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Honors Project Process

Honors Credits at GHC come from Honors Projects or Honors Courses

The Honors option allows students to earn Honors Credit in a course not specifically designated as an “Honors” course by completing an optional Honors Project in addition to regular required coursework. An Honors option contract is a project that an Honors student pursues in a addition to the regular requirements of a traditional class. We may be offering full Honors Courses in the near future.

How do I get from “I’m curious about Honors” to earning Honors Credits?

  1. CURIOUS? You hear about Honors somewhere and you come check out this site. Read through the various pages and resources. Email your questions to the Honors Director (honors@higlands.edu ).
  2. APPLY. You apply to the program and we review whether you meet the admission requirements. See the Honors Home Page or posters around campus for the current semester program application deadline.
  3. ACCEPTED. Once accepted into the Honors Program, you can pursue as many Honors Credits as you like in individual courses.
  4. CHOOSE. You identify an instructor or course you want to convert from regular to Honors Credit. Maybe you focus on the instructor. Who you think you might like to Mentor you on a project? Do you respect them? Do you like talking to them? Do you think they are helpful? Alternatively, you could use the course to guide your choice. Which courses are very important to you? Which courses are you most interested in or passionate about? Which general education required courses do you need to add something to in order for you to find a part of it you can be passionate about?
  5. APPROACH. Once you identify an instructor/course, approach that person and discuss the possibility with you. Remember that instructors may be very busy and choose not to take on an Honors student for the semester! Don’t wait to approach your instructors.
  6. DISCUSS. If an instructor agrees to mentor a project for you, the two of you work together on an Honors Project idea that will investigate some aspect of the content in a deeper, more analytical, and more investigative way than would be possible in the regular course. You’ll design a project proposal with a focus you are both interested in (related to the course content) and a format you both can work with (essay, presentation, experiment, etc. See the Project Examples page for more ideas).
  7. CONTRACT. The student and instructor agree on, sign, and electronically submit an Honors Contract (PDF) or Honors Contract (Word) to the Honors Director (email submission preferred). See the Honors Home Page or posters around campus for the current semester contract deadlines.
  8. PROJECT. Throughout the remainder of the semester, you complete the project, meeting the details laid out in the Honors Contract, and meeting with your Mentor in-person or by video-chat several times to discuss your progress.
  9. REPORT. You complete and submit your project to your instructor once it meets the conditions of your Honors Contract. If your instructor approves, they complete a Final Report (PDF) or Final Report (Word) on the project and you or the instructor submit the completed project, along with the Final Report, to the Honors Director (honors@highlands.edu, email submission preferred). See the Honors Home Page or posters around campus for the current semester final project deadlines, typically at the start of the Final Exam period.
  10. REVIEW. The Honors Director (HD), with assistance from the Honors Advisory Council (HAC) as needed, reviews the project for academic rigor and determines whether Honors Credit has been earned or whether revisions/further work are necessary.
  11. REGISTRAR. Provided that the project meets the Contract requirements and is approved by the HD/HAC, the student is recommended for Honors Credit in the course. The instructor submits the grade the student earned on regular coursework to the registrar’s office. Provided that the grade on regular coursework is a ‘B’ or an ‘A,’ the grade will be adjusted to an Honors grade (‘HB’ or ‘HA’) on the transcript. A grade of ‘C’ or lower in a course, even with a completed Honors Project, will only earn the grade earned on regular coursework and not Honors Credit.

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GHC Procedure AA903 provides detailed information on how these Honors credits work. For the most up to date rules governing the Honors Program at GHC, see the Policy and Procedure Manual online.