Certificate & Core Award

Students who graduate in December 2003 or thereafter, may receive the "University Honors Core Award" (19 credits) or the "University Honors Program Certificate" (27 credits) according to the guidelines noted below, and be recognized at the annual Honors Certificate ceremony (photo: Kristy Henscheid, wearing her Honors Certificate Medallion, at the reception following the ceremony).

Students are strongly encouraged to pursue a full course of honors studies, and thereby earn the "University Honors Program Certificate," awarded upon successfully completing 27 credits in Honors coursework or the equivalent. Depending on which courses students select, as many as 26 honors credits also satisfy general university core requirements that all students must complete to graduate.

University Honors Program Certificate requirements:

Six honors humanities credits and six honors social science credits, selected from at least three different disciplines; three honors science credits; Math 315 or honors Philosophy 202 (honors section or via Honors Elective Agreement*); six upper-division honors course or seminar credits; additional credits as needed to reach 27 credits, including at least 20 credits with the HON designation, with an average GPA of 3.0 or above in honors coursework completed, and with an overall cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above [for those entering fall 2001 or later].

UHP Core Award requirements:

Three honors humanities credits, three honors social science credits, three honors science credits; additional credits as needed to reach 19 credits, including at least 16 credits with the HON designation, with an average GPA of 3.0 or above in honors coursework completed, and with an overall cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above [for those entering fall 2001 or later].

*Approved Honors Electives--May be satisfied by lower or upper-division courses from the Honors Curriculum (HON designation), or by occasional offerings of special honors sections of classes that meet UI General Core Studies requirements. Such electives may also include arranging to use the Honors Elective Agreement in order to receive honors credit for an elective outside the major, preferably at the upper-division level--if a student has more than one major, the elective may be from one of the majors; students must consult with the Director or Associate Director prior to enrolling in a non-honors course for which they wish to use the Honors Elective Agreement to receive credit towards the UHP curriculum (three credits maximum). An elective course that is not designated as part of the honors curriculum is subject to the final approval of the Director; the instructor shall also confirm in writing that the course fulfills the spirit of an honors course. Such an elective will include an exploration of the subject in substantial depth; coursework may culminate, for example, in a critical essay, project, or presentation.