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Project Excellence

Project Excellence is an exciting partnership between the ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and Barrett, The Honors College, designed to expose Honors students to dynamic Law courses and Law faculty. Project Excellence is a unique opportunity for Honors students to gain exposure to the environment and teaching practices of the Law College while still undergraduates.

What is Project Excellence?
Built out of a partnership between ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and Barrett, The Honors College, Project Excellence exposes Honors students to a variety of Law courses and Law faculty. Students who participate in the program enroll in law courses as undergraduates.

What advantages does the Project Excellence program offer to students?
In addition to taking classes in one of the nation’s top 25 law schools, Project Excellence students have access to the Ross Blakely Law Library, which is a great study space and contains enormous amounts of reference materials. Students may use the Law School’s databases and receive guidance from the excellent staff at the library.

What kinds of law classes are offered?
Each Fall and Spring semester approximately 10 upper division elective Law classes are offered to Barrett students listed under the HON 494 prefix. These classes are typically taken by law students in the second or third year and topics vary. For detailed course descriptions, use the links on the right to access the latest course list.

What are the eligibility requirements for Project Excellence?
Honors students must be in good academic standing with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and have completed honors credit hours.

  • Students who started Barrett as Lower Division, and must earn 36 total honors hours, should complete 18 honors credits before requesting an override into a Project Excellence class. 
  • Students who started Barrett as Upper Division, and must earn 21 total honors credits, should complete at least 6 honors credits before requesting an override into a Project Excellence class.

When will the schedule of Project Excellence classes be available?
Project Excellence classes are often released the last week of the semester due to course scheduling differences in the Law College. An announcement will be sent in the Honors Digest to students when the class list is available. Class seats are distributed on a first come, first served basis to eligible students and a wait list is run for classes that reach capacity.

Note: If you will be taking Project Excellence courses you should plan to rearrange your class schedule once the list comes out.

How do I sign up for a class?
Email Angelina Storelli at angelina.storelli@asu.edu.
Please include your name and your 10-digit ASU ID number. List your top three choices in order.

Example:

  1. Water Law #91553
  2. Health Law and Policy #91541
  3. Private Property Rights #91544

Once we have confirmed your eligibility to enroll in the class and given you an override, you will be sent a confirmation email and you may register online.

How much space is available in each law class?
The classes will be comprised primarily of Law students and have room for about 3-10 honors students, depending on the overall class size.

Is there a limit to how many Project Excellence classes I can take?
There is no limit on how many you can take overall; however, students are limited to a maximum of two Project Excellence classes per semester. 

Do I have to do anything else before classes start?
Yes. There will be a required Project Excellence orientation before classes start. By signing up for a class, you are also agreeing to attend the required orientation. The date and time for the orientation session will be sent to you in advance. The orientation is usually held during the week before school starts.

Where are Project Excellence classes held?
Project Excellence classes are held in the new Arizona Center for Law and Society building located on the Downtown Phoenix campus. Students commuting from other campuses are encouraged to use the Campus Shuttle.

Who do I contact if I have more questions?
Contact Angelina Storelli at angelina.storelli@asu.edu.

How are the classes graded?
Honors students will be graded separately from the Law students, not on the Law School curve. However, all honors students must take HON 494 for a letter grade unless the law course is only available as a pass/fail option, which is not typical. Project Excellence classes may not be audited.

What grades do students get in the classes?
The majority of students earn A’s.

To view survey data from previous Project Excellence students, click here 

Questions about the student experience?

Connect with Brigitte at bnicoletti@berkeley.edu

“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