What it’s Like Being an Arts Major in the Honors College
By Kendall Smith
Student, Honors College
Many wonder why it is necessary to graduate with honors in an arts degree. At GCU, majoring in the College of Fine Arts and Production is the third smallest degree that Honors students choose to pursue (followed by Education and Theology).
Yes, arts majors still have to take UNV-106HN, CWV-106HN and ENG-206HN and complete 20 hours of honors coursework (16 for transfer students). To fulfill these credits, there are 25 College Of Fine Arts and Production courses that can be adapted to honors. When taking an honors arts class, you may be asked to increase the word count on essays, answer questions more in-depth or partake in assignments different than the non-honors classmates.
There are many benefits that the Honors College provides for students getting a degree in the arts. In the required freshman symposium, students are split up by their respective college. In the College of Fine Arts and Production symposium, students get a chance to pool in their talents with different arts majors to create one cohesive project. This project has the opportunity to be entered into the Honors Showcase for a chance to win scholarship money. In fact, this past year, an arts project received second place in this showcase.
One of the amazing things about being an arts student in the Honors College is getting to meet other like-minded, hard-working students who have a passion to create. Students learn how to network, collaborate and build off of each other’s ideas to make more meaningful projects during their time at GCU.
To learn more about how you can join a community of like-minded honors students in making change in the world, visit our website or click the Request More Information button on this page.
About Kendall Smith
Kendall Smith is an Honors student at Grand Canyon University pursuing degrees in Film Production and Dance Performance. She currently holds a position in the Honors College as part of the Marketing Team. Her Freshman Year, she received Outstanding Freshman of the Year for the Honors College, Freshman Student of the Year for the Dance Department and 2nd place for a project she submitted to the Honors Symposium.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University.