Honors Experiences

Honors students are encouraged to elevate their academic journey through a variety of designated “Honors Experiences”. The goal of these unique and required experiences are to encourage honors students to dive deeper into their studies, push the boundaries of knowledge, and explore subjects they are passionate about with peers and distinguished faculty and staff.

Honors students can fulfill the Honors Experience Requirement in variety of ways listed here:

Note: Honors Experiences credit may only be earned while a member of the Honors Program. Honors work completed prior to being admitted into the Honors Program will not count towards the “Honors Experience” requirements. This same rule applies to completing Community Service requirements.

Complete the Honors Program Experiences Progress Request to verify the number of Honors Experiences you have completed. Our Honors Advisors will verify the information provided and notify you via email. Please expect 2 weeks to process.

 

Honors Courses & Sections

List of Winter 2024 Honors Sections

List of Fall 2023 Honors Sections

 

*For CHEMISTRY Honors Sections 2023- CHEM 2C, 6BH, 6CH, & 109CH - PLEASE USE THIS LINK FOR ENROLLMENT DETAILS  

Many of the Departments in the College of Letters and Science offer Honors alternatives for their courses. Honors courses typically follow one of two models: 

Lecture Courses with Honors Sections

Many UCSB courses require students to attend a lecture taught be the instructing faculty member and attend a discussion “section” led by a graduate student instructor (TA). The once-a-week section allows students to review, discuss and dive deeper into the topics covered in the associated lecture.  For courses with Honors sections, Honors students meet with the faculty member teaching the course for the section, not a TA.  In some cases, students may be expected to attend both a regular section and the Honors section for the course. Typically, students earn an additional unit when they enroll in an Honors section. 

Enrollment Information:

  1. Get an Approval Code: Students usually need to secure an approval code from an instructor to enroll in the Honors section. Please see this quarter’s list of Honors Sections link above for specific details.
  2. Enroll in the associated Lecture. A course and its Honors section must be taken concurrently to earn credit for an Honors Experience.
  3. Complete the course for a Letter Grade. A letter grade is required unless “Pass/No Pass” is the only available grading option for the course.
  4. Earn a “B” or better. Students must earn a “B” or better unless the course was taken for a “Pass/No Pass” grading option in which case a “P” is required to earn credit.

Special Honors Versions of Courses

A few departments offer Honors versions of courses.  An Honors version has a significantly smaller enrollment than the standard version of the course which allows the students and professor to go more deeply into the course material and/or approach the subject differently.

Enrollment Information:

  1. Apply to Enroll. Typically, students are invited to apply to enroll in Honors versions of regular courses. See this quarter's list of Honors Sections/Courses listed above for specific details.
  2. Complete the course for a Letter Grade. A letter grade is required unless “Pass/No Pass” is the only available grading option for the course.
  3. Earn a “B” or better. Students must earn a “B” or better unless the course was taken for a “Pass/No Pass” grading option in which case a “P” is required to earn credit.
  4. Each Honors Course & associated Lecture will be counted as 1 Honors Experience.

Honors Seminars

List of  Winter 2024 Honors Seminars

Honors Seminars (INT 84’s) are lower-division, two-unit courses of twenty students or less designed for first and second-year students. In these seminars, faculty instructors introduce students to their own special research and scholarly interests. All Honors Seminars meet for two hours a week.

Enrollment Information:

  • Enroll directly on GOLD. Eligible Honors students can enroll directly on GOLD when registering for classes. (Add codes are no longer required to add Honors Seminars).
  • Complete the course for a Letter Grade. A letter grade is required unless “Pass/No Pass” is the only available grading option for the course.
  • Earn a “B” or better. Students must earn a “B” or better unless the course was taken for a “Pass/No Pass” grading option in which case a “P” is required to earn credit.
  • Each Honors Seminar will be counted as 1 Honors Experience.

 

Honors Contracts

Honors Contract Proposal Form (Deadline for Fall 2023: WAS Friday, October 13th) *Honors Contracts for F23 have closed. If you have a question please email honorsmail@ltsc.ucsb.edu

Honors Contracts are the primary method of earning honors experience credit in upper-division courses. Honors contracts were developed to give students an opportunity to enrich their upper-division courses while establishing close working relationships with faculty. Honors contracts allow undergraduates to participate in seminar-style discussions and to assist faculty on research projects, gaining the kind of scholarly experiences normally reserved for graduate students.

