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The Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College

The Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College is a welcoming, engaged learning community for high-achieving students from all majors. As part of Honors at UW-Eau Claire, you'll have the chance to work with a diverse group of faculty and students who will both challenge and support you.

Intro

The Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College is a welcoming, engaged learning community for high-achieving students from all majors. As part of Honors at UW-Eau Claire, you'll have the chance to work with a diverse group of faculty and students who will both challenge and support you.

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Reach the Next Level

Choose from a wide variety of innovative courses only offered in Honors, take advantage of unique leadership and research options, and become part of a vibrant community. Our goal? To create opportunities that will help you develop intellectually, personally, and professionally.

The Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College at UW-Eau Claire

Just
The
 Facts

30+ Honors Courses Each Semester
Explore dozens of small, discussion-oriented courses reserved exclusively for Honors students.
Get Your Dream Job Faster
Honors students hold an average GPA of 3.87 — and nearly 95% graduate in four years or less.
800 Students from 140 Majors
Our nationally recognized Honors College is a community built upon academic excellence.
More About Honors
As a Cosby Honors College student, you'll have a chance to explore widely, shape the future of your field and your communities, and build your resume.
Courses and Research
Community and Leadership
About Us
How to Join

Honors is a mark of curiosity and passion at UW-Eau Claire. As an Honors student, I am supported and encouraged to explore niche interests, academic awards, and unique career opportunities.

Here You Can
Carrie Schwartz
Carrie Schwartz
Communication Studies
2026

A Different Kind of Learning

The Cosby Honors College takes pride in its small, interdisciplinary, discussion-based courses. When our highly motivated students from different backgrounds and majors share perspectives and work together, that’s where the Honors magic happens. Our courses are not harder--instead, they offer a different kind of learning. 

We offer over 30 courses per semester that are open only to Honors students. These courses include Honors colloquia--interdisciplinary classes on special topics, designed for Honors students--as well as Honors sections of introductory courses that are required in many majors. Honors students can also earn Honors credit for a variety of other high-impact experiences, including study abroad, research, and leadership.

With 95% of Honors students graduating in four years or less, Honors will help you get the most out of your education without extending time to graduation. In fact, Honors priority registration helps some of our students graduate early. Nearly all of our courses count toward the university's Liberal Education core, and some courses also count toward major or minor requirements. 

There's no better way to learn about Honors than to check out this semester's Honors course descriptions!

Recent Honors Courses
three students examine what they have collected in a net in a stream
1/5
A World of Water Honors Course
In this interdisciplinary course, students learned all about water from both scientific and cultural perspectives--which meant that they did everything from analyzing biological samples collected in our on-campus spring to reflecting on the aesthetics of water in an art project.
students smiling on a patio
2/5
Art in New Mexico Honors Immersion Experience
After a semester studying the intersection of American Indian art and modernism in New Mexico, students traveled to Santa Fe and Taos for a two-week immersion experience.
a group of students pose at the end of a dance
3/5
Body in Motion Honors Course
This course engaged students in semester-long conversations about collaboration and leadership, as they researched dance styles and staged two flashmobs across campus.
a group of students stand at the front of the room giving a presentation
4/5
Developing as a Leader Honors Course
Students learned about leadership and how to effectively work as a team while completing group projects with Eau Claire nonprofits.
four students stand in front of an image of the brain with a professor.
5/5
Care of the Neurologic Patient Honors Course
Students worked with Dr. Sather from UW-Eau Claire and Dr. Young, neurologist from Mayo Clinic Health System, to learn about brain health through a patient-centered lens.

A Supportive Community

In the Cosby Honors College, you'll find a community of faculty, staff, and students who will challenge and support you to aim high and learn everything you can. We host a student organization called Honors Student Council, a Living Learning Community in Bridgman Hall, and a community hub in the Honors Commons in McIntyre Library. Almost every week, there's an Honors event where you can meet other students--social gatherings, meals with professors, community service projects, information sessions about interesting opportunities, relaxation events, off-campus treks, and more. Our weekly newsletter, the Honors Headline, shares the news about all of our upcoming events.

Joining Honors was genuinely one of the best decisions I made coming into UWEC. I met upperclassmen in my first Honors class who helped me get comfortable with campus and break out of my shell. The Honors classes let me explore topics I wouldn’t have taken otherwise, and the resources we get have been an absolute game-changer as a double major.

Exceptional Support
Joey Klaith Headshot
Joey Klaith
Finance & Accounting
2028
Beyond the Classroom
a faculty member works with a student
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a faculty member works with a student
Honors Course Preview
Every semester, we host an event that gathers all the faculty teaching in Honors the following semester. We bring the pizza, and students can meet their instructors, ask questions, and pick their classes.
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two graduating seniors smile with a plaque
Celebrating Our Graduates
We host a receptions for both fall and spring graduates, where we celebrate the accomplishments and ambitions of our new alumni. In Fall 2023, Carly Bower and Megan Gosian were named Outstanding Honors Seniors.
two students look for a scavenger hunt clue under a table
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two students look for a scavenger hunt clue under a table
Honors Spring Soiree
Honors Student Council puts on a beloved social event every spring, featuring games, food, crafts, and an escape room.
two students outside painting pots
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two students outside painting pots
Honors Living Learning Community
About 40 first-year Honors students live together in Bridgman Hall. They have the opportunity to move in early, take HNRS 100 together, and build a strong community.
Honors Stories
UWEC student Sydney Hoffman stands in front of the UWEC Home of the Blugolds sign
Sydney Hoffman: Building a Blugold brand
Driven, involved and passionate about the future, honors student Sydney Hoffman’s time at UW-Eau Claire has been a launching pad for professional success. From student leadership, honors research, hands-on industry experience and extracurricular involvement, she exemplifies the forward-thinking dedication of the Blugold brand.
UWEC's Blugold Marching Band brass section dressed to the nines
Blugold brass: Honors graduate and marching band leader Jack Petrizzo
From his first campus tour to his final semester, Jack Petrizzo has made the most of his time at UW-Eau Claire. His journey as a Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College scholar, Blugold Marching Band section leader and dedicated marketing student is one of leadership, growth and a passion for the music of people.
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Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College

McIntyre Library 2002
103 Garfield Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54701
United States

715-836-3621