General Honors Program

General Honors Program

The General Honors Program is designed for students who enter the Honors College with fewer than 30 completed credit hours. The program includes courses designed to facilitate completion of both general education and major requirements.

A. General Honors Core Curriculum (minimum 18 credits)

UHC 110 Freshman Honors Seminar (2 cr.)
3 General Honors courses to be selected from a menu of Honors College offerings (9-15 cr.); Courses are offered in as many as twenty academic disciplines

  • 1 Honors Experiential Learning Experience (1-3 cr.):
  • UHC 300 Honors Service Learning
  • UHC 350 Honors Study Abroad
  • UHC 396 Honors Independent Study
  • UHC 398 Honors Undergraduate Research
  • UHC 399 Honors Internship/Apprenticeship

To complete an Experiential Learning Experience, you must fill out the appropriate form and turn it into the Honors College within the first week of the semester in which you wish to complete the component. Find the correct forms on our Worksheets and Forms page. 

  • UHC 397 Honors Colloquia (3 cr.)
  • UHC 410 Senior Honors Seminar (3 cr.)

B. Distinction in the Major Option (minimum 12 credits)

Students who complete the Core Curriculum have the opportunity to continue their honors studies and to earn Distinction in the Major by self-designing a rigorous program of course work culminating in a final distinction project. Students must complete a minimum of 12 credits of honors course work in their major, including a minimum of 3 credits of UHC 499 Honors Distinction Project. Students may propose appropriate combinations of the following courses:

  1. UHC 396 Honors Independent Study (1-3 cr.)
  2. UHC 398 Honors Undergraduate Research (1-3 Cr.)
  3. UHC 410 Senior Honors Seminar (3 cr.)
  4. UHC 499 Honors Distinction Project (3-4 cr.)

****To complete any of the Distinction Components above, you must fill out the appropriate form and turn it into the Honors College within the first week of the semester in which you wish to complete the component.

*Students who have completed the General Honors Core Curriculum may double-count one section of UHC 396, UHC 398, or UHC 410 towards the Distinction in the Major requirements.

Find more the appropriate Distinction paperwork on our Worksheets and Forms page. 

Additional Requirements & Regulations

In order to remain in good standing in the program, a student must maintain a 3.25 cumulative institutional GPA or higher and enroll in 12 or more credit hours per semester. Members should normally carry no more than two honors classes in any one semester and must take at least one honors class each semester until they have completed UHC 110 and 3 General Honors courses. Students who complete the General Honors Core Curriculum maintain good standing in the program by maintaining a 3.25 cumulative institutional GPA.

The Director of the Honors College will review the academic progress of all students at the end of each semester. Students who do not achieve the required 3.25 cumulative institutional GPA will be given one semester to achieve that level, provided it is mathematically possible. Students who cannot achieve a 3.25 cumulative institutional GPA or who fail to reach a 3.25 for two consecutive semesters will be ineligible to continue in the program. Students who are removed from the program may apply for readmission after one semester if their academic performance satisfies program requirements. Students who are removed from the program a second time are not eligible for readmission.