Taking Honors Courses

Some courses have full Honors Designated Sections exclusive to members of the Honors Transfer Program.

This is the best option! Simply enroll and take the class with other motivated students.

Step 1: Check the List of Current Designated Honors Sections. The honors sections are always listed as "HC". These courses are specifically designed for Honors requirements, so all you will need to do is complete the course. Only approved members of the LPC Honors Program with an attribute in the system will be able to register for these courses. If you receive an error message when trying to register, it means you are not an approved member and need to apply to the program first. If you have been already accepted to the program, but still receiving an error message - contact the Honors Program Director. 

Step 2: Once registered, you won't have to fill out any forms for this class for it to be recognized as an Honors class on your transcript! 

A student must receive an "A" or "B" in the course for the course to count for the Honors Scholar Requirements, or for any of the Transfer Agreements Certifications.  

If none of the full Honors sections fit your schedule, you can find a regular section that has an Embedded Honors Component. Such sections are being taught by an Honors Certified Instructor. A list of Honors Certified Instructors, who might have Embedded Component in their sections, is only available for approved members of the program. An Embedded Component means that the instructor has a separate Honors Canvas Course of their own -  with pre-approved Honors coursework that must be completed in addition to the regular coursework as an Honors Component.

Important: If you are starting the honors program "conditionally" with a GPA below required, you should NOT take Honors Courses based on an embedded component in your first term. You will want to make sure that your GPA doesn't suffer as you pursue the much more independent honors coursework involved in embedded components. For now you should limit your Honors Courses to the safest Designated Section option (see option 1).

Courses taught by Honors Certified Instructors with an Embedded Component do not require the students to create their own contract, but the students must follow the additional independent assignments given in the Honors Canvas course for their class.

Step 1: Early in the semester, the student should ask the instructor if the class has an "Embedded Honors Component." The most current list of Honors Certified instructors is available only for approved members of the program and can also be found on the Honors Program Canvas.

Step 2: If the instructor has an Embedded Honors Component, they can add you to another special Canvas of their own with the Embedded Honors Component for their specific course. All you would need to do is follow the instructor’s established Honors coursework in that Canvas to earn the Honors designation for their course.

Step 3: Keep in mind that the Embedded Honors Course Canvas will have a form with a request to start working on the Honors Coursework for that Course. This form must be submitted to the Honors Program Director as early as possible, BEFORE working on any assignments in that Honors Course Canvas. This form is different from the Contract Form because the Embedded Component is already preapproved by the Program: it does not require any proposals, nor any approval from the Honors Director after submission. BUT the form MUST be submitted to start processing the Honors course designation, and no Courses will receive the Honors designation on their transcript if this form is not submitted in the first half of the semester, even if completed work is submitted by the end of the semester.

A student must receive an "A" or "B" in the course for the honors designation to be added for this option.

If the course you want to take is not offered as Honors and you can't find a section with an Embedded Honors component, you may still turn almost any course into an Honors course individually through an Honors Contract. For this option you will need to create a one-page contract with your instructor, in which you will describe what specific higher-level "honors" coursework will be completed in this particular course, in addition to the regular class requirements, to make your course count as "Honors".

Important: If you are starting the honors program "conditionally" with a GPA below required, you should NOT take Honors Courses based on a contract in your first term. You will want to make sure that your GPA doesn't suffer as you pursue the much more independent honors coursework involved in contracts. For now you should limit your Honors Courses to the safest Designated Section option (see option 1).

To take your regular course as Honors through a contract, the contract has to be submitted and approved by both (1) your instructor, and (2) the Honors Program at the very beginning of the semester. The form to submit contracts is available to approved members of the program - on the Honors Program Canvas.

Step 1: Early in the semester, the student should ask the instructor if he or she is willing to mentor them through an Honors project/Honors assignments based on a contract.

Step 2: If the instructor agrees, the student should write a draft of an Honors contract for the course they want to take as an Honors Course, and have the instructor approve it. Details for how to create an Honors contract are provided further below.

