Special Academic Opportunities
University Honors Program
The University of Hartford Honors Program is a special academic experience designed to create a stimulating and challenging intellectual environment for highly motivated students from all of the University’s schools and colleges. For students just admitted to the University, eligibility is determined on the basis of SAT or ACT scores and class rank; subsequently, students may participate in the program once they have fulfilled their college’s eligibility requirements for honors. Students may continue in the program as long as they maintain the GPA required by their college. To graduate with University Honors, students must have an overall average of at least 3.0 in their honors course work and must meet the GPA requirements established by their college. The designation of University Honors on the diploma is different from graduation honors based purely on grade point average, as the former signifies that students have completed a particular and distinctive academic honors program.
The University Honors Program requires 18 credits of honors course work, all of which must be taken for a letter grade. The honors curriculum has been designed both to encourage student interaction across the colleges in honors sections of required general education courses and to provide opportunities for enriched or accelerated work within the curricula of the individual colleges.
Each college has defined a particular honors experience for its students that may include special courses, interdisciplinary seminars, independent studies, and senior projects. Honors courses and seminars offered by the College of Arts and Sciences may be taken by students who qualify for the Honors Program, regardless of the college or school in which they are matriculated. The program is overseen by a University Honors director and a University Honors coordinating committee composed of honors coordinators from all the schools and colleges. Details about the specific honors requirements in each college may be found below.
Students matriculated in one college may complete all the requirements for honors in another college and thereby earn the University Honors designation. Students’ programs must be approved by the honors coordinators of both the college of matriculation and the one in which they are completing the honors requirements.
The Honors Experience
Honors Residential Learning Community. The Honors Residential Learning Community in Hawk Hall offers some students the chance to live in an environment in which they can develop social and intellectual relationships with other honors students. Students build a supportive community inside and outside the classroom and engage in community service projects.
Honors Week and the Undergraduate Colloquium: A Celebration of Research and Creativity. Sponsored by the Honors Program and the Alpha Chi and Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Societies, these annual events celebrate the achievements of honors students. A range of activities culminate in a colloquium, at which outstanding students from across the University present their work before an audience of faculty members, peers, and family.
Honors students may also be eligible to belong to national honor societies, based on the societies’ own academic requirements. More information about national honors groups at the University may be found under Honorary Societies.
Contract Honors Courses
To provide those students who want to pursue the University Honors diploma with some flexibility, the University offers “contract honors” courses. To take a contract honors course, students enroll in a regular course and then arrange with the instructor to take it for honors credit. This is most commonly done within a student’s major, particularly in majors in which credit requirements are very high, to enable students to work toward the University Honors degree as they complete the requirements for their major. When students arrange to take a course as a contract honors course, the instructor identifies the special requirements that must be fulfilled. These may include additional reading, writing, and/or assignments; or assignments that are more involved and challenging than those given to the other students in the class.
Individual College Requirements
College of Arts and Sciences
Eligibility
First-semester freshmen are eligible to participate in the College of Arts and Sciences Honors program if they (1) were awarded a University of Hartford President’s or Regents’ Scholarship or (2) have a combined SAT score of at least 1140.
Transfer students who earned an overall GPA of 3.25 or higher at their previous institution are eligible to participate.
All other students who have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 are eligible to participate in the program.
Requirements
Students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and those matriculated in other colleges who plan to pursue the University Honors degree through the College of Arts and Sciences must meet the requirements in one of the following two tracks:
Honors with Thesis
To earn the designation of University Honors with Thesis on the diploma, students must complete
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade, including
- 6 or more credits of honors sections of general education (e.g., an honors section of RPW 110 , POL 110 , PHI 110 ) or honors sections of All-University Curriculum (AUC) courses or contract honors courses.
