Project Excellence

Project Excellence is a partnership between ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and Barrett, The Honors College. The program allows Barrett students to take real law courses taught by law faculty while still undergraduates. These courses are offered under the HON 494 prefix.

• Take classes at one of the nation’s top 25 law schools
• Access the Ross Blakely Law Library, a quiet study space with extensive legal research materials
• Use law school databases and receive guidance from experienced library staff
• Get early exposure to legal education, which helps with law school readiness

Each fall and spring semester, around 10 upper-division law electives are available to Barrett students. These courses are typically taken by second- and third-year law students, and topics vary each semester.

You can find detailed course descriptions by checking the Course List link on this page or by reading the Honors Digest when the list is announced.

Barrett students must be in good academic standing with a cumulative ASU GPA of at least 3.25. They must also meet the following honors credit requirements before requesting a class override:

• Lower Division students (36 required honors credits) must complete 18 honors credits
• Upper Division or Online students (21 required honors credits) must complete at least 6 honors credits

If you are interested in taking law classes through Project Excellence, please email [email protected] with your name and your 10-digit ASU ID number. You will be contacted shortly with an email letting you know if you are currently eligible to take Project Excellence courses.  You will also be added to a list of interested students who will receive further Project Excellence opportunities and information.

The Project Excellence class list is usually released during the last week of each semester, due to different scheduling timelines in the law school. A notice will be sent in the Honors Digest when the list is posted.

Seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and a waitlist will be created for full classes.

Tip: Be ready to adjust your schedule once the class list is released.

Classes take place in the Beus Center for Law and Society on the Downtown Phoenix campus. Students commuting from other ASU campuses are encouraged to use the campus shuttle. 

Each law class is primarily composed of law students. Typically, 3 to 10 seats are reserved for Barrett students, depending on the overall size of the class.

There is no limit to the number of Project Excellence courses you can take overall. However, you may enroll in no more than two Project Excellence classes per semester.

Barrett students are graded separately from law students and are not graded on the law school curve. You must take HON 494 for a letter grade unless the course is only available pass/fail, which is rare. Project Excellence classes may not be audited.

Yes. Most students earn A grades.

If you would like to review feedback from past participants, you can view survey data here.  

Yes. A required orientation session is held before the semester begins. By signing up for a Project Excellence class, you are agreeing to attend this session. The date and time will be sent to you in advance. Orientation is usually held during the week before school starts.

If you have more questions about Project Excellence, please email [email protected] 

"I'm so grateful I took those Project Excellence classes. While everyone was worrying about taking their first law school final, I at least knew what to expect."

— Brigitte N., Barrett Class of 2017, Berkeley Law Class of 2020

For questions about the student experience, contact Brigitte Nicoletti at [email protected]