The accumulation of “Honors credits” demonstrates that you’re successfully meeting the academic challenges of UConn Honors. You will demonstrate your fitness for Honors awards (graduation as an Honors Scholar and University Honors Laureate) by meeting certain benchmarks, including numbers of Honors credits. Satisfactory participation in Honors also requires Honors credits.
Honors First Year Experience
A required one-credit fall semester seminar introduces new first year students to Honors and UConn.
Honors Core Courses
Specially designed, interdisciplinary courses, one is required for the Sophomore Honors award or to earn University Honors Laureate.
General Honors Courses
At UConn, a “General Honors” course refers to a specially designated Honors course or standalone section of a UConn course (usually less than 25 students in an Honors course versus 200+ in many lecture courses). In some cases, advanced Honors students may be permitted to take graduate courses; graduate courses are regarded as Honors courses. Graduate courses will not be noted with “Honors credit” on your transcript.
Honors Discussion Sections
Honors students attending a regular lecture course may also enroll in a specially designed Honors discussion section (taught by the faculty member delivering the lecture or an advanced graduate student closely supervised by the teaching faculty member).
Conversions of Non-Honors Courses
Honors students may take a non-Honors course—but receive Honors credit for it—by developing a conversion agreement with the instructor to complete assignments beyond what is regularly required for the course, which advances the course to the rigor of an Honors course. This process includes an approved conversion request completed early in the semester, completion of the work, a B- or higher grade, and final approval of the conversion and Honors credit by the instructor.
Honors Enhancement/Group Conversion
An Honors enhancement is essentially a conversion for a group of students. The instructor arranges the course enrichment experiences for the group of Honors students. Each student involved submits their own online conversion request and completion of the work by all students. To receive Honors credit for the course, an individual student must achieve a B- or higher grade and receive final approval by the instructor of the completed conversion project.
Graduate courses
(5000 and above in the course catalog) may count as Honors credit toward your graduation requirements if approved by your Honors advisor on your Honors Final Plan of Study. You do not need to complete a conversion form. Graduate courses will not be noted with “Honors credit” on your transcript.
Minimum Grade for Honors Honors Credit: You must earn a minimum of B- in an Honors course, conversion, or any course in which you plan to receive Honors credit. A UConn grade must be earned for the course to be eligible for Honors credits.
Note: AP and ECE Credits Are Not UConn Honors Credits
Many students enter UConn with academic credits earned through the College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP) and/or the UConn Early College Experience Program (ECE). AP or ECE credit(s) may fulfill University requirements, including general education and course prerequisites, but neither AP nor ECE credit will count towards participation requirements or Honors graduation requirements.