When permission is granted

• Albert Dorman Honors College students are permitted to earn honors credit for a non-honors course by completing additional coursework or a project.
• In general, only one enhanced course at the lower-division level (100 and 200) will be approved during a student’s career.
• Up to three enhanced courses will be approved at the 300 and 400 levels within the student’s major, if no alternative Honors courses exist.
• This option is available only to students with at least sophomore status (minimum 29 credits earned) and who are in good standing with their Dorman Honors College requirements.
• Permission is granted when, in the opinion of the Honors advisor, no alternative regular honors course exists or fits the student’s schedule, and the student is expected to have no opportunity to take the course as Honors in the future. Permission is also granted for a course in which a student demonstrates a genuine interest in going beyond the regular course content and which is not regularly available as Honors.

Guidelines for the Professor

The opportunity for a student to expand his/her understanding and knowledge of a given subject beyond the regular course syllabus may be accomplished in many ways, including (but not limited to) the following:

• Investigating an area of the discipline not covered in depth in the regular course
• Investigating how the student's major area(s) of interest connect with this discipline
• Applying the information/expertise learned in the course in a creative way
• Participating in an appropriate and relevant faculty-initiated research project
• Devising and carrying out a clearly delimited original research project
• Leading several class discussions on readings or other course-related topics
• Monitoring and analyzing current events associated with the course topic
• Performing a literature survey in a collateral area of the course topic

Requirements and procedures for approval

The student requesting this option must follow the procedures below, in the order given. Most can be accomplished online or via email.

1. The student must receive permission from his/her Honors Advisor to initiate the process of converting a non-honors course to honors credit.
2. The Honors Advisor will respond to the request based on the student’s standing in the Dorman Honors College.
3. If the request is approved, the student is directed to the web page containing the above guidelines, and must contact the professor for approval to receive honors credit. The student should give the professor the web location or a printout of the guidelines.
4. The student asks the faculty member to email to the student’s Honors Advisor a synopsis of the additional work as agreed upon by them no later than the third class meeting.
5. The Honors Advisor makes the decision whether the proposed enhancement falls within the guidelines. If the decision is positive, the Honors Advisor sends a confirmation email to the student and the professor. If the decision is negative, the Honors Advisor engages in a discussion with the professor in order to bring the enhancement within the guidelines.

Conduct of the Course

1. The quality or completion of the additional material required of an Honors student should not form a part of the grade in the course. The student should receive a grade according to the work done in the non-honors part of the course, and the honors work is rewarded by the granting of honors credit for the course.
2. The student should be graded according to the same criteria as all other students in the course.
3. The student is responsible for ensuring that the instructor emails the Honors Advisor confirming that the student satisfactorily completed the course enhancement no later than the beginning of the next semester. The email must be from the professor and it should include the student’s name, ID number, course, section, and grade earned. Honors credit will not be granted until this confirmation is received.
4. Consistent with Honors College policy for all Honors courses, Honors credit will be awarded only if the student earns at least a B in the course.
5. If the Honors materials is not completed satisfactorily, this should be reported to the Honors College by the instructor, and Honors credit will not be granted.