• What are Honors Contracts?
• Reasons for Honors Contracts
• Guidelines for Honors Contracts
• Honors Contracts Forms

What are Honors Contracts?

Honors Contracts will allow students to receive Honors credit for a non-honors course by developing and completing a special project under the supervision of the course instructor and with the approval of the director of the University Honors Program. Upon successful completion of the course and the contract, the student will receive Honors credit for the course.

Reasons for Honors Contracts

Many courses cannot be offered as an Honors section because of small enrollments. Math and Engineering majors are often well qualified for the Honors Program and would like to receive Honors credit for math courses beyond the Honors Calculus I class or in certain engineering courses. Students in other programs may also benefit from the Honors Contract approach when enrollment in regular Honors sections is not possible.

Guidelines for Honors Contracts

1. Honors Contracts must:
   1. Promote academic excellence
   2. Encourage and challenge students to strive toward achieving their goals.
   3. Recognize and foster exceptional abilities and talents of students
   4. Extend and enrich cultural and academic awareness of students.
   5. Clearly demonstrate how the honors component complements the existing course content and how the project will move the student beyond the established requirements both in content and methodology. High levels of critical thinking including application and synthesis are expected.
   6. State clearly which of the honors abilities will be addressed in the project and the potential for mastery of those abilities.
   7. Indicate a specific "product" to be included in the portfolio.
2. A student must meet the general Honors Program admission requirements in order to be eligible to undertake an Honors Contract.
   
3. The contract form must be submitted for approval to the Honors Program director by the end of the second week of the semester (end of the first week for summer terms).
4. The type of scholarship/study outlined in the Honors Contract must go beyond the normal course content and requirements. It may include (but is not limited to) research, reading, preparation of materials, and other work that entails a different learning experience beyond the regular classroom activities of the course.
5. The proposal must include a time-line for completion of the project (no later than the week prior to final exam week) and criteria for evaluation of the project.
6. The student will make a 15 minute presentation of the project to the Honors Faculty. The time for this presentation will be scheduled during final exam week.
7. The course grade will not be affected by the successful or unsuccessful completion of the project. In order to receive Honors credit for the class, the student must successfully complete the project and receive a grade of "B" or higher based on the regular course requirements. The instructor must report the student's accomplishments to the Honor Program director (Report Form), who will submit the report to the registrar. This report must be submitted at the same time as final grades. No IP's can be submitted for the Honors Contact; an incomplete project will terminate the contract.
8. Courses already offered as Honors sections are not eligible for Honors Contracts in regular sections. Only courses at 1000 level and higher are eligible for Honors Contracts.

Honors Contracts Forms

• Proposal Form
• Report Form