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Academic H-Option

Academic H-Options allow students to receive Honors credit for non-Honors courses by undertaking more extensive or advanced work than would be normally required. This will not add additional credits to your course; rather, the Honors College will recognize the existing credits as Honors flex credits. After confirming that you have completed the contract assignments with sufficient quality, we will tag the course with an Honors designation on your transcript (typically four weeks after the end of the semester).

These contracts are only allowed for students with good academic standing in the Honors College. Eligible courses are 200-level and above, preferably in your discipline. H-Option contracts will not be approved for a course if an Honors section of that course is available during the same semester.

Academic H-Option Instructions

Step 1: Approach Instructor and Develop H-Option Plan

You must first approach your supervising instructor BEFORE applying for H-Option credits with the Honors College. Instructors are not obligated to grant requests for H-Option. Together with your instructor, you will develop a plan to determine what would add depth of knowledge, practice, or leadership to the course. The nature of the work undertaken for H-Option credit may vary according to the academic interests of you and your instructor. Listed below are some suggestions:

  • Delivering a lecture to the class on some issue raised by the course readings
  • Writing a paper that involves library, laboratory, or field research
  • Collaborating with a professor on a research project
  • Preparing an annotated bibliography or literature review of material relevant to the course
  • Creating a website, video presentation, or work of art related to the course

Step 2: Write an H-Option Proposal

Complete the following prompts to describe the nature of the H-Option assignment and justify its consideration for Honors credit:

  • Describe your project’s topic and goal: What will you be learning about through your H-Option? How will this deepen your knowledge of the course material? What goals/aims do you have, and how do you see the project impacting your work in the course? 750 characters max
  • Describe what you will accomplish through your project: Will you produce a paper, a presentation, a video, a published article, a report on the research, etc.? Provide us with details! What skills will you be learning or practicing through completing this project? 750 characters max
  • Describe the scope of the project: How big will your project be? For example, you might describe the number of weeks you plan to work on the project, the page count (if writing a paper), how often you might meet with collaborators, the amount of data you intend to collect, etc. 500 characters max
  • Describe how your project will be evaluated: How often will you and your faculty will meet to review and/or evaluate your progress? Will your project be included in your overall course grade or evaluated separately? 300 characters max

The Honors College reserves the right to ask for further details or to reject the proposal.

Step 3: Submit an Application

Submit the online H-Option application form to the Honors College. The instructor will receive a copy of the submitted form and must email the Honors College with their approval by the 10th day of the semester in which you intend to receive credit. The Honors College will review the application for approval.

Click here to submit an Academic H-Option application