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Upperclassmen who qualify as candidates for Departmental Honors must perform outstanding scholarly work appropriate to the academic standards of the student’s major in the form of a six-credit Departmental Honors project. A student who fulfills requirements for Departmental Honors will be acknowledged as having done so upon graduation.
A student who previously has not participated in the honors program may qualify as a candidate for Departmental Honors based on the student’s grade-point average. Students with at least 74 semester hours credit who have a grade point average of 3.20 or better on all college work attempted, who have completed at least 30 semester hours of work with a 3.20 or better grade point average at UNCW, and who are recommended by the major department chair (or dean where appropriate) are eligible to enroll in coursework with a 499 designation which indicates the senior project in that discipline. Academic departments may require a higher grade point average for eligibility for Departmental Honors in their discipline.
Departments in each discipline determine appropriate preparatory academic experiences for Departmental Honors in that field. Some examples of ways to prepare for a Departmental Honors Project might include one or more of the following:
- Directed Individual Study (DIS) courses which lay the groundwork for more advanced projects;
- Departmental or interdisciplinary seminars and/or internships which encourage independent work in a variety of ways such as performance, research, service;
- Study Abroad; or
- Honors components of regular department courses: “Honors Contract” courses at the 300 or 400 level in which an honors student and his or her instructor enter into a contract, which stipulates enhanced academic responsibilities for the student, such as presentations or papers.
The Departmental Honors project culminates in independent study under the supervision of a faculty member in the student’s major field. This independent study must be completed in two three-credit hour semesters or three two-credit hour semesters. The results of the honors work are summarized in a paper and presented orally before an examining committee.
If a student must withdraw from the Departmental Honors Project (499), the faculty supervisor must notify the director of the Honors College as soon as possible and indicate the reason for the withdrawal. In consultation with the honors director, the faculty supervisor may recommend that the student receive partial credit (0-3 hours total) for the honors work completed in the form of Directed Individual Study (491).
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