Frequently Asked Questions

• How does the UNC (University of Northern Colorado) Honors Program compare to High School Honors classes?
  1. NOT Like AP or Honors in High School.
     1. The Honors Program is a curriculum program that allows a student to make connections across disciplines and subjects, rather than just accelerated course work in single subjects.
  2. Not Like Honors Society.
     1. Honors societies are loose affiliations based on GPA.
     2. The Honors Program is a tight community of scholars choosing to go beyond the standard curriculum in college.
• What grade/test scores are needed?
  1. There is not a minimum test score needed to apply. The recommended GPA (Grade Point Average) is 3.25, however if you fall below that still apply! Honors is for innovative student scholars who will one day enrich the world as responsible global citizens!
  2. Holistic review
     1. No one factor is more important than another.
     2. No minimum test scores/GPA
• Can I apply after the deadline?

  Priority deadlines are helpful for the getting a space in the honors dorm and early admission, but that we adhere overall to a rolling application timeline, and will accept applications at any time for consideration!

• Do Honors Students get scholarships?
  1. All “active” honors are eligible for scholarships and pulled into a pool where they can be considered for scholarships. To be considered active you must meet the workshop requirement. If a student is struggling financially and is need of financial assistance, we encourage them to come talk to us so we can help connect them with resources.
  2. Many of the Honors students receive Institutional Scholarships automatically based on their high academic profile (e.g. Provost, President, Trustee scholarships).
• What outside of course work is required?
  1. Workshops/Advising Meetings HIP:
     1. First semester Attendance
        1. 3 workshops and 1 event
        2. Check in meeting with Honors Advisor.
     2. After completing the first semester
        1. A minimum of 2 workshops per semester
        2. Advising meetings may substitute for a workshop
• How does Honors help create a sense of community?
  1. Workshops and events
     1. Students get to learn and socialize with fellow honors students through a workshop series that covers a wide variety of topics, such as self-care, graduate school, and college basics to name a few. Students can also attend events that include chatting with professors over coffee and presenting research!
• What are the benefits of being in the Honors Interdisciplinary Program?
  1. Benefits to being in Honors:
     1. Scholarships are available exclusively to Honors students, such as the Heidger and Livingston Scholarships.
     2. Honors only seminar courses offered with a small group of students on innovative and interdisciplinary topics such as Consciousness, Aesthetics, Fear, and student favorites - Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter themed courses!
     3. The Honors Residential Learning Community based in the centrally located Lujan Hall allows you to immediately connect with your Honors cohort and build a community of driven friends and learners.
     4. Academic and Professional Workshops that will support you on your journey towards graduation.
     5. You will be treated as a close professional and scholar by your faculty and have options not readily available by the whole student body, such as individualized projects, creative outlets in any course, and independent research.
     6. Many additional opportunities for honors students including: internships, external scholarship program preparation, teaching assistantships, peer mentor program, research and creative works awards, opportunity to publish written work in several honors only journals.
  2. But really, Why Honors?
     1. "Honors gifted me with so many wonderful things. From friends to mentors, conferences to committees, I am a better student and leader because of these programs and their impact on me." - Madeline Azari, Theatre Arts: Secondary Education 2018
     2. The UNC Honors Program is a Co-curricular academic program designed to support student-directed learning. From interdisciplinary seminars to study abroad programs and internships, Honors asks motivated students to explore what being educated means to them and to expand upon their expectations of what they should learn to what they can learn.
     3. By building connections and exploring topics important to you, Honors prepares tomorrow's problem solvers by teaching critical thinking and promoting self-driven learning.
• What are the differences between Honors Interdisciplinary Program and Upper Division Honors?
  You get all the benefits of being in HIP AND the opportunity to complete an individualized thesis (research, creative, applied or community-based) project with the opportunity for publication
• What are the course requirements for Honors Interdisciplinary Program?
  1. Complete an introductory course in critical thinking (1 credit)
     1. HON101
  2. Complete the Inquiry requirement (1 credit) One of the following:
     1. LIB 151 (honors only section)
     2. LIB 160 (CJ majors)
     3. LIB 170 (ASLS majors)
     4. LIB 180 (History Majors)
     5. LIB 150 Summer Bridge program option for student athletes
     6. UNIV101 (Honors Section Only)
  3. Complete 3 courses/options of themed academic coursework (9 credits) Students will choose ONE of the following options:
  4. Life of the Mind/Interdisciplinary option (9 credits): Students may complete the coursework as a Life of the Mind sequence with all 9 credits from designated interdisciplinary courses, including HON, LEAD, MIND, and additional interdisciplinary courses selected each semester.
  5. Self-Designed Theme option (9 credits): Students may develop a theme and designate course options to explore the theme option. Themes may include a specific research related topic or issue (e.g., poverty, sports injury recovery), a concept (e.g., aesthetics), a question (e.g., what is truth?), or a professional area of study (e.g., law, leadership).
     1. Three curricular options (minimum of 9 credit hours) must be completed and will include a mix of the following:
     2. HON, LEAD or MIND lower division courses and/or
     3. Course by contract and/or
     4. Study abroad experiences and/or
     5. Internship relevant to major, career or honors theme
• What are the course requirements for Upper Division Honors?
  1. The Upper Division Honors Program requires the following:
     1. Completion of a total of 11 honors-recognized course credits.
     2. Presentation of Honors Research or Creative Capstone Project in a public forum
     3. Achieve a minimum cumulative 3.25 UNC GPA
  2. Required Courses:
     1. Honors Project Core (5 credits)
        1. LIB 251 Research as Inquiry: Exploration for Beginning Researchers (1 credit)
        2. HON 351 Junior Honors Seminar/Project Design (1 credit)
        3. HON 451 Senior Honors Research Thesis (3 credits)
        4. These three credits are normally taken as one-credit hour over three semesters but may be combined as 2 or 3 credits in a single semester.
        5. Directed studies in the discipline of the honors thesis may be substituted for HON451 in the "disciplinary" track of Upper Division Honors. Please speak with your Honors Liaison and/or Honors Thesis advisor.
  3. Honors Electives - Complete two of the following (minimum of 6 credits)
     1. Approved research methodology course or directed study with research project or other research skills course.
     2. Internship, Service-Learning course, Practicum or Field Experience – must be contracted for Honors credit
• Can Distance Student/Extended Campus Students be in Honors?

  Yes, all UNC students are encouraged to apply! Honors is for innovative student scholars who will one day enrich the world as responsible global citizens!