Only courses at the 300-level or above will be considered (3H credits)
What is an Alternative Honors Credit Proposal?
Students in the Honors College may be eligible to earn Honors credit for departmental courses, ideally a capstone or final research/project experience. With permission from both the degree-granting college and Honors College Director, students may add an honors component to this departmental course. Students may earn a maximum of three Honors credits for work completed during the semester. Adding an honors component to a departmental course can be a rewarding academic experience. For example, students may choose to complete a process journal, add additional reading/writing opportunities, expand upon their capstone assignment, etc. This should be a value-added experience that complements the existing course syllabus. If interested in earning honors credit through the Honors Credit Proposal, students should meet with the Honors College Director as soon as possible to begin discussing the scope of their work and to learn more about the proposal process. Similar to other non-seminar options, students must submit a proposal and receive approval from both the degree-granting college and the Honors College Director. The draft proposal must be completed by April 1 for fall semester and
November 1 for spring semester. The entire process should be complete by December 1 (for spring) and May 1 (for fall).
Develop Your Proposal
- Identify the appropriate class. Review your curricular requirements with your school/college academic advisor and/or faculty member from your home college. Ideally, the course you select should be designed to serve as a final capstone or research/project experience that showcases expertise in your area of study. Examples of classes that are designed to serve as a final curricular experience include: ART 531 Senior Projects in Fibers, CIV ENG 495 Senior Design, CURRINS 407 Student Teaching, or PHIL 599 Capstone Experience. Only 300-level classes are higher will be
considererd. - Review the Non-Seminar Planning Sheet and schedule a meeting with Dr. Sands to discuss. In this meeting you can expect to discuss your proposal ideas and to be given the opportunity to ask any questions. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Sands, please email him directly (sands@uwm.edu), or visit our front office in HON 154 for assistance.
- Consult your supervising instructor Ideally this should be the faculty member teaching the selected course. Faculty members supervise your coursework on a voluntary basis. The supervising instructor advises and guides you, monitors your progress, evaluates your performance, and assigns your grade. Please discuss the additional honors component with your supervising instructor. The Honors College Director and your supervising instructor will help you determine a sufficient amount of work to satisfy the additional Honors component. You both must agree on the scope, length, and format of your work, the frequency of advising sessions, and a timetable for completion.
- Prepare a proposal. Prepare a one- to two-page proposal that outlines the honors component that you are adding to the current course syllabus. The proposal will outline the nature of your project and provide criteria for supervising instructor’s evaluation of your work. In short, your proposal is a mutual agreement for the semester’s work. Do not treat this stage of preparation lightly. Your success ultimately depends on the quality of your proposal.
The proposal should include:
A. Describe the added honors component. In addition to what is already required for the class, what work am I adding? In what way(s) am I enhancing the current class syllabus? What am I investigating or testing? How does this inform my work in the class? How will exploring this additional question contribute to my educational growth and goals? Is the topic sufficiently narrow that it can be completed in the time proposed?
B. Create a list of reading or reference works. Include full bibliographical data on books, films, and journals that will be used in addition to the required course readings. Your supervising instructor will suggest primary and secondary sources and advise you on the acceptable format (MLA, Chicago Style, APA, etc.)
C. Determine the schedule for your added honors component. Set up a schedule with your supervising instructor, similar to and aligned with the class syllabus, to determine reading due dates, the length and frequency of meetings, deadlines for the additional work being completed, and criteria for determining your grade.
D. Describe the product(s) you will generate. Clearly indicate the length and nature of the additional assignments (journals, formal papers, experiments, performances, etc.).
Next Steps
- Submit your proposal through the online form: Honors College Non-Seminar Submission Form. You must include your SIGNED Non-Seminar Planning Sheet with your proposal. After the Honors College receives your form, it will be sent to Honors College Director, Dr. Peter Sands for final
approval. If there are any questions about your proposal, Dr. Sands will be in touch with suggested revisions. The draft proposal must be completed by April 1 for fall semester and November 1 for spring semester. The entire process should be complete by December 1 (for spring) and May 1 (for fall). - Once approved, the Honors College main office will send you an email.
- Register for the course. You are responsible for enrolling in the appropriate course.
- Turn in your final product(s) no later than one week before the end of the semester. This can be delivered to the Honors College main office in room 154 or digitally at honors@uwm.edu. After Honors College administration can confirm that you completed the added Honors component and earned a B- or better in the course, Honors credit will be added to your transcript.
Forms
Non-Seminar Planning Sheet (please note you will need to Download the PDF to edit)