One of the responsibilities of an Honors advisor is to determine how students may fulfill the engagement in the major field requirement of the Honors Scholar in the Major award (for students who entered UConn in Fall 2018 or later), which in turn is a requirement of the University Honors Laureate award. This requirement is intentionally left broad so that individual departments may determine what constitutes an appropriate type and level of co-curricular engagement for their Honors students’ professional development.

You and your advisees will agree on how they will meet the engagement in the major field requirement as part of their Honors Preliminary Plan of Study, and you will approve completion prior to graduation. The preliminary plan of study will provide a space for students and advisors to list a description, rationale, criteria, timeline, and communication plan for the expected engagement in the major field activity. Engagement in the major field may be connected to the Honors thesis/project or a course, but the activity must go beyond what would have been required regardless.

Honors advisors and departments should consider how students will fulfill this requirement. Ideas for professional development within the major field may include participation in a conference, an on-campus event where student’s present their work, a professional organization, a student organization, or other opportunities that are related to the student’s field of study.

, participation in a conference, an on-campus event at which students may present their work, a professional organization, or a student organization. Consider the following questions to help you plan:

• What do you routinely tell your students they should do?
• What do you want your Honors students to learn through engagement in their major field?
• What resources for engagement in your field exist on campus?

Approving Engagement in the Major

In many cases students complete their engagement activity before their second to last semester and the activity can be updated within their Honors Final Plan (in Quest) and then submitted for approval by their Honors advisor within Quest.

If the engagement activity is not completed when a student submits their Honors Final Plan, the student will need to submit a separate request for approval through the Kuali Build system after they complete the activity, https://uconn.kualibuild.com/app/6606e301e5ddd1013a21b004/run.