Dean: Karl M. Petruso, Ph.D.
108 College Hall · Box 19222 · 817-272-7215 ·
www.uta.edu/honors · honors@uta.edu
Message from
Dean Karl Petruso, Ph.D.
The Honors College at UT Arlington is a special community of faculty and student scholars within the larger university community. The College stresses academics, research, service and individual development; our mission is to lead students to academic and professional success as well as personal fulfillment. We enroll undergraduates who seek an enriched academic experience. If you are up to the challenge, I invite you to consider applying for membership.
The Honors curriculum is intellectually rigorous. Honors degrees are completed through the College in conjunction with undergraduate degree programs in the other colleges and schools (students in all majors are eligible to participate). Our degree programs integrate knowledge and perspectives from a wide range of disciplines. Honors professors encourage students to think critically, broadly and creatively in courses that stress writing and discussion. The Honors curriculum complements and advances the goals of the academic disciplines in which our students major. Learning takes place mostly in small classes led by research-active faculty who teach using a wide variety of instructional modes and methods (including seminars and colloquia beginning in the freshman year). The College sponsors an exceptional study-abroad program each summer that exposes students to global perspectives through extensive travel and a pair of integrated upper-level courses.
A requirement for the Honors degree is a research or creative activity project in the student's major discipline leading to completion of a senior thesis. This project can serve as a calling card for you after graduation and can provide an advantage in admissions decisions for graduate or professional school and in employment.
I encourage you to peruse the admissions page on the Honors website or contact the Honors advising staff at 817.272.5319 for further information. Join us.
Honors Vision Statement
The Honors College is committed to
extending opportunities for achievement in undergraduate
education to the best students across the University. The College
works toward this goal by promoting a supportive and academically
and culturally diverse environment in which students can pursue
excellence in research, creative work, community service, and
personal and professional development. By creating a center for
academic excellence, the Honors College not only fosters the
development of the next generation of academic and community
leaders, but also advances the University's broader mission of
improving the level of education for all students.
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Honors Affiliations
The UT Arlington Honors College, one of
only seven in Texas, is a member of the National Collegiate
Honors Council and the regional Great Plains Honors
Council.
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Standards for Admission
The Honors College is dedicated to
creating a student body with broad interests, varied talents, and
diverse cultural backgrounds. Admission is competitive.
Entering first-year Honors
applicants (those with fewer than 30 college
hours) must have either a score of 1200 on the
SAT (combined Critical Reading and
Math) or a score of 27 on the ACT, or have graduated in the top ten percent of their high
school class. Continuing UT Arlington and
transfer Honors applicants (those with
more than 30 college hours) must have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.35. All applicants are required
also to submit a résumé and statement of purpose, both of which
are reviewed in conjunction with quantitative metrics for
admissions decisions. For additional information and applications
materials, see the Honors College website: https://www.uta.edu/honors/secure/applications/.
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Requirements for Completing an Honors Degree
Honors degrees are granted in the
disciplines of the University's eight undergraduate schools and
colleges--Architecture, Business, Education, Engineering, Liberal
Arts, Nursing, Science, and Social Work--as well as
Interdisciplinary Studies. To graduate with an Honors degree, a
student must be a member of the Honors College in good standing,
have an overall GPA of 3.2 or
higher, and complete the degree requirements in a disciplinary
major.
The Honors degree requires 24 hours,
and the curriculum has two complementary components: coursework
and the Senior Project. Depending on their program, all students
take either 18 or 21 hours of Honors-designated or contract
courses, which are intended to augment the undergraduate
classroom experience even while fulfilling requirements in
general education or an academic major. Then, working in
conjunction with a departmental mentor drawn from the full-time
faculty and an Honors College advisor, each student proposes and
completes a Senior Project. The Senior Project is intended to
encourage learning beyond the traditional undergraduate
classroom--intellectually, professionally, and/or
geographically--and the range of projects is designed to make the
Honors curriculum flexible enough to be adapted to each student's
academic, career, and personal goals. Although a culminating
requirement for the Honors degree, the Senior Project is intended
to be less a final experience than a point of departure in a
student's lifelong journey toward intellectual accomplishment,
citizenship, and personal fulfillment.
Honors Coursework
Honors courses satisfy Honors,
departmental, college, and University requirements. The Honors
College provides departmental advisors with
equivalency/substitution information. The University's oral
competency requirement is fulfilled by presenting the Senior
Project at a faculty-reviewed symposium.
Honors students may earn Honors credit
for non-Honors courses taught by full-time faculty, subject to the
terms of the Honors Course Contract. To receive Honors credit, the
student must complete regular course requirements with a grade of A
or B, as well as an independent Honors assignment as agreed upon by
the instructor and the student.
Senior Project Options
Each major has up to five options for
an Honors Senior Project:
- Six hours of graduate coursework,
with a grade of B or better
- Thesis or creative project
- Semester of study abroad
- Service learning
- Internship
The Honors College works closely with
undergraduate programs across campus to determine which senior
projects are best for their majors, and not all options will be
permitted by all academic units. Students interested in Honors
are therefore encouraged to contact an Honors advisor about rules
for the Senior Project in their particular field of study.
All five options require an approved
proposal, a substantial written product, and an oral
presentation. Students who opt to use six hours of graduate
coursework for the Senior Project need only 18 hours of
Honors-designated or contract coursework to meet the coursework
requirement; students who pursue one of the other options for the
Senior Project need 21 hours of Honors-designated or contract
coursework to meet the coursework requirement.
The flexibility of the Honors
requirements makes it essential that students maintain close
contact with both their departmental mentor and the Honors
advising staff. Students must meet with an Honors advisor during
their first semester in the College and again after 60 hours to
complete a degree plan, and they are strongly encouraged to
continue meeting with the advising staff on a regular basis,
preferably once per semester.
Probation Policy
Honors students whose cumulative GPA
falls below 3.2 will be placed on probation. They must meet as
soon as possible with an Honors advisor and are required to raise
their GPA back to 3.2 or higher in the
following semester.
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Privileges for Honors Students
The Honors College provides a wealth of
tangible and intangible benefits to its students:
- Honors Degree designation on diploma and transcript
- Special recognition at graduation
- Priority in course registration
- Small class size
- Courses taught by award-winning faculty
- