To graduate with University Honors, all students enrolled in the program must take a combination of the following:
The exact number of credits and courses required varies by student category and catalogue year.
To maintain academic eligibility, students must:
Required courses:
Total credits: 26 hours
**Early college students who come to UNCW with an associate's degree or over 50 hours of college credit have a waiver for 3 credits of Honors University Studies requirements, also. Early college students must still complete HON 110 unless they have completed UNI 101 at UNCW prior.
Required courses:
Total credits: 26 hours
**Early college students who come to UNCW with an associate's degree or over 50 hours of college credit have a waiver for 3 credits of Honors University Studies requirements, also. Early college students must still complete HON 110 unless they have completed UNI 101 at UNCW prior.
Students who do not enter Honors as first-year students (e.g., transfer students, or students who apply to join the Honors College after completing UNI 101) have 6 credit hours waived. These students do NOT have to complete HON 110 (as they have either transferred in and don't need a freshman seminar class, OR they have already completed UNI 101, which fulfills the same requirement as HON 110). They also receive a waiver for 3 credit hours (~1 course) worth of Honors University Studies requirements.
Required courses:
Total credits: 20 hours
Required courses:
Total credits: 20 hours
In Fall 2021, Honors launched the Bridge Honors Program, specifically designed for transfer students. University Honors will still be an option for transfer students for whom it is a better fit.
Total credits: 12-13 hours
The Honors Scholars College offers various sections of honors university studies sections to assist students in working toward their university studies requirements. Students entering the program as fall semester freshmen must take a total of 12 hours (about 4 courses) of honors university studies sections.
The specific honors sections of university studies courses change every semester to meet a wide array of requirements in different subjects. Please refer to the online schedule on the honors website for the specific courses offered each semester.
A major focus of the honors curriculum is the seminar. Seminars cut across traditional boundaries of academic disciplines, offering students the opportunity to explore issues in depth. In general, honors seminars focus on a specific topic of inquiry. They typically involve students in both in-class and out-of-class activities that enrich their learning experiences.
Students typically take an honors seminar in each of their first four semesters— for example, HON 110 in first semester freshman year; HON 210/211/212 in first semester sophomore year, and HON 120/121 in spring semester of both freshman and sophomore years. However, HON 120/121 and HON 210/211/212 sections are offered both fall and spring semesters to accommodate student class scheduling. These seminars are regular credit courses and count toward graduation, as well as toward the grade point average.
The Honors version of UNI 101: First Year Seminar, which Introduces the honors student to the college experience by direct involvement in research, service and leadership activities.
Students study a specialty topic and participate in a variety of related enrichment activities on the campus and in the community.
Students study a specialty topic and participate in a variety of related enrichment activities outside the classroom.
Designed for first- and second-year students who want to jump-start their engagement in research and scholarly work in their likely major area. HON 191 is open to all UNCW students and is typically offered in the spring semester. The focus of the class is to refine library and other research-related skills, develop a resume, seek out faculty who may become mentors, and interview juniors and seniors engaged in undergraduate research already.
Effective Spring 2020 and onward, HON 191 may be substituted for one of the HON 120/121 requirements for students.
An in-depth investigation of a special topic using the approaches of several disciplines; may be team-taught. Topics and approaches vary.
An in-depth investigation of a special topic related to the theme “Living in Our Diverse Nation” using the approaches of several disciplines; may be team-taught. Topics and approaches vary.
An in-depth investigation of a special topic related to the theme “Living in a Global Society” using the approaches of several disciplines; may be team-taught. Topics and approaches vary.
Honors Contracts are another type of honors teaching experience. In this class, the professor and the honors scholar student make a contract (similar to a DIS proposal) to add honors-level experience(s) to an ongoing course, so that the student does "honors level work" in the class (but only that student does the work and receives the honors credit).
Completing an honors contract may mean that the student engages in additional reading--such as primary sources--with additional or different types of papers for the class. For example, the student might add a critique/analysis to a general class paper, or significantly expand the depth and length of a paper that is already part of the classwork. Or the student may learn a particular section of material well enough to make a special presentation to the class.
Other examples include: synthesis of additional compounds and research report (Chemistry); community service focused on the topic of the class (Nursing); create promotional materials (newsletter and calendar); reflective journaling; literature reviews; interview projects; etc. The idea is to engage the student more deeply in the topic of the class, develop applications, and expect mastery of specific material.
The student must earn at least a B (3.0) to receive honors level credit for the course (designated as such on the transcript). 300 or 400 level classes in the student's major or minor are eligible for honors-level contracts. This can be a very unique learning experience to explore a particular content area in depth.
Each semester, before the end of add/drop, a student must submit the Honors Contract Course Form on InfoReady. The student is expected to initiate a discussion with the instructor and agree upon a set of assignment(s) for the contract independently. Then, the student should submit the form, and the instructor will sign off.
After the end of grading each semester, the Honors College will contact instructors directly to ask whether students successfully completed their honors-level work and earned a B or better. At that point, Honors will ask the Registrar to have this reflected on your degree audit in the appropriate category.
Typically, honors contract courses fulfill the "3 extra hours of Honors credit" category of Honors College requirements (see requirement worksheets above). In some cases, honors contract courses may be approved to substitute for Honors University Studies requirements, in a case where students enter the Honors College with a significant number of University Studies courses already fulfilled by AP and transfer credit.
Each student may complete up to 2 contract courses. Students wishing to take more than 2 contract courses should contact the Honors College Director.
Departmental Honors at UNCW provides the opportunity for juniors and seniors to engage in an individual scholarly project in the major. The honors project or honors thesis involves independent study under the supervision of a faculty member in the student's major field for six (6) total credit hours.
Learn more in the Departmental Honors Website.
There are additional ways to earn honors credit toward the total hours required for honors.
As registration approaches through the semester, Honors may create additional opportunities for advising--drop-in hours, peer advising, etc.
We typically have two peer advisors in Honors--upperclassmen students who have weekly hours dedicated to helping other Honors students. As of Fall 2021, we have a Visiting Advisor position dedicated full-time to assisting with advising.
One important thing to note, and to stress to students, is that DegreeWorks does not play well with the honors curriculum—it does not always correctly note or track honors coursework.
When coursework does not show up correctly on students’ degree audits, a manual request must be sent to subwaiver@uncw.edu to correct it. If you, as an advisor, are confident in what kind of change needs to be made (e.g., get an honors contracted class to count for the “3 extra hours” of honors requirements), you are free to reach out directly and ask that those changes be made (please copy Honors).
Many of you already use Starfish to leave notes about your meetings with advisees. Honors will be pivoting to rely heavily on Starfish as well.
When you meet with an Honors advisee, please record the following (if applicable) in an advising note: