University of Connecticut Honors Program

The University’s Honors Program includes students across all schools and colleges who demonstrate both strong academic performance and an interest in pursuing further academic challenges beyond the standard requirements of their major during their undergraduate experience.

The University’s Honors Program has established minimum requirements for graduating as an Honors Scholar that apply across the University; schools, colleges, and departments then may establish their own department-specific requirements. The University’s requirements for graduation as an Honors Scholar include the following:

• Completion of 12 Honors-level credits in the major (2000-level or above)
• Completion of 3 additional Honors credits in the major or a related area
• Cumulative GPA of at least 3.40
• Completion of some kind of activity representing engagement in the major
• Completion and approval of an Honors thesis
• Any additional department-level requirements

Students may also choose to pursue the designation of University Honors Laureate, which includes the details above and some additional requirements.

Honors Program in Neag

Through the Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, the Neag School of Education offers a rigorous course of study for preservice teachers. The expectations for Honors students within the IB/M program have been established with attention to feasibility within the overall structure of the Teacher Education program as well as attention to maintaining the rigor of an Honors Program.

The primary focus of the Neag Honors Program for students in the IB/M program is to support students in pursuing authentic research under the guidance of a faculty member. The program encourages students to consider questions of interest in the field of education; to read the literature of the field to develop background knowledge in their area of interest; to develop researchable questions; and to collect and analyze data relevant to their questions.

Course Sequence

The current course sequence for students in the Honors Program in the Neag IB/M program is as follows:

• Fall of junior year: EGEN 4194 (3 credits) – This Honors seminar focuses on guiding students to read extensively on a topic of interest and begin to develop a direction and question for their Honors thesis. One goal of the course is to help students find a thesis supervisor who will work with them on their Honors thesis.
• Spring of junior year: EPSY 5601 (3 credits) – A course that introduces students to research designs common in educational research. This course is offered as a special section for the Honors students but addresses the same objectives as in the regular Master’s level course.
• Fall and spring of senior year: EGEN 4197 (3 credits fall, 3 credits spring) – completion of independent study credits with thesis supervisor as the Honors thesis is developed and completed.

Honors Admissions

All students in the Neag Honors Program must also be admitted to the University of Connecticut’s Honors Program. Students who pursue Honors while completing the IB/M program fall into two categories: (1) those who were already in the University’s Honors Program at the time of their application to Neag, and (2) those who choose to apply to pursue Honors beginning with their junior year.

All students admitted to the IB/M program receive a letter about Honors in Neag with their program acceptance materials. This letter includes information about the program and an invitation to an informational meeting with the Honors Advisor.

Students who were already in the University’s Honors Program upon admission to Neag must only indicate to the Honors Advisor that they wish to pursue Honors in Neag and register for the first course in the Honors sequence to begin the program. Students who were not already in the University’s Honors Program upon admission to Neag must apply to the University’s Honors Program in spring of their sophomore year. Generally, the application deadline occurs several weeks after students are notified of their admission to Neag.

Faculty Roles and Opportunities in the Neag IB/M Honors Program

Honors students at the University of Connecticut are expected to complete an Honors thesis that is appropriate to their discipline and guided by a faculty member. Students are encouraged throughout the program to read about faculty members’ work and to contact those who might work in areas of a student’s interest.

There are two main pathways for a student’s Honors thesis. One model is for the student to propose and conduct a study of their own, with faculty guidance throughout the process. A second model is for a student to work with a faculty member on the faculty member’s research efforts, carving out a portion for specific focus as the Honors thesis. Both models fulfill the Honors program requirements, and students are presented with both options from the beginning of the program. The latter model is more reflective of thesis work in most of the “hard science” departments on campus and may give the student a deeper understanding of educational research, while the former model gives students more choice and independence.

In most cases, students initiate the thesis supervision relationship by contacting a faculty member with whom they would like to work, based on a prior relationship with that person and/or a shared area of interest. Faculty members with research projects that would provide the context for undergraduate research efforts are encouraged to contact the Honors Advisor as well as to speak directly with Honors students; in addition, visibility of research efforts through the Neag School’s communications outlets will promote student recognition of such research opportunities.