Honors colleges and programs

Honors colleges and honors programs are special accommodations at public and private universities, as well as public two-year institutions of higher learning, that include, among other things, supplemental or alternative curricular and non-curricular programs, privileges, special access, scholarships, and special recognition for exceptional undergraduate scholars.

In North America, honors colleges and programs have been, until the start of the 21st century, prevalent mostly at public universities. Higher education policymakers in state governments overwhelmingly support honors programs not only to better serve exceptional young scholars but also to attract and retain them in their respective public education systems.

Honors programs became somewhat prevalent after World War II, when a surge of highly qualified students seeking higher education exceeded the capacities of highly selective private universities. Current modeled honors programs began in public universities around the beginning of the second half of the 20th century. The first of the current type can be traced to one that was founded in 1960 at the University of Oregon – Clark Honors College. By 1990, honors programs became ubiquitous and evolved.Peterson's Smart Choices: Guide to Honors Programs & Colleges, in 2005, indicated that there were nearly 600 honors-type programs at both two- and four-year institutions in the United States. A 2008 survey of honors programs affiliated with the National Collegiate Honors Council reflects that much of the growth in honors programs is recent, with over 60% of honors programs having been established since 1994.

However, earlier honors programs – those founded before World War II – include Plan II Honors at The University of Texas at Austin, still in existence, which is an interdisciplinary liberal arts degree itself. The program began with 50 students who were given a broader, less specialized, liberal arts curriculum as opposed to that of the traditional bachelor of arts degree (Plan I).Michigan's LSA Honors Program, another earlier program, was founded around 1958.

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