In order to earn honors, students must arrange this option with the instructor ahead of time and must complete an honors project. An honors project must represent a scholarly endeavor over and above the normally expected curriculum, and the plan for the project must be described in the honors contract.

What is an Honors Project

An Honors Project must represent a scholarly endeavor over and above the normally expected curriculum of the course, and it must be described well on the Honors Option Contract. These may be

  • Topics that are too advanced for presentations in regular course work
  • Research beyond normal course assignment
  • Critical thinking and extended analysis not required in regular course work
  • Creative project beyond regular requirements of the course

Procedure

  1. The student should ask the instructor if they can take the class for honors. Participation is at the instructor’s discretion. Any credit transferable course offered in the Fall or Spring (not Summer) semester can be converted to honors as long as the professor, department chair, and student agree.
  2. If the instructor agrees, the student should consult with the instructor about their honors project design. The title of the project, what will be entailed, and when it will be due should be discussed. Scaffolding the sub parts of the assignment, spreading out due dates, and running through drafts is recommended, but this is ultimately up to the professor and the student. A final due date before the end of the semester must be set.
  3. If the instructor agrees, the student should consult with the instructor about their honors project design. The title of the project, what will be entailed, and when it will be due should be discussed. Scaffolding the sub parts of the assignment, spreading out due dates, and running through drafts is recommended, but this is ultimately up to the professor and the student. A final due date before the end of the semester must be set.
  4. The student looks for an email from AdobeSign regarding the honors contract (check junk, clutter, and spam folders). The student should follow up with the professor if they do not receive an email from AdobeSign. When the email arrives, the student should follow the directions to sign and send it onwards in a timely manner.
  5. The professor completes their portion and sends the honors contract onwards to their department chair before midterm. Chairs have the right to reject the contracts if they are submitted late or if they do not agree
  6. Proposal signatures on the honors contract (student, instructor, and department chair) must be obtained in AdobeSign by the end of midterm week (extensions can be handled on a case by case basis by the department chair). The instructor retains a copy of the form to submit at the end of the semester
  7. The instructor and student should meet throughout the term to check on progress, work out details, etc. Four or five meetings are suggested
  8. The project must be completed by the deadline set by the instructor, and instructors are allowed to reject honors projects that do not meet their criteria or are submitted late
  9. Once the project is complete and the instructor has completed final grades, the honors contract should be sent for signature in AdobeSign again to verify completion of the project by the end of the semester.  All required signatures must be in place
  10. Please allow ÃÈ·­µ¼º½ a few weeks after grades become available on MyRam for the honors credits to appear on the unofficial and official transcripts. Unofficial transcripts can be viewed for free on MyRam. If the honors credits do not appear after a few weeks, email the honors coordinator