University Honors College
University Honors College
1632 SW 12th Ave.
503-725-4928
www.pdx.edu/honors
honors@pdx.edu
Honors in the City
University Honors College combines the benefits and rigor of a small liberal arts college with the opportunities and resources of a large urban research university. The College centrally engages Portland State’s mission to “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” drawing on PSU's institutional commitment to community engagement, sustainability, and internationalization as well as its civic leadership and location in downtown Portland. The Honors College serves academically motivated students by providing an engaged and challenging educational experience that uses the city of Portland as a living/learning laboratory. Students in any department or major can join the University Honors College; all Honors students graduate with prestigious University Honors in their chosen field.
Honors at PSU offers courses in the theory and research methods of the human, natural, and social sciences as well as a wide-ranging selection of intensive interdisciplinary seminars. Students have the opportunity to work closely with faculty on research projects, network and gain experience through internships, and study abroad with Honors faculty. In their final year, Honors students research and write a baccalaureate Honors thesis.
Engaging faculty from across PSU's campus, the University Honors College gives students the opportunity to work with our finest teachers and researchers. Honors students become disciplined, nimble thinkers, prepared to become leaders, and ready to apply their academic learning to the challenges and uncertainties of the real world.
Undergraduate Certificate in Global Scholar Pathway
The department of World Languages and Literatures (WLL) and the University Honors College (HC) at Portland State University have a collaborative program of study and certificate option within the University Honors College. Honors students who earn the Global Scholar Pathway Certificate will graduate with two-to-three years study of a foreign language and an intercultural/international learning experience.
What does this mean? This is a new designation we are awarding to students who take coursework that exposes students to in-depth explorations of international contexts and perspectives.
Why should I do it? You will receive a certificate and the right to put this distinction onto your resume or cv. We will also suggest some ways you can talk to future employers or graduate schools about this designation. It will help you stand out as someone with cultural competencies and broad perspectives.
How do I qualify? There are multiple paths to becoming an Honors Global Scholar. Students will work closely with a faculty advisor in Honors to develop a course program to complete the certificate requirements.
In order to graduate with a Global Scholar Pathway certificate in the University Honors College students would need to meet the following requirements:
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Two years of a language or equivalent* PLUS
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16-credits earned by pursuing one or more of the following:
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3rd-year of a language (4-12 credits)**
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English language coursework on an international culture (4-12 credits)
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COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) course attached to PSU credit and confirmed by Honors faculty advisor (4-12 credits)
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Study Abroad (4-12 credits)
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Internship with an international component, with approval of Honors faculty advisor (100-300 documented hours, 100 hours = 4-credits)
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Thesis with an international component with an international component, with approval of Honors faculty advisor (4-credits)
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Credits by special arrangement for research or independent study with an international component, with approval of Honors faculty advisor (100 hours = 4-credits)
* Students who learned a language in another setting may demonstrate proficiency in other ways, either earning college credit for their prior learning or waiving the language requirement via a proficiency test. Details on alternate paths to demonstrate proficiency can be found on the World Languages and Literatures website on Second Language Requirements: https://www.pdx.edu/world-languages/second-language-requirements.
** Native speakers of a language would need to pursue an alternative language. Students earn credits for each term of the third-year language sequence completed.
Final Steps In Certifying That You Are An Honors Global Scholar: The Portfolio
In order to qualify for the program, coursework must have passing letter grades (A-F) or “Pass” grade (P/NP) in Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) student audit.
All Honors Global Scholars will submit a portfolio documenting their successful completion of the program. There is no additional coursework associated with the portfolio. Portfolios showcase the coursework and activities relevant to each student’s path to the certificate, such as the DARS report, advisor’s assessment, documentation of relevant travel abroad experiences, COIL coursework, internships, research, thesis work, etc. Portfolios are expected to be organized, and to include a short essay (750-word maximum) synthesizing and reflecting on the international dimensions of their learning experience. As a portfolio may contain multiple media (essays, photos, videos), it may be submitted as a pdf document, Google site, or a video recording of a conference-style poster presentation (the submission of the video would count as the presentation). The portfolio completion will be tracked and confirmed by the Honors faculty advisor, who will provide final departmental approval.