Enrollment Information:

  1. Meet with the “instructor on record”. Reach out to the professor or “instructor of record” before the quarter begins or during the first few days of instruction to discuss the possibility of establishing an Honors Contract.
  2. Create a curriculum for the Honors Contract. If the instructor agrees to the contract, work together to develop an agreement of enriched curriculum for the course and complete a proposal.
  3. Submit the Honors Contract Proposal Form before the DEADLINE. Proposals must be submitted by the end of the second week of the quarter in which the contract is undertaken.
  4. INT 197HC will be added to your schedule. After the Proposal is submitted the associated course, INT197HC will be added to your schedule during week 8 by the Honors Program staff. Although the course will not appear on your schedule immediately, students are expected to work on the contract as soon as it’s submitted. NOTE: INT 197HC will NOT be added to Honors Contracts for Summer Sessions, “INT 197HC” will appear on a student’s schedule/transcripts but students will not be expected to attend an additional course.
  5. Complete the UD course for a Letter Grade. A letter grade is required unless “Pass/No Pass” is the only available grading option for the course.
  6. Earn a “B” or better in the associated UD course.
  7. Each Honors Contract successfully completed with a grade of “P”, or Pass, will earn 1 Honors Experience credit.
  • To receive a grade of Pass in INT 197HC, Honors Program staff will contact your professor to confirm that you successfully completed the terms of the contract and earned a letter grade of “B” or higher in the associated course.
  • “Course Honors” will be added to your transcript for the course associated with the Honors Contract and “P” will be appear for the INT 197HC course after grades are recorded. 
  • For students completing more than one Honors Contract per quarter, the number of units for INT 197HC will reflect the number of contracts completed (i.e. for two contracts there would be two units added for INT 197HC provided both contracts are completed).
  • If you do not get a “B” or better in the associated course but complete the Honors Contract, you will receive a “P” in INT 197HC but you will not receive credit for count as an Honors Experience.
  • If you do not complete the Honors Contract, you will receive a “NP” in INT 197HC regardless for the grade you received in the course.

Important considerations when creating an Honors Contract:

  • Contracts are only accepted for upper-division, academic courses in the College of Letters and Science. Contracts are not accepted for Exercise and Sports Studies, Education/CNCSP, College of Creative Studies, Technology Management, IHC - Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, Computer Science, or Engineering courses.
  • Contracts must be supervised by the course's instructor of record.
  • Only instructors who are members of the Academic Senate may supervise an Honors Contract. This includes instructors with the title of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer with Security of Employment, Lecturer with Security of Employment, or Lecturer with Potential Security of Employment, Continuing Lecturers or Lecturers. Most instructor titles may be found in the UCSB Catalog on their department's Faculty page, or on the UCSB Academic Senate Membership list. If the faculty is not found on the list on your proposal form please indicate "other"
  • Instructors with the titles of Visiting Professor are not members of the Academic Senate, but may supervise a contract if the dean determines that the contract proposal meets the Honors Program's academic standards.
  • Graduate students, including Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates, MAY NOT supervise Honors Contracts.
  • Do not submit a contract proposal for any course that is already an honors section or already on the list of Courses Automatically Granted Honors Credit.
  • Please consult the following resources for help developing an Honors Contract Proposal

CANCELLING YOUR HONORS CONTRACT:

If you need to cancel your approved Honors Contract (INT 197HC course) prior to the Week 7 “Drop Deadline” reflected on GOLD, email both the Honors Staff at honorsmail@ltsc.ucsb.edu and your professor regarding the cancellation.

To cancel an Honors Contract after Week 7, a Petition from the College of Letters and Sciences is required to drop the INT 197HC Contract course from your schedule. Please note, these petitions are rarely approved. If not approved, you will receive a "NP" for INT 197HS. 

Honors Contract CANCELATION for Fall 2023: Friday, November 17th

 

Discovery Seminars

 
Discovery Seminars are small group courses that facilitate student-faculty contact, promote valuable intellectual discourse in a small group setting, and allow students to explore subjects outside of their majors without affecting their grade-point averages.

