University Honors

(Updated 10/1/2015)

Subject abbreviation: HNPG College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Richard A. Cardullo, Ph.D., Howard H Hays, Jr. Endowed Chair and Faculty Director, University Honors; Associate Vice Provost, Undergraduate Education 2316 Olmsted Hall

• (951) 827-5323; honors@ucr.edu

honors.ucr.edu

Committee in Charge

Sean Jasso, Ph.D. (Management and Marketing) Constance I. Nugent, Ph.D. (Cell Biology and

Neuroscience) Vorris Nunley, Ph.D. (English) Robert Nash Parker, Ph.D. (Sociology) Deborah Wong, Ph.D. (Music)

Outstanding students from all disciplines and majors can participate in University Honors. University Honors challenges honors students to take an active role in shaping their education through a variety of curricular, co-curricular, extracurricular and service learning opportunities. Students benefit from University Honors staff support in the areas of professional development including guidance on applying for internships, summer enrichment programs, scholarships, fellowships, awards, graduate and professional schools. A reading room, seminar room, lounge, and work space with computer facilities are available to honors students.

Admission to the First Year component of University Honors is based on an application, essay, high school grades, aptitude scores and achievement test scores. Students take University Honors courses and participate in workshops, personal growth, and community service activities. First-year courses encourage innovative approaches to introductory courses and provide an avenue for faculty to present topics in a multidisciplinary approach that ignite the students’ minds in regards to how research is conducted. A goal of University Honors courses is to expose students to methods of conceptualizing issues and framing questions that characterize disciplines.

The sophomore component of University Honors is designed for continuing Honors students as well as provide an entry portal for gifted UCR students who did not have the opportunity to participate in the first year component. This component offers students an introduction to the Honors experience and the wealth of opportunities available to undergraduates at UC Riverside. Our goal is that participants will engage in an array of meaningful scholarly endeavors throughout their years of undergraduate study. Interested students must apply to the program and meet the minimum GPA and units earned by spring quarter of their freshman year at UCR. For details, visit honors.ucr.edu.

The upper-division curriculum provides students with the framework to produce a thesis or project, a substantial, independent product of scholarship, research, or creative activity. This structure is adaptable to almost any major and allows each student the flexibility to work with a faculty advisor to shape a research program to meet the ambitions of the project. We have excellent student-faculty research and leadership opportunities for juniors and seniors participating in University Honors. Continuing UCR students with an excellent academic record may apply to participate in University Honors. Students who transfer to UCR as juniors with excellent academic records may also apply to University Honors. During the junior year, students narrow their research or leadership focus, select a faculty mentor, and prepare to undertake the honors project. The program provides support in all phases of this planning. The honors project is usually undertaken by the first two quarters of the senior year and is completed well before graduation. The completed thesis or project is submitted to the faculty mentor for approval. The approved thesis or project, a cumulative GPA of 3.4 in the major, and an upper-division GPA of at least 3.50 qualify the student for graduation with upper-division University Honors / 452 honors. The honors designation appears on the official transcript.