Learn what it takes to graduate with business honors

Enroll in Honors coursework

By the time you graduate, you will need to have completed at least three honors courses from the list below. First-year-level courses and non-business courses, such as those in math or economics, require you to be a member of the Hutton Honors College. Any honors course on campus will count towards the Kelley Honors requirement. During your sophomore year, challenge yourself by enrolling in an honors course each semester. This will help you get to know students in your cohort. See your Honors advisor for suggestions.

New for 2023: Kelley students may enroll in no more than two business honors classes in one semester!

Select three courses from the following:

• BUS-A307 Financial Reporting And Analysis - Honors (Fall only)
• BUS-A309 Management Accounting and Analysis (Spring only)
• BUS-K204 Honors Foundations of Business Information Systems and Decision Making
• BUS-C106 Honors Business Presentations
• BUS-K304 Honors Technology
• BUS-C205 Business Writing: Honors
• BUS-L293 Honors Legal Environment in Business
• BUS-L376 Honors Ethics and the 21st Century Business Leader (P or C: I-Core)
• BUS-L333 Negotiation, Resolving Conflict and Leading Change
• BUS-L 313 Cultural Foundations Of Peace (cross listed as HON-H 300)
• BUS-Z304 Honors Managing Behavior in Organizations (P or C: Honors I-Core)
• MATH-S118 Honors Finite Mathematics
• MATH-S212 Honors Calculus II
• MATH-M213 Accelerated Calculus
• Any course offered through the Hutton Honors College

Meet with your HLT Mentor

As an incoming honors student, you have the special opportunity to work closely with a standout senior in the Business Honors Program. All sophomores are expected to be in regular communication with their HLT mentor and their mentor family. Sometimes, you don’t even realize how much help a senior can offer!

Attend Special Honors Events

An important perk of the Honors Program at Kelley is the chance to attend special events throughout the year. These include workshops on networking, special speakers, community service opportunities, and lots of free food. Each event helps us meet our mission to develop a community of leaders and intellectually curious professionals, so be sure to attend a minimum of four events your sophomore year.

Enroll in Honors I-Core in the Fall

As an Honors student, you are required to take the following Honors I-Core courses during the fall semester of your junior year:

• BUS-M 304 Honors Introduction to Marketing Management
• BUS-F 304 Honors Financial Management
• BUS-P 304 Honors Operations Management
• BUS-J 304 Honors Strategic Management
• BUS-I 304 Design Leadership

These courses, taught by tenure-track faculty, include an integrative business plan exercise. In order to enroll in the Honors Integrated Core, students must be accepted to the Business Honors Program. 

Complete an Internship or Study Abroad

As an honors student, you are required to undertake an internship or participate in an approved study abroad program.

Students applying for internships may interview through Undergraduate Career Services (UCS).

As a senior Honors student, you will complete a capstone project. There are three ways to fulfill this requirement. 

Two options allow you to receive three credits: a supervised independent research project (BUS-X 496), or a senior-level leadership seminar (BUS-Z 494).

The third way to fulfill the capstone is to serve as a member of the Honors Leadership Team or as an ACE Leader that mentors younger students and helps coordinate events for the Honors and ACE Programs. 

Here are your capstone course options:

• Supervised Independent Research Project: BUS-X 496, 3 cr.
  Students work on a research project in an area of their choice during their two final semesters before graduation. A faculty member of the Kelley School of Business supervises the project, which may take any form mutually acceptable to the student and faculty mentor. Choices might include a traditional research paper, a business plan, or an industry analysis. At the completion of the project, a letter grade is assigned by the supervising faculty member.
• Herman B Wells Seminars in Leadership: BUS-Z 494, 3 cr.
  To conclude their honors course work, students may enroll in a senior-level leadership seminar to help them think about the role of upper-level management. Topics may include globalization, e-commerce, and concepts of leadership. This course requires a significant amount of reading and writing.
• Honors Leadership Team (HLT) or ACE Leader
  A select number of honors seniors participate on the Honors Leadership Team or as ACE Leaders for first-year students in the ACE Program.  Their primary responsibilities include coaching younger honors students and organizing Program activities. Team members do not enroll in a class, but they are expected to commit a considerable amount of time to the program and reflect on their own leadership qualities. 

Note: students accepted into the 3/2 MBA in Accounting Program are exempt from the Senior Year Requirement.