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Kogod Honors Program

Students from the first cohort of the Kogod Honors Program

The Kogod Honors program is designed for our most talented and ambitious students who desire to use business as a force for meaningful change. 

Students in the program take Honors-designated courses that have substantially more depth and are designed to develop a professional mindset, creative problem solving and analytical thinking.

The Honors courses emphasize:

  1. Data/evidence-based approaches and analytical techniques to solve complex and interdisciplinary problems
  2. Experiential learning
  3. Critical thinking

Additionally, Honors students participate in extracurricular programming that helps them enhance their leadership, communication and networking skills.

Students who have completed 30-45 credits and have earned a 3.5 cumulative GPA and 3.67 major GPA will be invited to apply to the program. Please contact KSBhonors@american.edu with any questions.

All Honors students complete a senior capstone project in their MGMT-458 Strategic Management course. This course integrates knowledge of functional areas to craft strategy and enhance organizational performance. The course places students in real-world situations by using a combination of tools including case studies, simulations, and consulting projects.

Additional research opportunities are provided through students' coursework. Honors courses integrate academic findings into the curricula, giving students a strong knowledge of contemporary research topics. Students are encouraged to advance their own research skills by exploring these topics while collaborating with faculty and their peers.

Enrichment outside the classroom is a core element of the program. Honors students are expected to participate in extracurricular and experiential activities, and engage in a mentoring program. Students are required to participate in at least two extracurricular activities per semester.

Activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Leadership lunches
  • One-on-one meetings with deans, department chairs, and other AU thought-leaders
  • Small group meetings with distinguished Kogod guests
  • Dean's dinners and other high-profile Kogod events
  • AU's Toastmaster's Club and other on-campus leadership clubs

Mentorship is also a key dimension of the Kogod Honor students' experience. Students are paired with more senior Honors students that help them integrate into the program. They can also elect to be paired with alumni to give them an academic and professional sounding board.

Students must complete at least two core courses and the capstone course, to meet the curricular requirements of the Kogod Business Honors Program.

Keep in mind that not all the honors courses have to be taken together in the same semester and be aware of the course prerequisites when making up your graduation plan.


Fall 2017 IBUS-300 Fundamentals of International Business  
  ITEC-355 Production/Operation Management
Spring 2018 MGMT-458 Strategic Management (Capstone)
  MKTG-300 Principles of Marketing  
Fall 2018 FIN-365 Corporate Finance  
  MGMT-353 Organizational Behavior  
Spring 2019 IBUS-300 Fundamentals of International Business  
  ITEC-355 Production/Operation Management  
  MGMT-458 Strategic Management (Capstone)
Fall 2019 MKTG-300 Principles of Marketing
  FIN-365 Corporate Finance  
Spring 2020 MGMT-353 Organizational Behavior  
  MGMT-458 Strategic Management (Capstone)
Fall 2020 IBUS-300 Fundamentals of International Business  
  ITEC-355 Production/Operation Management  
Spring 2021 MGMT-458 Strategic Management (Capstone)
  MKTG-300 Principles of Marketing  
  FIN-365 Corporate Finance  
Fall 2021 MGMT-353 Organizational Behavior  
  IBUS-300 Fundamentals of International Business  
Spring 2022 ITEC-355 Production/Operation Management  
  MGMT-458 Strategic Management (Capstone)

Eligible students are invited to apply to the program upon the completion of 30-45 credits, as well as a 3.5 cumulative GPA and 3.67 major GPA.

To apply, students must submit the following:

  1. Responses to short-answer questions about their interest in the program and desired skills
  2. Current resume
  3. Tentative graduation plan
  4. Two academic references/recommenders

For more information, contact Professor Casey Evans, Kogod Honors Program Director, or Derek Jansante, Assistant Director of Kogod Honors and Advising, at ksbhonors@american.edu.