The Honors Program at University of Connecticut FAQ

I. Admission into Honors Program
I.A. Entering Freshmen: Out of each entering freshmen class, only 250 students are admitted into the Honors Program. Admission is based upon academic performance in secondary school, standardized scores (SAT, ACT), extracurricular activity and evidence of leadership. Because admission is based upon an enrollment cap, there is no definite “bar” for entry. However, average performance is:

  • SAT: 1400 combined
  • ACT: 30
  • Class Rank: Top 5%

I.B. Continuing Students: Students who have completed at least two semesters on campus are eligible to apply for instatement in the Honors Program. Admissions are based upon academic performance, recommendations from faculty, and availability within the program. A minimum TGPA of 3.2 is required for consideration.

II. Earning Honors Designations
II.A. Available Designations:
II.A.i. Sophomore Certification: Entering Freshmen are eligible to work towards earning a Honors certification at the end of their 4th semester. This honor is separate and in addition to graduation as an “Honors Scholar”. There are specific requirements for earning this award:

  • Earn 16 Honors Credit hours, including INTD 198 (6 courses total).
  • Attend and submit documentation for an Honors Thesis Preparation Workshop
  • Attend and submit documentation for at least 3 Honors Functions or Events
  • Maintain an Overall TPGA > 3.2
  • Apply for the Sophomore Certification during your fourth semester

II.A.ii. Honors Scholar: Members of the Honors Program are expected to graduate with the designation of “Honors Scholar”. The specific requirements for earning this award upon graduation are:

  • Earn 12 Honors Credit hours at 200-level or above in Chemical Engineering or an approved related field. NOTE: Honors credit counted towards earning the Sophomore Certification CANNOT also be counted towards Honors Scholar.
  • Complete and submit to the Honors Program and to the CHEG Honors Advisor an Honors Senior Thesis.
  • Maintain an overall TPGA > 3.2.

II. Staying in the Honors Program
II.A. Honors Participation: Students not making progress towards an Honors designation (e.g. Honors Scholar, Sophomore Certification, etc.) may be subject to dismissal for non-participation. Students who do not enroll in any honors courses for two or more semesters will be asked to leave the Honors program on account of non-participation.
II.B. Academic Performance: Students must maintain good standing in the Honors program to avoid risking dismissal. The table below summarizes minimum TGPAs to maintain this status.
II.C. Earning Honors Credit: A grade of B- or above in any Honors course is required for credit to count as Honors Credit. A grade below this level will still result in non-honors credit.

 

“In Good Standing”

“Academic Probation”

Immediate Dismissal

Freshmen

3.0 < TPGA

3.0 < TGPA > 2.75

TGPA < 2.75

Sophomore

3.2 < TPGA

3.2 < TPGA > 3.0

TGPA < 3.0

Junior

3.2 < TPGA

3.2 < TPGA > 3.1

TGPA < 3.1

Senior

3.2 < TPGA

 

 

 III. Honors Courses in Chemical Engineering Curriculum
III.A. Freshmen Year. During freshmen year, honors students must enroll in a section of INTD 198. In addition, students may choose from a multitude of honors courses in science, mathematics and the liberal arts. The honors program maintains a listing of all honors courses offered each semester to assist in selection of desirable honors courses.
III.B.  Sophomore Year: Two Honors courses are offered in Chemical Engineering:

  • CHEG 203: Introduction to Chemical Engineering (Fall)
  • CHEG 211: Thermodynamics (Spring).

III.C. Junior Year.  Two Honors courses are offered in Chemical Engineering:

  • CHEG 223: Transfer Operations (Fall)
  • CHEG 251: Process Kinetics (Spring)

III.D. Senior Year. No Honors lecture courses are offered in Chemical Engineering. Students enrolling in CHEG 299 to perform research related to the development of their Honors Senior Thesis can converted Honors credit via an Honors Credit Conversion Form.

 IV. Graduation as an Honors Scholar, a.k.a. Honors Scholar Graduation
IV.A. Overview. Honors students who maintain good standing within the program and meet all the above requirements may apply for graduation as an Honors Scholar. This process is achieved by submitting the following three critical, time-sensitive materials:

  • Final Plan of Study, due December 1st.
  • Thesis Plan, due February 12th.
  • Thesis Approval and Cover Sheet, due May 1st.

IV.B. Final Plan of Study. This plan of study must be completed in addition to the Chemical Engineering Plan of Study (and an additional major-degree or minor plans of study). In the plan of study, you must list all Honors courses taken from Sophomore year onward, that are to be counted towards graduation as an Honors Scholar. Note: courses counted towards Sophomore Certification cannot be counted towards graduation. This form must be signed by your Departmental Honors Advisor and returned to the Honors Office on or before December 1st of your final academic year, if you plan on graduating in May. Students graduating in December must turn in their Final Plan of Study to the Honors Office on or before March 1st of their penultimate semester.

IV.C. Thesis Plan. The thesis plan details the intended thesis topic and structure. In the Thesis Plan, you must identify both your Thesis Advisor (Research Advisor) and your Departmental Honors Advisor, alongside a complete thesis abstract. The thesis abstract should concisely detail (i) the motivation for your thesis research, (ii) the objective, or hypothesis of your thesis work, (iii) the methods, procedure and strategy undertaken to address the research objective, and (iv) the primary results of your research efforts. This form must be completed, signed and returned to the Honors Office on or before February 12th of your final academic year, if you plan on graduating in May. Students graduating in December must turn in their Thesis Plan to the Honors Office on or before March 1st of their penultimate semester.

IV.D. Thesis Approval and Cover Sheet. The completed Thesis must be approved by both your Thesis Advisor (Research Advisor) and your Departmental Honors Advisor. In addition to completing their own unique honors thesis, it is the responsibility of the honors student to obtain approval signatures from both advisors on the cover sheet. A signed, completed Thesis Approval and Cover Sheet, alongside a complete copy of the final Honors Thesis, must be returned to the Honors Office before May 1st for May Graduation; August 25th for August Graduation, and December 1st for December Graduation.

IV.E. Notification from Honors Office. Students are encouraged to directly contact the Honors Office for a report of their progress towards graduation as an Honors Scholar. Typically, confirmation from the Honors Office of student's graduation as Honors Scholar is issued by April 1st - pending submission of an Honors Thesis with Approval and Cover Sheet before graduation, as stated above.

IV.F. Timing, Due Dates, Forms and General Information. All above dates are based upon the past three year's deadlines for graduation. Specific due dates for specific academic years are posted online at the honors website, here.


Useful Links: