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 an Honors Society.
     1. Honors societies are usually affiliated with National organizations who send the invitations and often have a membership cost, and are generally 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 no minimum test score nor minimum GPA needed to apply. The recommended GPA (Grade Point Average) is 3.25, however if you fall below that you may 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. Honors students are eligible for scholarships and pulled into a pool where they can be considered for scholarships. To be considered for scholarships you must meet the benchmark in the Honors Connect program. If a student is struggling financially and is in 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 Year Honors and Honors Capstone
        
        1. 1 Honors Connect Activity to graduate with honors
     2. University Honors Program
        
        1. 6 Honors Connect Activity at any time you are in the Program in order to graduate with Honors on your transcript.
• 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.
     7. Honors students who meet certain benchmarks are provided with priority registration status for future semesters.
  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 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