Step 3: AFTER the student and the instructor reach an agreement and the instructor approves the Contract, the student should submit the final version of the Contract to the Program for the Honors Director's approval at the beginning of the semester (see due dates on the right sidebar), using the Honors Contract Form.  The form is located on the Honors Program Canvas. 

Step 4: Once the student completes the project at the end of the semester and the mentor approves it, the student should submit the completed work to the Program for the Honors Director's approval before the due date (always the last day of instructions for the term). There is a form to submit your completed honors work AFTER it has been approved by your instructor, and another form that will ask for your feedback on your experience. The forms are only available on the LPC Honors Program Canvas.

If a student fails to complete the project, there is no penalty. The student just doesn't submit any completion forms.

A student must receive an "A" or "B" in the course for the honors designation to be added for this option.

• The Contract option is not possible for short-term/late start courses.

Instructions for creating a Contract:

Please first check with the instructor if the course does not already have an Honors Component Embedded. If not, carefully study the course's syllabus and decide which topic of the class you would like to study in depth and how. Next, write a one-page contract describing what you would like to do as an honors project/additional honors assignments and have it approved by your instructor.

An honors contract should describe a minimum of 25 hours of additional high-level work beyond what is already required in the course. 

Your one-page honors contract should address each of the following:

• What will you create for your honors contract? 
• What methods will you use for your research?
• How frequently will you meet with your mentor instructor?
• How will your mentor evaluate your progress on this project throughout the semester?
• What is the timeline for the stages of your project?

Honors contracts consist of in-depth research, demonstration of critical thinking, and scholarship of greater breadth or depth than the normal coursework. The specific content and shape of the projects vary widely and should be designed to help prepare the student for work at a four-year institution. Topics are individual and very flexible, but here are some examples:

• an empirical research paper based on experiments, fieldwork or an extensive gathering and analysis of statistical data 
• a traditional review of literature paper or a literary analysis
• a case study or series of case studies 
• a specialized series of lab experiments
• an art project
• a musical composition
• a literary composition
• an original software or hardware creation

If the only outcome of the Honors course is a paper (either an original research or a review of literature) then the paper must be 12 pages minimum (not counting title pages, abstracts, references, figures and images), based on at least 10 valid scientific sources, and written in the publication style of the subject (APA, MLA, Chicago style...).

If the outcome of the Honors course involves a hands-on product (an art piece, a music composition, a computer program, a website), then it must be still accompanied with a written report with scholarly explanation/sources, however the count of pages can be less than 12 (proportionally to the size of the product created).

Below are some sample Proposal Summaries to give you an idea of what an honors contract can look like:

• Original/Primary Research Proposal Sample
• Review of Literature Essay Proposal Sample
• Computer Science Project Proposal Sample
• Math Project Proposal Sample

Common Contract Problems

These are the most common reasons that honors contracts are not approved:

• The Contract timeline does not have at least 4 steps with separate due dates
• The Contract does not indicate that the student will meet with the instructor at least 4 times (every 2-3 weeks or more often in the summer term)
• The Contract includes a research paper as the only outcome and that paper is proposed to be less that 12 pages in length
• The Contract doesn't mention how many valid sources the project will be based on, in addition to the required sources/readings of the regular course (10 sources is a minimum).
• The writing format for a final paper is not specified or is not appropriate for the discipline (APA versus MLA versus Chicago style etc.).
• The Contract has a product as an outcome (a computer program, a performance, an artifact) and does not mention any written analysis accompanying the product. 

Students Offer Advice on Successfully Creating and Completing Contracts

Fall, 1st Term

You goal is to complete at least 2 Honors Courses, and to conduct at least one original research in one of the courses, to be able to apply to symposia in the Spring. Recommended actions:

• Take Honors Seminar I - HNRS 1 (1 unit) to get support for your original research. The seminar does not count as an Honors Course, but is required for Honors Scholar.
• Take any Honors Course in a subject related to your Major, where you can conduct a hands-on original research project with a potential to be presented at a symposia in Spring (note: review of literature does not count as an original research and is not likely to be accepted for symposia)
• Take either or both of the following courses, to help with your research project.
  • Honors Intro to Statistics - STAT L40/C1000 - HC1, Honors Designated Section
  • Honors English - ENGL L1/C1000 - HC1, Honors Designated Section
• Start collecting community service hours: stay tuned for announcements.

