed from the Cook Honors College may apply for readmission when their GPA returns to the required minimum. CHC merit scholarships are also reinstated when students return to good academic standing.

CHC Fine Arts Critiques FAQ

When do I need to turn in my fine arts critiques?

The D2L assignment where you will submit your critiques is set up for you to turn in two critiques during the first half of the semester and three critiques during the second half of the semester. But ultimately, your five critiques are due on the last day of the semester, the day before final exams begin. Note that these assignments close at 11:59 that night, which means that you cannot submit them late. We strongly recommend you not save all your critiques until the end of the semester, when you will be busy with papers and studying for finals.

Where do I submit my fine arts critiques?

Submit your critiques on the Honors Core I or Honors Core II META/Common Core D2L site. Under “Content,” there is a module labeled “fine arts events and critiques.” There you will see two separate assignments: “FINE ARTS CRITIQUES: First two of five” and “FINE ARTS CRITIQUES: Last three of five.” Upload your first two critiques in the first assignment (ideally in the first half of the semester) and your remaining three critiques in the second assignment.

Why do I have to do this? What’s the point?

One of the great joys of living in a university community is that the fine arts are available in abundance. Here at IUP, we are blessed with strong and active departments in art, music, and theater/dance. In addition to excellent campus talent, major national and even international performers come to IUP each semester. Unless you eventually end up living in a major city, the lively arts may be more available to you now than they will be at any other time in your life. (This doesn’t even consider the fact that city ticket prices can easily be 10 times those on campus.)

We know that many of you would immerse yourselves in IUP’s cultural life without any encouragement at all from the faculty. But we also know how easy it is to become so engrossed in your individual pursuits that you do nothing else, and the arts get lost amid the hectic pace of life. Because we know that some of you will underestimate how important the arts are for your lives, and because others will, despite good intentions, think themselves too busy, Honors Core includes some intentional pressure for attendance.

Additionally, attending these events will help you socially:

1. Find your people: Joining arts events or creative activities makes it easier to connect with clubs, organizations, and new friend groups on campus.
2. Build your support system: Arts involvement is linked with stronger emotional support—the kind you’ll want when adjusting to college life.
3. Stay connected: Going to shows and exhibits keeps you communicating with friends, peers, and other attendees.
4. Strengthen your social life: Arts activities naturally bring people together, giving you more chances to hang out and form lasting friendships.

Source: New Research Explores Arts Engagement and Social Connectedness

Why do I have to write about fine arts events? Why can’t I just attend them?

Writing a fine arts critique pushes you to be an active instead of a passive viewer/listener at the events you attend. You are much more likely to have a meaningful experience if you need to pay attention not just to the event but to your response to it and how it impacts you. Additionally, research shows that the type of self-reflection required by fine arts critique leads to important metacognition—an awareness of your own thought processes—that stimulates learning and improves decision-making and problem-solving.

How do I find fine arts events? How do I pick which ones to attend?

The CHC Director and your unit professors may regularly announce or post on the D2L honors core META site upcoming arts events on campus and in the community. You should also check the IUP Lively Arts Events page and the IUP music events calendar.

Beyond identifying events that fit your class, work, and volunteer schedules, we recommend selecting a mix of different types of arts events: e.g., music concerts, theatrical productions, art exhibitions, visiting performers, etc. Get out of your comfort zone and go see something new or something you don’t know that much about! You can also coordinate with your peers to attend events together.

How do I know whether something “counts” as a fine arts event?

Ultimately, your Unit A professor will determine if an event meets the criteria for a fine arts event and will be responsible for keeping track of your progress throughout the semester. Usually, if an event is posted on D2L, it will likely count, though you should double-check with your Unit A or Unit C professor, who determines what they will accept and not accept. While events traditionally associated with fine arts—music, dance, and theater performances; museum walk-throughs; literary readings—generally count, we also strongly encourage you to seek a diversity of experiences by attending different types of events so as to help you expand your horizons.

Do I need to show/submit proof of attendance?

This will vary from professor to professor. Because whether proof of attendance is required or not will depend on what your HONR 101 Unit A or HONR 102 Unit C professors require, you should check with them at the beginning of the semester, before you begin attending events, regarding 1) if proof of attendance is required and 2) if it is required, what does and does not count as proof.

What should I do in my fine arts critique?

