Graduation Requirements

To graduate from the University Honors College, students must maintain a cumulative GPA equal to or greater than 3.25 and complete the Honors requirements (including a thesis) outlined below. It is essential to understand that the Honors hours required for graduation from the Honors College are not necessarily in addition to the 120 hours required for a bachelor’s degree but rather a part of the 120 hours required for graduation.

Requirements for students starting Summer 2024 and after – 23 hours total

15 hours any level Honors coursework, which can include any of the following options for graduation:

• Any 1000-4000 level Honors courses
• A maximum of two Honors contracts*
• Approved study abroad credits (up to 9 hours total), internship credits (up to 6 hours total), or research credits (up to 6 hours total)*
• Can include up to 9 hours of the following: AP credits with scores of 4 or 5; Governor’s School credit with a grade of A; and approved IB credits
• Can include 3 hours of ACT/SAT credit for ENGL 1010
• UH 3000 can be taken up to 3 times if needed to meet graduation requirements.
• 1-hr Collage (UH 3001) can be taken up to 3 times if needed – helpful for graduation.

8 hours upper-division Honors coursework, which is broken down to the specific courses below:

• 3 hours of UH 3500, UH 4010 (Institute of Leadership Excellence), any 3000/4000 level Honors course, an approved Honors Contract, approved study abroad, approved internship, or approved research credits*.
• 1 hour of UH 3000 – Lecture Series
• 1 hour of UH 4900 – Thesis Tutorial
• 3 hours of UH 4950 – Honors Senior Independent Study Research or Creative Project (Thesis)

*You can count up to 2 Honors contracts, 9 study abroad credits, and 6 internship/research hours toward your Honors requirements. You may apply them to the first or second section, or split them between both. Consult your Honors advisor to review how to use these hours. The University must approve all study abroad, internship, and research credits. Refer to the sections below for more details.

Requirements for students in catalog years prior to 2024 – 29 hours total

Please check with your Honors advisor to see which graduation option is better for your overall degree requirements. 

• 18 hours lower-division Honors courses (1000- and 2000-level courses)
• 3 hours upper-division Honors courses (3000- and 4000-level courses)
• 3-hour Honors interdisciplinary seminar, UH 3500 or UH 4600 (unless substituted for approved Study Abroad credit, approved internship credit, or UH 4010)
• 1 hour Honors Lecture Series, UH 3000
• 1-hour thesis tutorial, UH 4900 (Physics majors will take PHYS or ASTR 4850 instead)
• 3 hours Honors independent research, UH 4950 (Physics majors will take PHYS or ASTR 4900 instead)

Students should consult with their Honors advisor regarding these graduation options:

• Honors Contracts (2 courses maximum).
• Students may apply a maximum of 9 hours from approved study abroad experiences towards either the upper division or lower division requirements in the honors program. Submit an intent to study abroad form before the program begins to ensure credit approval.
• Students may apply a maximum of 6 hours from approved internship credits or research credits towards either the upper division or lower division requirements in the honors program. Submit a substitution form before the internship or research begins to ensure credit approval. The student’s major department must approve all internships and research for credit.
• Students may enroll in 1 hour of UH 3001 (Collage), UH 3000 (Lecture Series), UH 3200 (Visiting Artist Seminar), or ENGL 3635 (Creative Writing Event Series) up to three times.
• UH 3500 may be taken again for graduation if the topic has changed.
• UH 4010 – Institute of Leadership Excellence can be used towards the Interdisciplinary Seminar requirement or to complete the lower or upper division honors requirements needed for graduation.