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Academic Offerings in Honors

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Honors Courses

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At UW-Eau Claire, Honors courses emphasize discussion, collaboration, and interdisciplinary connection. Why? We know that becoming a skilled participant in high-level discussions will elevate your learning, keep you engaged, and positively impact your future career. Being able to listen productively, link your thoughts into a larger conversation, and think outside of the boundaries of a single field—these are valuable skills in every field.

With 30+ courses per semester open only to Honors students, the Honors Program offers a highly customizable curriculum. Our students choose courses that allow them to expand their thinking, explore new interests, develop career-related skills, and dig into unique projects. Honors is also a place where students and faculty from every major on campus meet and work together—you'll grow your network and make new connections.

1/5

Game Analysis and Design

Students in Dr. Hlas's game design course learn how to theorize, build, and create their own board games, before testing them out during finals week with other students and honors faculty.

a group of students pose at the end of a dance

2/5

Body in Motion

This course engaged students in semester-long conversations about collaboration and leadership, as they researched dance styles and staged two flashmobs across campus.

3/5

Chemical Computing and AI in Healthcare

In Dr. Bhattacharyay's course, students learn about the burgeoning uses of AI in modern medicine and how to apply AI-driven healthcare solutions in areas like genetics, disease tracking, and treatment prediction modeling.

a group of students stand at the front of the room giving a presentation

4/5

Developing as a Leader

Students learned about leadership, teamwork, and community collaboration while completing real-life group projects with Eau Claire nonprofits.

three students stand at the front of the room giving a presentation

5/5

Promoting Energy- and Water-Efficient Off-Campus Student Housing

Students in this project-based course learned about social science research, conducted a survey of water and energy efficiency in off-campus student housing, and presented their work to leaders at the university and in local government.

Honors gives you the opportunity to take courses you would not normally be exposed to. If you are seeking out new opportunities and connections, this is the place to find them. It exposes you to other walks of life, new perspectives, and a greater sense of what interests you. The Honors Program is an amazing opportunity to learn something new that can give you a greater insight that you otherwise would not have.

Academic Excellence

Leandra O’Connell

Ecology and Environmental Biology

2023

Research

The Cosby Honors College supports student-faculty collaborative research, which gives our students opportunities to explore topics they care about, learn more about a field of study, and distinguish themselves through presentations and publications. Every Honors student has the opportunity to earn Honors credit for their research.

The Honors Thesis

The thesis is one of the signature opportunities available through the Cosby Honors College: a chance to make a real contribution to your field. Completed in the senior year, the Honors thesis is a flexible opportunity to pursue a research project of your own design in any academic discipline. Thesis writers work closely with faculty advisors and join a supportive community of fellow writers. Thesis projects range from traditional research to applied and creative works.

Recent Honors Theses (2025-26)

Abby Arend (Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences), “Using Social Media Platforms to Inform Evidence-Based Practice in a Graduate Aphasia Course.” Abby is pursuing a Masters in Speech Language Pathology at Marquette University.
Olivia Bishop (Art and Design), “Transfuturity: An Artistic Exploration of Queer Mexican Art History.” Olivia completed a museum internship in Argentina just after graduation.
Austyn Clemen (Communication and Journalism), “An Autoethnographic Reflection on the Role of Early Mentorship Experiences in Forensic Coaching Education.” Austyn is pursuing a Masters in Communication and Media at the University of Northern Iowa while coaching the UNI forensics team.
Sam Consiglio (Geography), “Perceived Neighborhood Walkability in the Putnam Heights Neighborhood: A Study on Walkability in Suburban and Sprawled Neighborhoods.” Sam is pursuing a Masters of Urban Planning at the University of Washington.
Emma Frietsth (Public Health), “Raw Milk Policies by State and their Impacts.” Emma is enrolled in the Masters of Public Health and Biostatistics program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Sydney Hoffman (Marketing), “Consumer Perceptions of AI-Generated vs Human-Generated Marketing: Insights and Best Practices.” Sydney is a financial analyst at the Parr-McKnight Financial Group.
Sage Mathisen (Biomedical Engineering and Art), "Exploring Engineering Through Fashion: A Fashion Collection." Sage currently works at a biomedical engineering firm in Minnesota.
Ella Quam (Psychology), “The Effect of Technology Use in Young Children’s Social Skills.” Ella is earning her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at St. Cloud State.
Sam Stumo (Neuroscience), “Because the Internet Said So (and People Believed It): Examining College Students’ Susceptibility to Online Medical Misinformation.” Sam is in medical school at Western Michigan University.
Isaac Swenson (Political Science), "A Contemporary Re-Evaluation of Germany's Soft-Power Strategy." Isaac is pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering at Brown University.
Rachel Tuma (Spanish and Public Health & Environmental Studies), "Examining the Presence of Latin American Traditional and Complementary Medicine in the United States." Rachel serves in a bilingual outreach role at a community health nonprofit in Colorado.
Carter Vanderloo (Political Science), “Contemporary Debate over the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment and the Historical Legal Understanding of the Clause.” Carter is attending Law School at George Washington.
Lyndsie Vickers (Geology), “Geochronology and Petrogenesis of an Archean Greenstone Belt in the Marshfield Terrane.” Lyndsie works as geologist at Talon Metals in Minnesota.
Eliza Zahn (Economics), “Economic Strategies for Water Pollution Mitigation in Lower Green Bay/Fox River AOC.” Eliza earned a Fulbright to Spain for 2025-2026.

Graduation

Why complete Honors? Mostly, it's about the opportunities you'll have to develop high-level discussion skills, explore new interests, collaborate with other outstanding students and faculty, and distinguish yourself through research and leadership. But graduating with University Honors will also be noted on your transcript, and you will receive a medallion engraved with your name to wear at commencement and recognition in the commencement program. The Cosby Honors College hosts a festive graduation reception for its graduates the week before commencement, where we celebrate our amazing students and their accomplishments. Each year, nearly 150 students graduate with University Honors.

To graduate with University Honors, students complete a 26-credit curriculum of courses, most of which will also count toward liberal education or major requirements. Pursuing Honors should not delay a student's time to graduation or add extra courses. In fact, more than 95% of our students graduate in four years or less.