- 6 or more credits of honors seminars (specially designed 300-level courses listed in the honors section of the Schedule of Classes). Two or three seminars are offered on varied topics each semester. Students in the natural sciences, with the permission of the A&S honors committee, may substitute a 300- or 400-level contract honors course for one of the seminars. In extraordinary circumstances only, and with the permission of the college’s honors committee, other students may make such a substitution. The Humanities Center seminars may also be used to fulfill the seminar requirement. Psychology honors students may, with permission, substitute PSY 487 for an honors seminar.
- 6 credits of honors course work consisting of an honors thesis (HON 493 - Honors Research and HON 494 - Honors Thesis). Psychology honors students may substitute PSY 488 - Honors Thesis for HON 493. They must take HON 494.
- An overall grade point average of 3.25 and a 3.0 in honors work.
Transfer students who enter the University of Hartford with junior status or above need to complete 12 credits of honors work to earn the University honors degree, including two 3-credit honors seminars or one seminar and one 3-credit upper-level contract honors, and the 6-credit thesis or University Scholar project. Transfer students must meet the GPA requirements noted above.
Honors (Non-Thesis)
To earn the designation of University Honors on the diploma, students must complete
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade, including
- 6 or more credits of honors sections of general education (e.g., an honors section of RPW 110 , POL 110 , PHI 110 ) or honors sections of All-University Curriculum (AUC) courses or contract honors courses.
- 9 credits of honors seminars (specially designed 300-level courses listed in the honors section of the Schedule of Classes). Students may substitute one or two upper-level contract honors courses for one or two of the seminars. The Humanities Center may also be used to fulfill the seminar requirement.
- A 3-credit Honors Research project, approved by the A&S honors committee and completed via honors contract during the senior year while enrolled in either (a) a 300-level honors seminar or (b) an upper-level course in the student’s major, including independent study or internship, as appropriate.
- An overall grade point average of 3.25 and a 3.0 in honors work.
Transfer students who enter the University of Hartford with junior status or above need to complete 12 credits of honors work to earn the University Honors degree, including 9 credits of honors seminars and upper-level contract honors, and the 3-credit Honors Research project. Transfer students must meet the GPA requirements noted above.
Barney School of Business
Eligibility
First-semester freshmen are eligible to participate in the Barney School of Business Honors program if they (1) were awarded a University of Hartford President’s or Regents’ Scholarship or (2) were designated as eligible to participate upon admission to the University.
Transfer students should consult with the Barney School honors coordinator to determine their eligibility.
All other students who have a GPA of at least 3.25 overall and in their major are eligible to participate in the program.
Requirements
For students enrolled in the Barney School, the following requirements must be met to complete the University Honors program and earn the designation of University Honors on the diploma:
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade, including
- 9 credits of honors sections of general education (e.g., an honors section of RPW 110 , POL 110 , PHI 110 ) and/or honors sections of All-University Curriculum (AUC) courses and/or any other approved non-business honors courses
- 6 credits of contract honors courses at the 300 level (or above) that are part of the student’s major or program of study, or, whenever appropriate, in honors courses or seminars (specially designed 300-level courses listed in the honors section of the Schedule of Classes; two or three seminars are offered on varied topics each semester).
- 3 credits in senior-level honors: the research and writing of an honors thesis; or an independent study/mentorship; or a University Scholar independent project approved by the University Scholar Committee. Such a project may be more than 3 credits; only 3 credits are required for the Honors degree.
- An overall grade point average of 3.25, a 3.25 in the major, and a 3.0 in honors work
College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions
Eligibility
First-semester freshmen are eligible to participate in the ENHP Honors program if they (1) were awarded a University of Hartford President’s or Regents’ Scholarship or (2) were designated as eligible to participate upon admission to the University.
Transfer students should consult with the ENHP honors coordinator to determine their eligibility.
All other students who have a GPA of at least 3.0 overall and at least 3.25 in their major are eligible to participate in the program.
