Honors College Spring 2024 Advising Information
Early Registration Approval Information
- Being awarded early honors registration is not automatic. All approvals must be finalized by February 16, 2024.
- Please read the information below in the "Video Options" box on what is required for early registration approval with the Honors College.
- Students already enrolled in thesis classes (UH 4900 or UH 4950) do not need to attend any workshops. You will be given early registration approval. Please contact Emilee, Judy or Laura if you have questions regarding your thesis or remaining honors requirements.
- Approved students can begin registering Monday, April 1st at 10:00 a.m. (60+ earned hours) or 11:00 a.m. (less than 60 earned hours) for Summer and/or Fall classes.
Video Options
In order to be reviewed for early registration approval you need to watch one of the videos linked below and complete the form by 2/16/2024. Students who fail to watch a video and complete the form by that deadline will not be reviewed, or approved, for early registration with Honors. Multiple reminder emails will be sent prior to the deadline to students who may qualifiy. Please contact your honors advisor if you have questions or concerns regarding the video requirement.
At the end of the video a link will appear on screen that provides access to the online early registration approval form. You must watch one video AND fill out the form. If you have any issues watching the video or accessing the link please email Judy.Albakry@mtsu.edu.
General Honors Advising Information
or
The honors advisor can also individually meet with you but watch the video first as it is required for early registration approval. If you have further questions, schedule an appointment with your honors advisor.
Other Videos (not required but recommended if you have not previously attended a Thesis Workshop or need additional information):
New Honors Student Information
New Transfer Student Information
Library & University Resources
Using the Research Guides at JWL
Other Important Information:
Honors Graduation Requirements (full UH minor):
23 hours (starting Summer 2024)
15 hours any level Honors coursework, which can include any of the following options:
- 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
- 1-hr Collage (UH 3001) can be taken up to 3 times if needed
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)
*A maximum of two honors contracts, nine study abroad credits, and six internship/research hours may be counted towards your honors requirements; they can be used for the first or second section or split between the two requirements. Please review the use of these hours with your honors advisor. All study abroad, internship, and research credits must be approved. See those sections below for further details.
Honors Associate Requirements (UHA minor): 11 hours
The Honors Associate Minor requires 11 hours of upper-division honors coursework as listed below. This minor is available to transfer students or continuing students who want to complete the Honors thesis but do not have enough honors hours to complete the additional 15 hours required in the full minor.
11 hours upper-division Honors coursework, which is broken down to the specific courses below:
- 3 hours of any level Honors course, an approved Honors Contract, approved study abroad, approved internship, or approved research hours*.
- 3 hours of Interdisciplinary Seminar. Fulfilled by taking UH 3500, UH 3900 (Transfer Fellows only), or UH 4010 (Institute of Leadership Excellence); or an approved study abroad, internship, or research course. Contracts may also be considered under special circumstances.*
- 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)
*A maximum of two honors contracts, six study abroad credits, and/or six internship/research hours may be counted towards your honors requirements. Please review the use of these hours with your honors advisor. All study abroad, internship, or research credits must be approved. See those sections below for further details.
Honors Contracts
Typically, sophomores, juniors, and seniors complete honors contracts to complete their remaining outstanding Honors requirements. Freshmen should check with their Honors advisor first to see if they need a contract for the current semester.
The Honors contract form is located on the forms site and is now an online form. It is due September 30th for Fall Semesters and February 15th for Spring Semesters.
- Students need to work out an agreement with an individual professor to complete extra work that will enhance their learning.
- Students can receive honors credit for a non-honors upper-division course (3000 and 4000 level) or a 2000 level class that is NEVER offered by the Honors College. Please check with an honors advisor first to see if the class qualifies.
- Students must include a description of the honors component to the form and the professor must sign the form.
Use of Internship or Research Hours towards Honors Requirements
You may use approved Internship or Research hours towards Honors Graduation (or the Honors Associate) requirements. Students must request approval for these hours by filling out an online form which is available on the forms site as an online form.
Internships or Research opportunities must count for college credit and show on your official MTSU transcript in order to substitute for honors graduation requirements. You must first arrange the internship/research with your major or minor department and then submit our form for our approval. Once final grades have been submitted for the course, the credits will be evaluated by your honors advisor to determine where best to use these hours towards the honors minor. Approved internship and research credits may also substitute for the Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar requirement. A maximum of six (6) hours will substitute for honors graduation requirements.