Enrollment Information:

  • Enroll directly on GOLD. Eligible Honors students can enroll directly on GOLD during an active pass time. Students may not request to bypass any restrictions outlined on GOLD for course enrollment.
  • Discovery Courses are listed on GOLD as follows:

                     First Year Discovery Seminars - INT 86AA-ZZ (single instructors)

                     First Year Discovery+ Seminars - INT 87AA-ZZ (two instructors)

                     Transfer Discovery Seminars - INT 186AA-ZZ (single instructor)

                     Transfer Discovery+ Seminars - 187AA-ZZ (two instructors)

  • Complete the course for a Letter Grade. A letter grade is required unless “Pass/No Pass” is the only available grading option for the course.
  • Earn a “B” or better. Students must earn a “B” or better unless taken for a “Pass/No Pass” grading option in which case a “P” is required to earn credit.
  • Each Honors Discovery Seminar will be counted as 1 Honors Experience.

Courses for "Automatic" Honors Experience Credit

List of Automatic Honors Courses (click here)

There are some courses that can be recognized as an Honors Experience. These include independent research or independent study work for which students receive academic credit. Also included are courses students complete to earn “Distinction” in a major.  Examples include, but are not limited to, senior thesis, independent study courses numbered 98, 99 AA-ZZ, 198, 199 AA-ZZ), and many others.

Enrollment Information: 

  1. Contact your Major Advisor for specific enrollment details.
  2. Complete the course for a Letter Grade. A letter grade is required unless “Pass/No Pass” is the only available grading option for the course.
  3. Earn a “B” or better. Students must earn a “B” or better unless taken for a “Pass/No Pass” grading option in which case a “P” is required to earn credit. At the beginning of the quarter, consult the professor regarding the grading option.

Transcript Information: "Course Honors" will not be designated on transcripts for Automatic Honors Courses, but they will count as honors experiences provided the grade earned is satisfactory.

UC Education Abroad Programs (UCEAP)

A UC Education Aboard Program or UCEAP term can count as a one, upper-division Honors Experience if the student meets the following criteria:

  1. Register for at least 12 letter graded units during one term through UCEAP.
  2. Earn a “B” or better in all courses.
  3. Receive a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Enrollment Information:

  • See the UC Santa Barbara UCEAP website for details.
  • Students may earn credit for Two Honors Experiences if they earn 24 letter graded units and meet the following criteria.
  • A student planning to study abroad for a full academic year, should meet with an Honors Advisor to determine how many Honors Experiences they will be likely to earn while abroad.
  • Individual courses taken during a UCEAP term cannot count as Honors Experiences.

The Capital Internship Program: UC Washington DC (UCDC), UC Center in Sacramento (UCCS)

Participating in the Capital Internship Program through UCDC or UCCS can count as one, upper-division Honors Experience if the student earns a “B” or better in the required research seminar.

Enrollment Information:

  • See the UCDC and UCCS websites for details.
  • Individual courses taken during a UCDC or UCCS term cannot count as an Honors Experiences.

UC Natural Reserve System (UCNRS) Programs

A term of UC Natural Reserve System (NRS) Field Studies can count as a one, upper-division Honors Experience. The California Ecology and Conservation (CEC) Program is a part of the Natural Reserve System Field Studies Program, which enables students from across the University of California to gain a deeper understanding of the natural world while visiting NRS reserves. The CEC program is an intensive program of study with a workload equivalent to four, on-campus courses. It is offered every Spring, Summer, and Fall quarter.

Enrollment Information:

  • See the UCNRS  website  for application deadlines.
  • Please notify Honors Program staff if you are enrolled in UCNRS.
  • Individual courses taken during UCNRS terms cannot count as Honors Experiences.

Transcript Information

The phrase “Course Honors” will appear on transcripts for all Honors Courses and Honors Contracts completed with a letter grade of “B” or higher.

Courses on the list of Courses Automatically Granted Honors Credit, Honors Seminars, Freshman Seminars, and UCEAP (etc.) will apply toward the completion of the Honors Program but “Course Honors” will not appear on transcripts.

For questions regarding a course "honors" designation on your transcript, please contact the program at honorsmail@ltsc.ucsb.edu.

Honors Courses and Seminars Archive

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