Policies & Procedures For Faculty

Honors Contract Statement of General Policy

The signed contract must be submitted to The Honors College for approval with a copy of the current course syllabus by the deadline to drop a class using WebReg (please refer to the Schedule of Classes.)

All Honors students who enter The Honors College as freshmen may fulfill six (6) lower-division and six (6) upper-division Honors credits through contracts, except for those in the following disciplines (who may fulfill six Honors credits through a contract):

Aerospace Engineering, Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Geological Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Optical Engineering, and Systems Engineering.

Students who enter The Honors College as juniors may fulfill six Honors credits through contracts, except for those in the above disciplines who may fulfill three Honors credits through contracts.

The work assigned as a result of the contract should be qualitatively different in nature from the work already assigned in the class. For example, it may rely more on primary sources or focus more intensively on particular topics.

The work assigned as a result of the contract should not determine the student's final grade. That is, the fact that the student is working for Honors credit does not guarantee a high grade. Final grades should reflect the quality and content of all the student's work in the course. Contracted courses may not be taken Pass/Fail.

Sponsors are required to determine whether the student is making satisfactory progress in meeting the terms of the contract by the next to last week of classes. No grade is given for the contract.

Only faculty members may sponsor a contract (no teaching assistants).

Contracts are designed primarily for upper-division courses; however, lower-division course contracts will be considered in areas where enrollments are not sufficient to support Honors sections.

Contracts may not be used for courses that offer existing Honors sections (ex: Freshman Composition, Calculus).

Honors Courses

Graduating with Honors

Students who have entered The College as either a freshman or sophomore can graduate with Honors by completing 30 Honors credits, six of which are the Senior Honors Thesis and earning a cumulative UA grade point average of 3.50 or better. If they entered The College as a junior or senior, graduation with Honors requires the completion of 18 Honors credits, and again, six of these are the Senior Honors Thesis.

On occasion, Honors students have sought to graduate with Honors in more than one area of study. To do so, students who entered The College as either a freshman or sophomore must complete a minimum of 36 Honors credits, 12 of which are the Senior Honors Thesis (six units for each thesis). For students who entered The College as a junior or senior, graduation with Honors in two areas requires the completion of 24 Honors credits, twelve of which are the Senior Honors Thesis (six units for each thesis).

Honors Internship Credit

Faculty Members: Your Role in Helping Students Who Wish to Earn up to Three Units of Honors Credit for Internships

The Honors College has instituted a policy that allows undergraduate Honors students to earn up to three units of Honors credit for internships. Students have the option of earning this pass/fail credit through the major or minor department (DEPT X93H), or through The Honors College (HNRS X93H).

Students must complete several requirements to earn three units of Honors credit for internships. They must read chapter four of Wendell Berry's Citizenship Papers (entitled "Work"); they must choose another reading pertinent to the internship (in consultation with you); they must keep an internship journal throughout the tenure of the internship; they must use the readings and journal excerpts to inform a 5-7 page paper that reflects on the internship; and they must participate in an internship symposium during the semester of the internship (or the following semester if the internship takes place outside of Tucson).

Faculty play a pivotal role in ensuring that students complete the requirements to earn Honors credit. Several steps are involved in assisting students as they seek to earn Honors credit for internships. First, if a student wishes to earn Honors credit through your department, make sure that an Honors internship section is available. If it isn't, go to the Office of Curriculum and Registration homepage and click on the Faculty/Staff button http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/default.htm . Click on the "Course Approval Process" link and follow the instructions that allow you to recommend the establishment of a new course. Complete the recommendation form, choosing 193H, 293H, 393H and/or 493H as the course numbers for Honors internships. The form should be routed to Patricia MacCorquodale, Dean of The Honors College, for formal Honors approval.

Second, make sure the student knows that he/she must complete the "Proposal to Earn Honors Credit for Internships" that is available on The Honors College website. The student must obtain your signature, as well as the signature of the internship supervisor, and submit the proposal to The Honors College (attn: Dr. Karna Walter) no later than September 14th. If this is not received, we will contact your department and arrange to move the student into a non-honors internship.

Third, communicate regularly with the Honors student to ensure that he/she is completing the requirements to earn Honors credit for the internship experience. The student must seek your guidance in selecting a second reading that is pertinent to the internship; you have latitude in what you advise them to read. The student will be required to submit their paper and journal to you by November 30 so you can review the materials and decide if the student has met those requirements.

Fourth, The Honors College will send you a copy of the student's proposal on the last Friday of classes for your final signature. If you believe the student has completed the requirements, you should sign and date the form and return it to The Honors College by mail or fax. If the Honors requirements are not completed, we ask that you assign a grade of "I." [Please note: you are not responsible for ensuring that students participate in the Honors Internship Symposium; Honors staff members will handle that matter]

Research Opportunities

The Honors College and the Vice President for Research sponsor the Undergraduate Research Grant program, awarding a total of $40,000 annually to students who want to engage in a personalized research endeavor. Faculty members serve as research mentors and oversee a research project devised by the student. Research culminates with an undergraduate research forum providing student researchers with a stimulating and memorable experience of publicly presenting their findings. Contact Lucia Barton, lbarton@arizona.edu, for further details.

For faculty who wish to involve undergraduate students in their ongoing research, either for pay or academic credit or on a volunteer basis, the Honors College maintains a data base of faculty researchers who are seeking undergraduates to work with them on their research projects. Honors students may browse the listings, which are updated throughout the year, and contact faculty members directly regarding their scholarly and research pursuits. Contact Lucia Barton, lbarton@arizona.edu, for more information.