Chapter 8 – Academic Regulations
Honors Program
8.60.10 Honors Program. The mission of the Honors Program is to develop and maintain an interdisciplinary intellectual community; to stimulate intellectual excitement for all participants; to inspire and enhance critical, creative, and integrative thinking; and to foster opportunities to broaden intellectual development. #16-17-15
8.61.10 Content. The Honors Program curriculum shall consist of four years of course work at the undergraduate level, integrated as follows:#16-17-15
8.61.11 100- and 200-level offerings shall be general courses specifically created for the program or existing courses that have been modified to serve its purposes, and may enroll up to 20 students each. 100- and 200-level honors courses may be offered for one to four credits. Enrollment preference in 100-level honors courses shall be given to first year students.#16-17-15
8.61.12 At the 200-level, the Honors program shall offer an interdisciplinary colloquium. URI faculty and/or staff shall serve as coordinators for the colloquia. Outside lecturers and emeriti professors also may participate. The size of the student enrollment shall be specified yearly. Three to four credits may be earned for participation in the colloquium. Enrollment shall normally be limited to students with sophomore standing or above.#16-17-15
8.61.13 300-level offerings shall normally be limited to 15 students and shall ordinarily be offered for three to four credits.#16-17-15
8.61.14 400-level offerings shall consist of honors projects and interdisciplinary seminars. Seminars shall be limited to 15 students each. Honors projects shall normally be directed by URI faculty. Honors projects and seminars shall each be offered for three to four credits per semester.#16-17-15
8.62.10 Eligibility. Eligibility standards, including QPAs, for each level of the program shall be determined by the Honors Director and the Teaching, Advising, and Assessment Committee and are published in the University Catalog. Students who do not meet the standards may petition the Director for admission.#16-17-15, #17-18-23
8.62.11 Eligible students may participate at any level in the Honors Program. Students who wish to complete the program and receive the transcript notation must begin their participation no later than the beginning of the 3rd year in the undergraduate program.
8.63.10 Requirements. Students must complete at least six courses and a minimum 18 credits of course work in the Honors Program, and attain the specified QPA (8.62.10) or better for these courses and the specified QPA overall, in order to graduate with the notation “Completed the University Honors Program.” #08-09-24 #10-11-20 #16-17-15
8.63.11 These courses shall include: a minimum of three (3) credits at the 100-or 200-level; a minimum of three (3) credits of the Honors Colloquium; three (3) credits at the 300- or 400-level; six (6) credits at the 400-level, which may be either six (6) credits of the Honors Project or three (3) credits of the Honors Project and three (3) credits of the Senior Honors Seminar; three (3) additional Honors credits taken at any level. Courses subject to Honors Contracts may satisfy these requirements subject to the conditions stated at 8.63.12. #08-09-24 #10-11-20 #16-17-15 #24-25-16
8.63.12 Honors Contracts. Honors contracts allow students to earn credit for non-Honors coursework by pursuing more advanced study by special agreement with the instructor and approval by the Honors Program. Honors contract may be pursued by students who have completed at least six credits of non-Contract Honors coursework, or who are concurrently enrolled in the sixth credit of non-Contract Honors coursework. The following restrictions apply; any exceptions to these restrictions must be approved in advance by the Director, Associate Director, or Honors Contract Coordinator of the Honors Program: (i) Honors Contract credits shall not amount to more than one-third (1/3) of a student’s total coursework required for the completion of Honors Program requirements; (ii) Honors Contracts confer no extra credit for the course or for a student’s degree (no exceptions are possible to this restriction); (iii) a student shall not engage in more than one Honors Contract per semester; (iv) Honors Contracts cannot be completed during the summer sessions or J-Term; nor can Honors Contracts be applied to 100-level courses, internships, independent studies, study abroad, or courses at other institutions; (v) contracted courses must be taken for a letter grade and must be completed with a grade of B or better within the limits of the semester to count towards Honors Program requirements; (vi) a student who does not complete the proposed work to the satisfaction of the instructor will not earn Honors credit for the course; (vii) Honors Contracts are to be entered into on a strictly voluntary basis for both student and instructor (no exceptions are possible to this restriction); (viii) an instructor may enter into no more than three Honors Contracts in a given semester. #24-25-16
8.63.13 The Honors Program shall supply a list of names of the students who have successfully completed the Honors Program to the Office of Enrollment Services who shall enter on the transcript of students who meet requirements: “Completed the University Honors Program.” #24-25-16
8.64.10 Program Direction and Development. The Director of the Honors Program in collaboration with the Teaching, Advising, and Assessment Committee shall be responsible for overseeing the Honors Program.#16-17-15, #17-18-23, #18-19-32
8.64.11 The Honors Program Curriculum and Advisory Committee shall approve all courses offered in the Honors Program. No faculty member shall be compelled to teach in the Honors Program or direct Honors projects. #16-17-15, #18-19-32
8.64.12 The Teaching, Advisement and Assessment Committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of the Honors Program and its separate components. #16-17-15, #18-19-32
8.65.10 Department and College Responsibilities. University College advisors and upper division advisors shall inform eligible students about the Honors Program.#16-17-15
8.65.11 Neither departments nor colleges may establish requirements that prohibit eligible students majoring in their departments or colleges from participating in the Honors Program.#16-17-15
8.65.12 Department chairpersons and deans shall consider Honors Program courses when scheduling teaching loads. #16-17-15