Academics
Challenge Yourself
Clark Honors College is comprised of students from every undergraduate major on campus. From art to business, neuroscience to political science, our classrooms are a fusion of ideas and perspectives. CHC students are insatiably curious, approach problem-solving from every angle, and are on a quest to always learn more. We challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone, expand your horizons, and engage deeply with both the coursework and the people that you find here.
The Focus Is On You
Small discussion-based classes and close faculty mentorship are the hallmarks of the Clark Honors College. You’ll learn with your fellow classmates and from them. With an average of 15 students per class, you will form close relationships, and you won’t be just a face in the crowd. You are a contributor to the learning experience as well as a participant. As one CHC student said, "I'm required to be present, and receptive, and respectful...Everybody is engaged."
Faculty Mentorship
Your undergraduate career will serve as a foundation for your career, but also as a time to build relationships with mentors and professors who will share their expertise with you and serve as guides to your senior thesis. Ask questions. Go to office hours. Engage in discussions. CHC professors are dedicated leaders in learning, drawn from all disciplines across campus to enable every CHC student to make the most of their education.
"The students and professors that I met in my four years here made me a better person, a better scholar, and a better leader. From learning about the lessons that Native philosophy can teach us today to discussing case theories in UO’s stellar Mock Trial program to meeting some of my closest friends in the student lounge, I found myself and my home in the CHC."
—Sumit Kapur, Class of 2021
The CHC Curriculum
The CHC’s liberal arts curriculum will help you develop core foundational skills: learning how to think, learning how to communicate, and learning how to learn. These skills will serve as the foundation for your four years in the CHC, as well as the lives you will lead after graduation. Our curriculum will introduce you to courses across traditional academic disciplines—history, literature, math, science, and many different languages. At the same time, the CHC’s interdisciplinary courses will provoke you to think beyond those traditional boundaries by considering subjects from diverse perspectives. The skills you will acquire in critical thinking, collaboration, writing, and communication will help you become creative problem-solvers, responsive and responsible leaders, and informed citizens.
→ If you are on the pre-2020 curriculum, please review our Pre-Fall 2020 Graduation Requirements.
Balance and Flexibility
The CHC’s small, 19-person classes replace the university’s core education requirements. The curriculum incorporates disciplinary balance, flexibility in scheduling, a first-year course that introduces students to the intellectual culture of liberal arts scholarship in the context of a lively seminar class, and strong support for the early stages of the thesis process. You will take approximately 1/3 of your classes in the honors college, another 1/3 in your major, and the last 1/3 as university electives. Our curriculum allows students to determine when they take their CHC courses and how to balance those with their major and university requirements.
Scholarships for Scholars
Last year over 92 percent of our incoming class received need or merit-based scholarship support. Among them were several Stamps Scholars, who received a merit-based award that covers all costs of their university attendance for four years. Impressive, huh?
Each year CHC students compete for, and win, distinguished national scholarships, such as the Fulbright, Truman, Mitchell, and Marshall. These awards often cover the full cost of graduate school, either domestically or abroad. Pictured is Mikala Capage, Goldwater Scholarship recipient of 2021.
Made Possible by Alumni Support
We wouldn't be able to provide these scholarships to bright, talented, deserving students without the support of our alumni and donors. The Clark Honors College is 4,000 alumni strong, and growing. When you're ready, we hope you will consider supporting public honors education for the next generation.