Requirements
For a student enrolled in ENHP, the requirements below must be met to complete the University Honors program and earn the designation of University Honors on the diploma:
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade, including
- 6 credits of honors sections of general education (e.g., an honors section of RPW 110 , POL 110 , PHI 110 ) and/or honors sections of All-University Curriculum (AUC) courses
- 6 credits of courses in the major for honors credit. This requirement may be fulfilled by taking contract honors courses with an Education, Nursing and Health Professions professor; or for Education Division students, by taking contract honors courses in the student’s chosen subject-area major.
- 6-credit honors thesis, 6-credit independent project supervised by an ENHP faculty member, or 6-credit University Scholar independent project approved by the University Scholar Committee
- An overall grade point average of 3.00, a 3.25 in the major, and a 3.0 in honors work
College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture
Engineering Students
Eligibility
First-semester freshmen are eligible to participate in CETA’s Engineering Honors program if they (1) were awarded a University of Hartford President’s or Regents’ Scholarship or (2) were designated as eligible to participate upon admission to the University.
Transfer students should consult with the CETA honors coordinator to determine their eligibility.
All other students who have a GPA of at least 3.0 overall are eligible to participate in the program.
Requirements
Engineering students must meet the requirements below to complete the University Honors program and earn the designation of University Honors on the diploma:
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade:
- ES 116 and ES 117 Freshman Honors Seminar (1 credit each)
- 6 credits of honors sections of humanities/ social science courses and/or honors sections of All-University Curriculum (AUC) courses
- 6 credits of contract honors in engineering courses
- 4 credits of upper-level independent study and research projects (including the University Scholar program) and participation in the college’s Engineering Applications Center projects
- An overall grade point average of 3.00 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in honors work
Technology Students
Eligibility
First-semester freshmen are eligible to participate in CETA’s Technology Honors program if they (1) were awarded a University of Hartford President’s or Regents’ Scholarship or (2) were designated as eligible to participate upon admission to the University. They may continue in the program if they have maintained an overall GPA of at least 3.0 based on the completion of 15 credits in a CETA program.
Transfer students should consult with the CETA honors coordinator to determine their eligibility.
All other students who have a GPA of at least 3.0 overall and a 3.25 in their major are eligible to participate in the program.
Requirements
For a technology student enrolled in CETA, the requirements below must be met to complete the University Honors program and earn the designation of University Honors on the diploma:
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade, including
- 6 credits of honors sections of All-University Curriculum courses
- 6 credits of honors courses or contract honors courses at the 200 level or above that are part of the student’s major
- 6 credits of senior-level independent study courses such as the senior project course and/or the University Scholar program
- An overall grade point average of at least 3.00, and at least a 3.25 in the major, and a minimum of 3.0 in honors work
Hartford Art School
Eligibility
First-semester freshmen are eligible to participate in the Hartford Art School Honors program if they (1) were awarded a University of Hartford President’s or Regents’ Scholarship or (2) were designated as eligible to participate upon admission to the University.
Transfer students and all other students should consult with the Hartford Art School honors coordinator to determine their eligibility.
Requirements
For a student enrolled in the Hartford Art School, the requirements below must be met to complete the University Honors program and earn the designation of University Honors on the diploma:
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade. The Hartford Art School honors coordinator helps each student develop a plan to earn the required 18 credits of honors work, including
- Honors sections of general education (e.g., Honors RPW) and/or All-University Curriculum (AUC) courses
- Contract honors courses
- Upper-level independent study and research projects (including the University Scholar program)
- An overall grade point average of 3.50 and a 3.0 in honors work
The Hartt School
Eligibility
First-semester freshmen are eligible to participate in the Hartt School Honors program if they were designated as eligible to participate upon admission to the University.
Transfer students should consult with the Hartt School honors coordinator to determine their eligibility.
All other students who have a GPA of at least 3.50 overall are eligible to participate in the program.
Requirements
For a student enrolled in Hartt, the requirements below must be met to complete the University Honors program and earn the designation of University Honors on the diploma:
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade:
- 6–9 credits of honors sections of general education (e.g., an honors section of RPW 110 , POL 110 , PHI 110 ) courses
- 6–9 credits of honors courses in any of the fine or performing arts, including All-University Curriculum (AUC) courses, courses in the College of Arts and Sciences, Hartford Art School, or Hartt. No more than 6 credits may be taken at Hartt, and only in courses at the 200 level and above. This requirement may be fulfilled through regularly scheduled honors courses and seminars or through contract honors.
