Honors Program

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Honors courses are open to students formally admitted to the University Honors Program. Designed for talented and motivated students, Honors credit is available in designated courses throughout the curriculum, and the required Honors Special Topics courses offer opportunities for interdisciplinary scholarship.

Requirements for the Honors Program:

Students who successfully complete the University Honors Program, detailed below, will graduate with Distinction as a University Scholar. Students must complete at least of 21 hours of Honors credit with a minimum overall GPA of 3.25, and a 3.50 GPA in Honors courses.

I.

Students must complete at least two, 3- or 4-credit-hour Special Topics Honors courses at the 300-level or higher. Such courses may be designated by an Honors (HON) prefix or by a departmental prefix with Honors designation indicated in the section number

II.

No more than 9 combined credit hours in Readings for Honors courses and HON 499 may count toward the 21 hours.

III.

As the capstone course for both the Liberal Arts Core and the Honors Program, students must complete an Honors section of LA 478. Centered on civic engagement and culminating in a service-learning experience, LA 478 will bring together students from several disciplines for research, discussion and a group project.

Note:

Students wanting to enroll in an Honors section of LA 478 must meet with the Honors Program director no later than the end of preregistration of the semester prior to the one in which the student plans to enroll in the course.

Good Standing

To remain in good standing with the Honors Program, students must meet the criteria listed below. Ordinarily, students not meeting these requirements will have one semester after falling below the standards to comply. In special cases, as indicated below, the Honors Program Director will regularly assess the standing of students who make significant progress toward compliance. Students who remain in noncompliance with no progress after one semester will be suspended from the program and will have to reapply for admission through the Honors Program office.

GPA
Students must maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.25. A student whose overall GPA falls below 3.25 will have one semester in which to raise the GPA to the minimum level. If after one semester, the GPA remains below 3.25, the student may request a waiver from the Honors Program Director to remain in the program. The Director, after consultation with the student’s instructors for the term in question, may grant such a waiver in extenuating circumstances.

Regular enrollment in Honors courses
Students must complete at least 3 hours of Honors credit every other semester. Students not meeting this criterion may request a waiver from the Honors Program Director to remain in the program. The Director may grant such a waiver in extenuating circumstances.

Obtaining Honors Credit via Honors Contracts

Students may earn Honors credit in course sections not designated as Honors by fulfilling the expectations of an Honors contract. The student will work with the instructor to develop a contract stipulating the additional work the student must complete, above and beyond ordinary course expectations, in order to earn Honors credit. The contract must then be approved by the Honors Director and faculty members of the Honors Program Advisory Committee. The course instructor and Honors Director together will determine whether the student has successfully completed the stipulated work by the semester’s end.

Students can receive Honors credit via contract for no more than two courses during their studies at the university. No more than 8 hours of Honors credit earned via contracts can be applied toward the 21 hours required to graduate with Distinction as a University Scholar. Honors students cannot earn credit for Honors Special Topics courses via contracts.

Honors Credit for Courses Taken at Schools Other than UNC Asheville

Students may receive Honors credit for courses taken at other institutions, either through transfer or through Study Abroad. Credit for at most one Honors Special Topics course may be granted for courses taken at other institutions.

Transfer students who were in Honors programs at other institutions may petition the Honors Program director for up to 9 credit hours for Honors-designated classes taken at previous institutions.

Study Abroad students may be granted up to 6 credit-hours for one term or semester of Study Abroad and up to 9 credit-hours for one year of Study Abroad. Honors credit will only be given for Study Abroad courses taken at the 300-level or higher. Students wishing to receive Honors credit for courses taken through a UNC Asheville approved Study Abroad program should review the Honors Program website, http://honors.unca.edu/, for specific details on what is required to have a Study Abroad course count for Honors. Students must contact the Honors Program office prior to departing on the trip.