UNCG 2002-2003 UGB: Honors Program

Courses

Eligibility

Recognition

Requirements

Mission Statement The Mission of the University Honors Program is to enrich the intellectual life of able and highly motivated undergraduate students, to create a community of students and faculty who love learning, and to celebrate the outstanding achievements of students.

The Honors Program is the program of choice for students who have the talent and determination to take full advantage of their time at UNCG. Through special courses and research projects, a variety of extra-curricular activities, and the camaraderie of top students and faculty, the Honors Program provides students with opportunities and challenges that enhance their education at UNCG. Along the way, the Honors Program staff stands ready to provide guidance, support, and encouragement to help students craft a program of study that meets their individual needs and interests and opens up new possibilities for the future.

Honors Courses
Teachers of Honors courses, who are among the best teachers at UNCG, are deeply engaged with their disciplines and dedicated to helping students achieve their greatest potential. Their Honors courses are small (20-22 students); foster discussion, collaboration and mutual discovery among students and faculty; and typically fulfill a variety of University and departmental requirements. Among the many offerings are:

Honors Seminars in which students explore topics in greater breadth and/or depth than in typical courses while fulfilling General Education Core requirements;
Honors sections of regular UNCG courses which allow students to explore other topics or continue to do Honors work in their major;
Honors Tutorials and Honors Independent Study through which students either individually or in small groups work with a professor on a topic of mutual interest;
Senior Honors Project in which a student under the guidance of a professor produces a research project;
Contract courses that allow students to modify a regular undergraduate course and receive Honors credit for the course.

Many of the advanced Honors courses, such as the Senior Honors Project, allow students to do original and sophisticated work, and are an excellent preparation for graduate school, professional training, and other post-graduation endeavors.

Extracurricular Events
The Honors Program sponsors a number of extracurricular events, many of which are developed and managed with the help of its students. Among these events are weekly coffees, where students and faculty get together to discuss various issues, the annual Raft Debate, the annual Student Symposium, lectures and special performances, field trips, pizza parties, and community service projects.

Honors Advising
The Honors Program staff offers top-rate advising to help students discover the best ways to take advantage of the Honors Program and UNCG, and to make sure that students have the needed support and encouragement along the way to completing their degrees. Guidance, support, and encouragement are also provided for students interested in opportunities beyond graduation including graduate school and a variety of prestigious postgraduate fellowships such as the Fullbright, Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater, Mellon, Truman and Udall. Students are invited to a variety of lunches and dinners throughout the year for less formal advising and discussion about their studies at UNCG and their plans for the future.

Honors Awards
The Honors Program administers awards that recognize high achievement. At an Honors Convocation every spring, the Program bestows the Student Excellence Award, the University's highest undergraduate honor, on about 25 outstanding juniors and seniors. The Program also hosts an annual banquet to honor those students who have completed Honors Program requirements.

Honors Abroad
In collaboration with UNCG's Office of International Programs, the Honors Program provides interested Honors students (through an Honors enrichment course, HSS 310) with the chance to have more than the usual study abroad experience. Students meet together with a UNCG faculty member before going abroad to discuss readings about their trip and the character of the country that are about to visit. Once abroad, students and the UNCG faculty member spend approximately a week exploring and taking in cultural activities before classes begin. During their semester, students take classes, travel, and engage in a variety of writing assignments that allow them to reflect on their experience.