University Honors Program

Program Overview

Website: www.unco.edu/honors-scholars-leadership/

The University Honors Programs are designed to foster outstanding students by providing enriched course and research experiences, extra faculty attention, a community of intellectually-challenging peers and appropriate recognition for accepting the challenge to make the most of their undergraduate education. The Programs ask that students be alive to the life of the mind and pushes them to raise the expectations they have for themselves and their education. Students will become intrinsically more involved in their own learning experience, develop heightened critical awareness and independent thinking skills, and be encouraged to participate in research or creative works at the university and in the community.

Program Highlights

With admittance into either of the University Honors Program, students will have the resources of a comprehensive research university with the individual attention traditionally associated with a small liberal arts college, including:

• Provides immediate connections to faculty and fellow students who share a passion for learning and a commitment to excellence.
• Opportunities for students to go beyond the walls of the classroom and outside the covers of their textbooks to add their own thought and sense of self to their learning.
• Access to honors courses, seminars, research opportunities, personalized advising and other enriched learning experiences inside and outside the classroom.
• Opportunities to reside in the Honors Residential Learning Community, take part in honors leadership through the Student Honors Council and participate in a rich variety of social, cultural and service activities.
• Eligibility for scholarships available only to honor students, travel and research stipends and extended library check-out privileges.
• Recognition at commencement, on transcripts and on the university diploma.

Program Overview

The University offers a two-tier Honors Program for students with a desire to explore their academic studies more deeply.

The first tier encompasses a lower division, Honors Interdisciplinary Program and is designed for students entering UNC as freshmen with advanced achievement levels and for those who once on campus find their learning niche and want to experience an Honors lower division education. The program curriculum is based on students completing interdisciplinary seminars and courses in the Honors Connection series and in the award-winning Life of the Mind Liberal Arts Curriculum course series. Students completing the Honors Interdisciplinary Program receive official notation on their transcript and diploma as “Honors Interdisciplinary”

The second tier of the University Honors Program, the Upper Division Honors Program, is designed for students who are entering into their junior year, although may be started in the senior year as long as all of the credit hours can still be completed in time for graduation. Students who are accepted into Upper Division Honors will choose one of three curricular paths:

• Research Path– Students complete an Honors research thesis either in their selected discipline, or may complete an interdisciplinary thesis.
• Creative Path– Students complete a creative works project at an honors level appropriate to their discipline. Creative projects may include those in art, music, creative writing, graphic arts, dance or theatre.
• Applied Path– Students complete an Honors independent applied project that results in an actual implemented program, event, curricular method, initiative, business plan, non-profit endeavor, or other approved projects that fall “outside the box.”

Students completing the Upper Division Honors receive recognition at commencement, on their transcript and on their diploma as Upper Division Honors.

Applying to the University Honors Program

Requests for applications and program inquiries should be directed to the Honors Program office. Applications may also be downloaded in PDF format at www.unco.edu/honors.

Honors Interdisciplinary Program Application Requirements

Students are urged to apply to join the Honors Interdisciplinary Program as incoming freshmen, but they may apply as late as the first semester of their sophomore year. All applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation from teachers along with a statement of intent. Entering Freshman must demonstrate academic interest and aptitude through their entire application, and no specific minimum standardized test scores nor minimum GPA will be required. Generally, students with successful application will either have attained a minimum 3.75 GPA in high school or have an ACT score at or above 27 in at least one of the ACT areas or equivalent SAT.

Honors Interdisciplinary Program Curriculum

General Requirements 

• Completion of a total of 11 course credits from approved interdisciplinary curricular options.
• Evidence of Community and Professional Engagement during the student’s undergraduate studies through the Honors Connect co-curricular program. Co-curricular requirements include attendance at a minimum of six honors designated events to enrich their college experience and to engage them in the community and inspire civic commitment. These activities can be completed at any time before being awarded the certificate. See the Honors Student Handbook available on the website at www.unco.edu/honors for more information.
• Maintain a cumulative 3.25 UNC GPA
• Completion of the Honors Learning Portfolio. The learning portfolio will include reflections after each course and enrichment activity, along with a final reflection on the student’s overall experience and sample coursework from each of the honors-designated course options demonstrating the Student Learning Outcomes. Portfolio submission information will be provided in the Honors Student Handbook.

Complete the required Introductory Course — 1 credit

Complete the Inquiry requirement — 1 credit

Complete one of the following courses:

Honors Interdisciplinary Core

Students will choose ONE of the following options: Life of the Mind option or the Self-designed Theme option. Students must submit to their Honors Learning Portfolio both a reflection on the course and a sample of their course work from each course taken to meet these requirements in order to complete the Honors Interdisciplinary Program.

Option A: Life of the Mind Option — 9 credits

Choose three of the following MIND courses:

Option B: Self-Designed Theme Option — 9 credits

Student will develop a theme for their honors academic work and designate which courses or curricular options will be taken to meet the requirements. Themes may include a specific research related topic or issue (e.g., poverty, sports injury recovery), a concept (e.g., aesthetics, wealth), a question (e.g., what is truth?), or a professional area of study (e.g., law, leadership). The theme and the curricular plan will be designed by the student in consultation with the Honors advisors and the Honors departmental liaison during HON 101, and must be approved by the Honors Program in order for the Honors Interdisciplinary Program certificate to be awarded.

Choose three courses that relate to the self-designed theme from the following:

Approved Study Abroad experience (1-3 credits)

From any study abroad prefix course or from international institution transfer credits. Must be pre-approved using the Honors Experiential Option form. A course adjustment form will need to be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for courses approved from this list.

Approved Internship, Practicum, or Field Experience (1-3 credits)

Can be from any discipline prefix. Must be pre-approved using the Honors Experiential Option form. A course adjustment form will need to be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for courses approved from this list.

Course by contract option (3 credits)

Courses can be contracted for honors credit. Must be approved by the fourth week of the course using the Honors course by contract form. A course adjustment form will need to be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for courses approved from this list.

Upper Division Honors Program

The Upper Division Honors Program provides Honors students the opportunity to engage in an in-depth study or independent honors project of their choice. Upper Division Honors Students work individually with a faculty mentor and strengthen their research, writing, creative and presentation skills. Students may complete their in-depth study in any discipline, and projects may include field research, experimentation, social science, natural science or humanities theses in the Research Path; an applied or civically engaged project, business or teaching curriculum project in the Applied Path; or creative composition such as in the humanities, music, theatre or fine arts in the Creative Path. Students designate their chosen Path upon application to the program. All projects require a written component with critical, research-based, reflective analysis. All complete projects are bound and placed in the permanent collection of the James A. Michener Library, and students present their completed research or creative project in a public forum to educate others on their topic. Honors students also are encouraged to submit their final written project for inclusion in a scholarly journal, such as UNC’s Undergraduate Research Journal.

The Upper Division Honors Program requires the following:

• Completion of a total of 11 honors-recognized course credits.
• Presentation of Honors Research or Creative Capstone Project in a public forum
• Achieve a minimum cumulative 3.25 UNC GPA

Required Courses

Honors Project Core — 5 credits

Honors Electives — Complete two of the following (minimum of 6 credits)

• Approved research methodology course or directed study with research methodology project. (Required for Research Path)
• Internship, Service Learning course, Practicum or Field Experience – must be contracted for Honors credit (Required for Applied Path)
• Honors Course by Contract – Undergraduate or Graduate level
• Study Abroad/International Student Exchange or National Student Exchange experience

Additional information about general Honors Requirements, Honors courses by contract, experiential option requirements and program planning can be found in the Honors Program Student Handbook available on the website at www.unco.edu/honors.