About Our Programs
First-Year Honors
About First-Year Honors
First-Year Honors is a CLASS, a COMMUNITY, and OPPORTUNITIES to expand your education beyond the classroom. Students in First-Year Honors explore the intersections of technology, science, and society through project-based learning in design, communication, and ethics.
The Thorson and Grandey programs offer two distinct “flavors” of a First-Year Honors Experience. Thorson emphasizes the intersections of STEM and the humanities, while Grandey uses a leadership lens and a maker mindset. Read on for more details about our programs and the opportunities that students encounter through First-Year Honors!
Learn more about
THE CLASS
Curriculum
The First-Year Honors experience is anchored by a 2-semester interdisciplinary course sequence where students explore critical thinking, design, communication, and ethical problem-solving through a multitude of lenses. Thorson students take a humanities-based approach in “Innovation and Discovery in Engineering, Arts, and Sciences” (IDEAS). Grandey students take a leadership-based, maker-minded approach in “Leadership by Design.”
IDEAS and Leadership by Design are each taught by interdisciplinary faculty teams, with core faculty members from UHS and guests rotating in from departments all over campus. Students work closely with their professors in seminar sections of about 20 students, with larger merged studio days to support collaborative projects and activities.
Since our courses replace existing core curriculum requirements for all majors (HASS 100 and EDNS 151), there is no delay in your degree progress.
Student projects
Students are encouraged to take their own creative approach to our open-ended projects in IDEAS and Leadership by Design. Both courses offer a mix of individual and group projects, giving students the chance to develop their understanding of course concepts and engage thoughtfully in collaborative work.
Explore examples of past student work from each course in the photogallery below, or visit our booth at Discover Mines and Explore Mines to see more examples and talk with recent students! You might also peruse the IDEAS syllabus and the Leadership by Design syllabus for a more detailed overview of each course.
Student work photogallery
Student Testimonials
Leadership by Design gave us “tools we can use to keep on growing,” such as designing for big problems, thinking systematically, asking better questions, working as a team, communicating proficiently in several ways, and embracing creativity.
Thorson is still my favorite class I’ve ever taken – it was a wonderful way for me to define engineering at the very beginning of my education, showing me the importance of perspective and long term thinking when creating things that people interact with.
Class experience photogallery
THE COMMUNITY
Social, educational & service events
Our Associate Director of Community Development, Professor Allison Caster, works closely with a team of Student Community Coordinators to develop social, educational, and service events where First-Year Honors students can get to know each other outside the classroom. Common events include movie and game nights, hikes, Inktober and Make-vember challenges, and the Great Honors Bake-Off! Our students have volunteered at family STEAM events and helped build beds for kids in need, and we are always open to new service opportunities. We also offer a local field trip each semester, exploring places like the Junkyard Social Club in Boulder and MeowWolf in Denver.
Honors housing
Students admitted to First-Year Honors can apply to live in the Honors Explore Signature Learning Community in Spruce Hall. This optional (but highly encouraged!) SLC offers additional opportunities for building community and developing connections between the Thorson and Grandey programs. SLC applications are part of your general housing application, due in early May. You must be admitted to First-Year Honors by the housing deadline to be eligible for the Honors Explore SLC.
Community experience photogallery
THE OPPORTUNITIES
Travel with First-Year Honors
Each year, First-Year Honors students are invited to apply for a spot on our Spring Break trip, an immersive educational experience in the Santa Fe area of New Mexico where we explore art, technology, and history. Educational travel offers unparalleled opportunities for learning and community-building while offering students opportunities they might not otherwise have access to.
Study Abroad with FYSAE
First-Year Honors collaborates with the First-Year Semester Abroad Experience to offer a truly unique honors experience abroad! Students who are admitted to both FYH and FYSAE take a semester of classes in Antibes, France, where they will also engage in a hybrid online version of their First-Year Honors course. Thorson students do this in fall semester and Grandey students go in the spring. In each case, the program director teaches the online course, which pushes students to explore Antibes through different lenses while they do individual and group projects in design and creative communication.
Learn more about the First-Year Semester Abroad Experience here. Interested students must apply for that program separately – please note the FYSAE application deadline is in mid-March to allow time for admitted students to secure their visas.
Leadership Training with Grandey
Grandey students are provided with several opportunities to build their leadership skills, in and out of class. Each year, several industry leaders, alumni doing amazing things, and students who have completed their first-year journey provide lectures and panel discussions during class. Students are also a part of events outside of class, including skill-building workshops, lectures from authors, executives and impactful leaders, day-long leadership summits, and networking opportunities.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
The Thorson and Grandey programs share a single application that earns you consideration for both first-year honors opportunities, with the option to express your preference in your application.
Our application opens in November each year. We offer rolling admissions as long as space remains in our programs.
Housing Deadline: 12 pm on May 5th, 2025. Applicants who wish to be considered for the Honors Explore Signature Learning Community must submit both their First-Year Honors application and their Housing SLC application by noon on May 5th.