Forms, Timetable, and Deadlines
Completing the Conversion Process
Guidelines to Convert Courses Not Designated as Honors Courses
The Honors conversion process is used as a mechanism for an Honors student to earn “Honors credit” in a course that is not listed as an Honors course. The Honors conversion process may be applied to the following types of courses: regular courses, independent study courses (including independent study Honors thesis courses), study abroad courses. Courses with sections already offered for Honors credit and courses with Honors course equivalents cannot be converted unless the course is full at the time of registration. Depending upon the type course being converted, specific guidelines, signatures, and forms are required. Please take care to follow the instructions given below for the type of course you are converting.
Message for Faculty
To be carried out successfully, an Honors conversion requires careful planning, close collaboration between the Honors student and faculty member throughout the semester, and a serious commitment by both parties to see the project through. THANK YOU for your willingness to undertake this responsibility. We hope that your participation in the student’s undergraduate Honors education results in a mutually engaging and rewarding experience. The following are guidelines to assist you in the development of a productive Honors conversion. If you wish to discuss any aspect of the Honors conversion process, please email the Honors Program Office honors@uconn.edu.
Forms, Timetable, and Deadlines
The Conversion request form must be submitted in the online Honors system by the deadlines posted. For fall and spring semester approved request forms are due three weeks into the semester. Summer approved conversion requests are due by the end of the first week of the summer session. Forms for study abroad courses are due three weeks from the beginning of the study abroad semester. Students must complete the conversion project during the semester in which the course is offered. Courses may not be retroactively converted.
Approvals
Course Conversion requests must be approved by the instructor and student’s Honors advisor by the third week of classes or first week of classes for summer. In the case of study abroad courses, the agreement must be approved by the student’s Honors advisor (in place of the instructor) and the Honors advisor in the department providing credit.
Meetings with Instructors
There should be planned regular meetings between the faculty member and student(s) to review, discuss, and revise as the project develops.
Completing the Conversion Process
To receive Honors credit, students must earn a B- or above in a graded course (courses taken for P/F or S/U grades may not be taken for Honors credit) and complete the work outlined in their conversion agreement, independent study or graduate course by the end of the semester. The Honors Program Office sends an email to instructors with instructions how to confirm that conversion projects of students in her/his classes have been completed satisfactorily. Within a few weeks of receipt of instructor confirmation and confirmation of a grade of B- or above, the Honors Program Office requests the Honors credit notation on the student’s transcript. Students should check their unofficial transcript to confirm that Honors credit has been applied by the beginning of the following semester. Graduate courses will not have the “Honors credit” notation listed on the transcript but can be used toward Honors credit in their major providing the graduate course is listed as part of the approved Honors Final Plan of Study.
Group Conversions
An instructor may arrange to oversee a group of students enrolled in the same class in a group conversion experience. Students and the instructor would meet at the start of the semester to decide on a conversion project that they could work on as a group. Students will complete individual conversion forms in the new online system.
Education Abroad Courses
Honors students who wish to do Honors work while studying abroad may propose a conversion project with the on-site instructor.
Who Can Supervise the Work:
- If the instructor of the course is a UConn faculty member, they may approve the conversion request in the Honors online system along with the student’s Honors advisor.
- If the instructor is NOT a UConn faculty member, the student must reach out to the Honors advisor in the department approving the course for UConn credit to ask if they would be willing to supervise the conversion. If so, the UConn Honors advisor in the course department would be considered the instructor of record for the online conversion project and would consult with the course instructor on site to confirm its successful completion. Alternatively, students may work under the supervision of the Honors advisor (if they agree to do so) in the course department —from a distance to complete a conversion project for a course taken while abroad.
- The student’s Honors advisor would also need to approve in the online system before the work could begin.
5000- or 6000-Level Graduate Courses
Graduate courses offer Honors undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in advanced seminars and higher-level courses in their disciplines. Upon approval of the Honors advisor, graduate courses may be used toward the requirements for Honors Scholar graduation and marked on the Honors Final Plan of Study. In some cases, graduate courses are required for Honors work in the major department. Students do not need to file Honors conversion forms for graduate courses; if approved the course will count towards their required 12 Honors credits for graduation, however, will not be coded as “Honors credit” on their transcript.