An Honors Designation means that a student will pursue Honors-level work within a general-level course. This doesn't necessarily mean they will read or write more pages; instead, the student should be engaging with the course material in greater depth and with more sophistication. This might mean using primary texts instead of secondary texts, presenting material to the class, etc. For the best outcomes, students and professors should discuss what projects and expectations will best suit the students' academic path. Faculty may always use their discretion when deciding whether or not to sponsor an Honors Designation. Please see our Honors Designation page for more information about the designation process.
Designating a course as Honors creates a separate section in the eyes of the registration system. This means that the student is dropped from the non-Honors course. The instructor needs to link the courses together. The UNH IT Knowledge Base has instructions.
If you would like to offer an existing course as Honors, please reach out to both your department chair and the Honors College in the early stages of course scheduling.
We encourage the development of new Honors courses. If you would like to create one, you should begin by consulting with your department chair, then contact the Honors College to discuss your ideas. Honors courses are proposed and approved through the same course management process as other UNH courses.
For the most part, Honors courses are part of the Discovery Program, and require approval by the Discovery Committee. They usually have lower caps than general-level courses (usually 20 students). They hold students to higher expectation than ordinary courses, and should be conducted in a highly participatory way (e.g. discussions rather than lectures). For more information about forms of Honors Discovery courses, visit our Honors in Discovery page.
Honors courses may also be created at the upper level to serve Honors in Major students. This is relatively rare, as few majors have enough Honors students to fill a section. However, it may be feasible in cases where a single course serves multiple majors (such as GEN 604H, Principles of Genetics), or for general skills and topics (such as research methods or thesis prep).
Honors Symposia are groups of classes that share a common theme. They are not team-taught, and each course runs independently, but the faculty in the Symposium collaborate to design shared experiences, including regular Plenary Sessions in which all of the courses meet together. The purpose is to demonstrate how different disciplines approach common topics in different and related ways, and how new knowledge and understanding can come from sharing and comparing these approaches.
Please contact us if you would like to propose an Honors Symposium.
Most faculty involvement with the Honors College comes from teaching Honors courses and mentoring students through course designations, research, and theses. Faculty can also propose and offer Gateway experiences and cocurricular experiences.
Honors teaching is typically done as part of established workload, with no extra pay. However, the Honors College often offers course enrichment funds of up to $500 per course, which can be used for field trips, speakers, meals, or other expenses. Funding may also be available for outside-of-workload projects involving Honors students. Please reach out to the Honors College with your ideas.
The Honors Thesis often counts for the Capstone requirement, but not all capstones are theses. While capstones may take different forms, like internships or designated courses, the Honors Thesis must involved sustained independent research under the supervision of a faculty advisor, and must produce a significant written paper in accordance with disciplinary standards. The Honors Thesis also requires a public presentation (usually a poster or oral presentation at the Undergraduate Research Conference).
Honors College students do not all need to complete an Honors Thesis to graduate with University Honors. Please see our Culminating Experiences page for more information. Honors in Major programs set their own requirements with regard to theses and other final experiences.
Honors Liaisons have primary responsibility for Honors in Major. They recruit students, offer guidance about curriculum, ensure that program information is available and up to date, certify Honors Designations, and certify completion of the program for graduating students. If you are an Honors Liaison, you have access to a Sharepoint folder that includes more information, as well as lists of Honors-eligible students.
There are multiple ways to participate in Honors. The first is to be a member of the Honors College, which is invitation-only, and results in a University Honors designation for students who complete the requirements. To see how students are invited, and for information about nominating a student, visit our Honors Admissions page. University Honors is a 4-year program, though some students complete it in less time
Honors in Major programs are set by each department and major. The requirements and processes to join vary by major. These programs generally begin in the Junior year.
