How does the Honors College work?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

I’m going to Bama next year - graduating senior this year - and am majoring in accounting. I’ve seen people talk about the honors college but I go on their website and it looks like it lists a bunch of strange semester courses on “Dystopian Literature” and “Heroes of Faith and Justice in the 20th Century”. What is the Honors College? Can I do a regular major and just take classes in the college? Doesn’t make any sense to me.

2

You need to take 18 hours of honors credit.

https://honors.ua.edu/academics/requirements/

They don’t all have to be the honors seminar (though 6 of the credits do have to be the seminars). They could be, e.g., the honors version of chemistry or biology (or whatever your major is).

3

There are many benefits to being in the HC. The ones that my dd has found helpful is the earlier registration dates, the smaller class size and the (in her opinion) better professors. She was able to take 2 Lit courses as well as a history course as honors classes which will count towards both her gen ed requirements and the HC requirements. Yes, there are a lot of funky courses offered in the HC but many count towards Gen Ed requirements. If you have the opportunity to apply to the HC you should.

4

Did you read the course descriptions? Not sure what’s “strange” about “Heroes of Faith and Justice in the 20th Century” (UH 300):

https://honors.ua.edu/courses/heroes-of-faith-and-justice-in-the-20th-century/

Presumably, you’re going to university to get an education, not just a credential. If not, there’s nothing that obligates you to complete the HC requirements. You can still get many of the benefits by enrolling.

More here: https://honors.ua.edu/about/

5

Yes you do a regular major and just add in some UH classes, and some departmental honors classes, along the way.
My S just finished his first semester (CS major). He took the honors version of Calc 2, and two UH seminars (among other classes). One seminar was literally an introduction to all the opportunities and resources of the Honors College.

There’s no penalty to “quitting” the Honors College later, other than losing its perks. So there’s no downside to starting out in the HC.