- 0–3 credits of graduate-level courses at Hartt (with the approval of the instructor)
- 3–6 credits of senior-level honors independent study, or a University Scholar independent project approved by the University Scholar Committee
- An overall grade point average of 3.50 and a 3.0 in honors work
Hillyer College
Eligibility
First-year students are eligible to participate in the Hillyer College Honors program at the end of their first semester if they have completed 15 credits with a GPA of 3.0 or better. Thereafter, full-time students may join the honors experience when they attain a GPA of 3.0. If you are uncertain about your eligibility, consult the Hillyer College honors coordinator.
Requirements
The University Honors degree was designed as a baccalaureate degree program; since Hillyer College offers an associate’s degree, students are unable to earn the University Honors diploma through Hillyer College. However, honors work completed by eligible students in Hillyer College may fulfill University honors degree requirements should students matriculate in one of the other schools/colleges of the University of Hartford upon completing the program in Hillyer.
To complete the Honors program at Hillyer College a student must take at least 9 credits of honors courses for a letter grade and maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher and grades of B or better in all honors courses. To receive honors credit the student must earn a grade of 3.0 or higher in an honors course. In addition, at least 6 credits must be taken either from designated Hillyer honors courses or as Hillyer College contract honors courses. A student may use an honors course offered in any of the other colleges for the remaining 3 credits.
University Studies: Multimedia Web Design and Development
Eligibility
First-semester freshmen are eligible to participate in the University Studies Honors program if they were designated as eligible to participate upon admission to the University.
Transfer students should consult with the honors coordinator for the multimedia Web design and development major to determine their eligibility.
All other students who have a GPA of at least 3.25 overall are eligible to participate in the program.
Requirements
A student enrolled in the multimedia Web design and development major must meet the requirements outlined below in order to earn the designation of University Honors on the diploma:
- At least 18 credits of honors work taken for a letter grade
This requirement may be satisfied by enrollment in the following courses:
- 6 credits of honors sections of general education (e.g., an honors section of RPW 110 , POL 110 , PHI 110 ) and/or honors sections of All-University Curriculum (AUC) courses and/or contract honors courses
- 6 credits of honors seminars (specially designed 300-level courses listed in the honors section of the Schedule of Classes). Each semester, two or three seminars are offered on varied topics. With permission of the department honors committee, students may substitute a 300- or 400- level contract honors course for one of the seminars.
- 6-credit honors thesis sequence (HON 493 Honors Research and HON 494 Honors Thesis) or a 6-credit University Scholar independent project approved by the department honors committee
- An overall grade point average of 3.25 and a 3.0 GPA in honors work
College Honors Coordinators 2011–12
Barney School of Business
Associate Professor Irina Naoumova
860.768.4670
naoumova@hartford.edu
College of Arts and Sciences
Associate Professor Donald Jones
860.768.4751
djones@hartford.edu
College of Education , Nursing and Health Professions
Associate Professor Peter Oliver
860.768.5005
oliver@hartford.edu
College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture
Professor Robert Celmer
860.768.4792
celmer@hartford.edu
Hartford Art School
Associate Dean G. Thomas Bradley
860.768.4396
tbradley@hartford.edu
The Hartt School
Assistant Professor Diana Moller-Marino (Theatre)
860.768.2465
moller@hartford.edu
Assistant Professor Warren Haston (Music)
860.768.5526
haston@hartford.edu
Associate Professor Stephen Pier (Dance)
860.768.2477
pier@hartford.edu
Hillyer College
Associate Professor Michelle Troy
860.768.4734
mtroy@hartford.edu
University Studies Multimedia Web Design and Development
Professor William Sanders
860.768.4502
wsanders@hartford.edu |