Spring, 2nd Term

You goal is to complete at least 2 more Honors Courses (for a total of at least 4 for the year), present one of your original research projects  completed in Fall at a symposia, publish your research. Recommended actions:

• Submit your research project from Fall for publication and/or for presentation at Spring Symposia.

• Take Honors Seminar II - HNRS II (1 unit) to get support in preparing winning symposia applications, presentations and publications. The seminar does not count as an Honors Course, but is recommended for anyone planning to present/publish.
• Take Honors Critical Thinking and Writing, ENGL L7/C1001 - HC1 
• Take any Honors Course for a minimum total of 4 by the end of the year. If you didn't get to conduct original research in Fall, make sure you conduct at least one in Spring - you might be able to present it in Fall, though the presentation opportunities in Fall are very limited. 
• Participate in at least one symposia. Don't get discouraged if you don't get accepted, you can always participate in LPC Student Symposium, taking place every end of Spring.
• Apply for summer internships: stay tuned for Honors Canvas announcements, some internships are only available for Honors Program Students and our students always get priority for any internships.
• Keep collecting community service hours: stay tuned for announcements.

Fall, 3rd Term

You goal is to finish AT LEAST 5 Honors courses, from at least two disciplines, IN ADDITION to the Honors Seminar I by the end of this Fall to qualify for Honors Scholar Certificate of Achievement. But remember, that not all Honors courses get completed, so it's always better to have more - the 5 Honors Courses is the bare minimum. Most students who transferred to more prestigious universities completed more than 5. Recommended actions:

• Take any Honors Course for a minimum total of 5 from at least two different disciplines, with at least one being in your major.
• Submit a Request for Transfer Agreements
• Submit application for the Honors Scholar Certificate of Achievement
• Work on your transfer applications and don't forget to expand on your Honors courses experiences, presentations and publications from Spring.
• Finish collecting 20 community service hours, minimum 15 must be at LPC.

Spring, 4th Term

Your goal is to be done with all Honors Scholar requirements before this Spring. Some transfer agreements might allow for the last 5th Honors Course to be taken in Spring, however this would be a very risky option and admission can be rescinded if Honors course is not complete in the end.

Also, remember - 5 Honors courses is just a bare minimum. Continuing to engage in Honors activities will prepare you for transfer and will also help with scholarships and career development later on.

Fall, 1st Term

 Recommended actions:

• Take Honors Seminar I - HNRS 1 (1 unit) to get support for your original research. The seminar does not count as an Honors Course. It is not required for this Pathway but is recommended if you would like to conduct real research and would like to present it in the future.
• Take any Honors Course in a subject related to your Major, where you can conduct a hands-on original research project with a potential to be presented at a symposia in Spring (note: review of literature does not count as an original research and is not likely to be accepted for symposia)

Spring, 2nd Term

If you got a chance to conduct an original research project in Fall:

• Submit your research project from Fall for publication and/or for presentation at Spring Symposia.

• Take Honors Seminar II - HNRS II (1 unit) to get support in preparing winning symposia applications, presentations and publications. The seminar does not count as an Honors Course, but is recommended for anyone planning to present/publish.
• Participate in at least one symposia. Don't get discouraged if you don't get accepted, you can always participate in LPC Student Symposium, taking place every end of Spring.
• Apply for summer internships: stay tuned for Honors Canvas announcements, some internships are only available for Honors Program Students and our students always get priority for any internships.

If you did NOT get a chance to conduct an original research project in Fall:

• Take any Honors Course in a subject related to your Major, where you can conduct a hands-on original research project. Even though the presentation opportunities in Fall are very limited, you might still be able to present your research in Fall.

Fall, 3rd Term

• Work on your transfer applications and don't forget to expand on your Honors courses experiences, presentations and publications if you had any.
• Take as many Honors Courses as you like or feel comfortable with.

Spring, 4th Term

• Take as many Honors Courses as you like or feel comfortable with.