The specifics of what you write about in each critique are, for the most part, up to you and should depend upon your own unique experience at the event. But, generally, each critique should 1) clearly identify and describe the event you attended, 2) explain what you think the event/performance is trying to accomplish and how it seeks to communicate its message(s) through art, 3) articulate your reaction to that event (this might include your analysis of its structure and/or content, how it made you feel intellectually and emotionally, which parts or elements spoke to you most and why, why you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy the event, why you think the event was important or timely, etc.), and 4) describe what you found striking, confusing, exciting, unique, unusual, etc. about the event. Doing these four things will help ensure that you go beyond mere description. We also encourage you to attend events with your peers and discuss the events together afterward.

How long does my critique need to be?

Approximately 500 words, though you are welcome to write more.

How will my fine arts critiques be evaluated?

Your critiques will be evaluated based on completeness—A) meeting the minimum word count and content expectations for each critique and B) submitting five critiques per semester—as well as the content of your critiques, each of which should demonstrate an appropriate level of critical engagement and self-reflection. The details of evaluation may vary from professor to professor, so speak to your Unit A or Unit C professor for specifics of what they’re looking for and if they have any specific or additional expectations.

Students who fail to submit the required number of fine arts critiques will have their overall grade average (the average of their two units) reduced 2 percent per missing critique. Additionally, plagiarized fine arts critiques, including reusing a fine arts critique from a previous semester or other class and lifting direct quotes from programs or reviews without citation, will be treated as a missing critique with the same grade penalty and students will be required to sign off on a documented agreement about this academic integrity violation that will be filed with the Provost’s Office.

Are there any sample critiques that I can look at?

Here’s one from spring 2026:

“Cultural Presentation of Japanese Drumming”

“I’d like to start by saying that I was brought to tears multiple times during this performance. I went originally with the task of ushering for service hours and honestly was not planning on staying. I am SO happy that I decided to stay. The experience was called Peaceful Forest, and it was a family of a dad performing with his sons. Some of my friends and I spoke after the show about how each son had their own part during some of the songs. Of course, they played every song, but they each also had a solo, and that’s what we found so special. We mentioned how the dad looked at them so full of pride and happiness when the audience would cheer for his boys, I was emotional.

“I thought it was such a beautiful experience, and even more so that IUP had them on campus. They had performed for the emperor and were honored across multiple areas, so I was taking it as a blessing that I got to experience their culture and work. A blessing that I could feel their music, and I could feel their love. To sit and hear the music of their culture, with instruments that we are so often ignorant to, I was in awe. The emotion that filled the room was felt by everyone. Every time you look around, you could see others with their jaws dropped as well as tears in their eyes. There was so much vulnerability in the room, which is such a weird feeling to describe. The music was awkward in a way that flowed together and made my soul vibrate. I know it’s dramatic, fully aware, but I had never had the opportunity to appreciate a culture until it was put in front of me there.

“It makes me so grateful that I chose IUP and have found a community that isn’t close-minded. To be in a room and cry about the beauty in appreciating a culture, surrounded by those who are doing the same, I am blessed. There was a part near the end of the performance where the father played on the wooden wind instrument, and the children dressed in a “costume” representation of a spirit that brings them good blessings. They danced around the room in the dragon-like draping and put the audience members’ heads rested in the open mouth. They were playing their song of blessing and bringing safety and happiness to those who were comfortable on the isles. The joy that filled the room is something I wish I could recreate for you reading this.

“I wondered about how others were feeling and if they were truly as touched as I was. I cannot even begin to fully describe the way that the songs sounded or the pure power behind every beat and every movement. Just the fact that we were all watching a proud father teach his sons and play with them as equals while their loving mother watched, it was stunning. The respect that they had for the US, those watching them create their ART, I was humbled by them. Yet they took no credit for how brilliant they were, only sharing that they had a dream to play across the entire 50 states. It was free, so of course I bought a shirt for a 20-dollar donation! My soul was impacted by the experience, and it was free. Of course I was going to support their dreams. I would absolutely do it again with excitement, and I hope that one day I am fortunate enough to be able to.”

Community Service Requirement with Scholarships

Every student who receives a scholarship through the Cook Honors College is required to complete 60 hours of community service within each academic year they are a student in our program. You are free to choose the organizations and causes you wish to devote your hours to (within a few guidelines).