Honors sections of general education courses are generally 100- and 200-level courses. After students have completed 15 hours of general education courses, an additional 12 hours of upper-division courses are required for graduation with Honors College Distinction.

There are several ways these credits can be accumulated. In all instances, the Honors graduate must have a minimum of three hours of Honors Colloquium and three hours of Honors Independent Study.

Students may take up to six hours of Colloquium and six hours of Independent Study. If a student chooses that route, he or she will have met the requisite of 12 hours.

Students may contract upper-division credits in conjunction with regularly-offered upper-division courses. Thus, if students complete three hours of Colloquium and three hours of Independent Study, students would contract for six additional hours through a combination of upper-division courses.

Contracting for Honors credit enables students to earn upper-division credits toward graduation with Honors College Distinction while enrolled in a course that has no designated Honors section. This offers several benefits:

1.   It allows students to select a course where they want to go beyond the routine assignments to meet individual learning objectives.

2.   It provides opportunity for motivated students to challenge themselves to a standard of critical thinking and intellectual/creative achievements.

Honors students can select courses in their majors or elective courses to be taken under an option contract. Other choices include courses in interdisciplinary majors such as Women’s Studies, American Indian Studies, Global Studies, and enrollment in study abroad programs.

Students must exercise the initiative in contracting for Honors credit. Terms or conditions of the contracted Honors course are negotiated between the student and the professor teaching the course. It is therefore important that the student determines in advance what he or she is prepared to do to warrant Honors credit.

The particulars of the Honors contracted credit agreement are not limited to reading more or writing additional papers. Students and professors alike are encouraged to be creative and to share their creativity with others through presentations and other communiqués for the benefit of all.


Upper Division Honors Credit in Regularly Offered Courses by Contract

Each academic department may designate one or more regularly-offered courses in which students can receive Honors credit through contract. Or an academic department may choose to allow faculty discretion in contracting for Honors credit.

The contract must be agreed upon by both the student and course instructor. A copy of the completed contract must be filed with the Honors College office.

The Honors students shall complete all of the assignments and tests for the course unless some are eliminated in favor of more challenging work. Typically, assignments above and beyond the regular courses requirements are to be designed to enhance scholarly learning through problem solving, critical analysis, development of communication skills, and creative endeavors. Such activities may include some, but not all, of the following:

• Reading and/or writing papers on additional topics especially those too advanced for regular work

• Research beyond normal course work
  
• Critical thinking and extended analysis of topics covered in class through mechanisms such as private conferences, papers, etc.
  
• Oral presentations to the class in addition to those regularly assigned
  
• Leadership of team projects in which the class engages
  
• Solutions to additional and more challenging problems or experiments assigned to the class
  
• Creation of an exhibit or show
  
• Journalizing
  
• Creative writing
  
• Attendance at relevant professional meetings
  
• Teaching a unit or section of the course in place of the regular instructor or teaching course content to another audience

The faculty member assigned to teach the contract class will establish a time table of conferences in which he or she engages with the individual student to monitor progress and support the student’s additional scholarly efforts.

Grades assigned by the faculty member will be based on the student’s performance on the assignments and tests in comparison to the class as a whole as one component plus the additional Honors work as another. The grading plan should be included in the contract.