Institute of Leadership Excellence
We encourage Honors students to consider enrolling in the Institute of Leadership Excellence (UH 4010). This course can be substituted for Interdisciplinary Seminar or used towards other honors requirements
- Learn more here: https://www.mtsu.edu/ile/
- Promotes leadership development, personal growth and skill development
- Limited enrollment—must be nominated and apply
- Meets one week in May (beginning of summer semester). Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.—6 p.m. each day
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Regular summer tuition for 3 credit hours (they provide breakfast and lunch)
Honors Minors
Students who intend to graduate from the Honors College, or to complete an Honors Associate (which requires the upper-division honors requirements including thesis), will declare an Honors Minor.
- Two options: Full Honors Requirements (23 hours) or Honors Associate (15 hours*). In order to graduate from the Honors College, you must fulfill the requirements for the Full Honors Minor (23 hours). The Honors Associate Minor is meant for students who transfer without previous honors courses or those who join the Honors College later in their undergraduate career and cannot complete the additional 12 hours needed for the full honors minor. Please note that students who complete the Honors Associate will not have the “Graduated from the University Honors College” designation on their diploma or transcript, nor will they be eligible for Honors Cords for graduation regalia.
- You are allowed to declare multiple minors but starting in Summer 2024 you may face issues with financial aid due to "Course Program of Study" (CPoS) restrictions. An Honors Minor cannot replace a required minor for your major. You may need additional coursework if you are approved to use the Honors Minor as your only minor, contact your major advisor to discuss these issues.
- All courses within the Honors Minors CAN double count as other degree requirements. Since honors courses can double count, you should only need to add on 5 unique hours to your overall degree requirements in order to complete either of the minors’ requirements. These 5 hours may still fulfill general elective hours if you have room in your remaining degree requirements.
- Students will be asked to complete an online form to declare an honors minor once they enroll in upper division UH courses such as UH 3000, UH 3500, UH 4010, UH 4900, or UH 4950. There is no need to declare the minor prior to enrollment in these classes.
Contact your honors advisor for further questions regarding the honors minor.
*The Honors Associate minor officially requires 15 hours but 4 hours can be from non-honors courses, which means we will "double dip" on coursework you're using for other requirements. You still must fulfull 11 hours of honors requirements as listed above.
How to Sign-Up for Thesis
In order to register for UH 4900, you must complete the UH 4900 “Thesis Tutorial” form that requires a tentative topic and the signature of a faculty thesis director whom the student has selected. The UH 4900 form is on the forms site and is now an online form. It is titled “Thesis Tutorial”.
It is also recommended that you do the following:
- Read the thesis guide.
- Meet with your honors advisor to make sure that you will fulfill all honors requirements before you graduate or to complete the Honors Associate requirements. See further information about the Honors Minors above.
- Thesis Preparation Timeline (Fall prep for Spring enrollment).
- View completed theses for examples on what to expect.
Honors One-Year Scholarships
The Honors College scholarship applications will be available for Honors opportunities until February 1st. You must be considered as “on-track” and receive early registration approval each semester from the Honors College in order to be considered for Honors Scholarships. Please visit our scholarship site for additional information and instructions.
Other Opportunities to Get Involved
Honors Ambassadors
You will be emailed throughout the year about various student activities and events that are sponsored by the MTSU Honors Ambassadors. The Honors College Ambassador Program is a leadership opportunity for students who are dedicated to serving and representing the University Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University. Students Ambassadors serve as representatives of the Honors College at a variety of events involving prospective students and families, alumni, current students and families, faculty, staff, and university administrators. Please visit their site for more information regarding the Honors Ambassador program.
Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society
OΔK is the only national college honor society to recognize and honor meritorious leadership and service in extracurricular activities and to encourage development of general campus citizenship. Students must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA and should contact their honors advisor for more information.
Collage
Collage: A Journal of Creative Expression is run by a student editor and an editorial board composed exclusively of students. The journal serves both as an outlet for the creative works of MTSU students and as a laboratory for those interested in publication and arts criticism. Students can also take Collage as a 1-credit hour honors class. For more information, go to: http://www.mtsu.edu/collage/ or contact collage@mtsu.edu.
Scientia et Humanitas
Scientia et Humanitas is MTSU's research journal showcasing the best in undergraduate and graduate scholarship. Sponsored by the University Honors College, the purpose of the journal is to disseminate important research conducted by MTSU's student body and provide an opportunity for students to participate in the publication of that research, while promoting interdepartmental faculty and student collaboration. By spotlighting the accomplishments of students, the journal also serves as a potent public relations tool both on and off campus. Contact scientia@mtsu.edu for more information.
Honors Certificate
Honors Certificate Request - (submit online, use Pipeline username and password to log into form)
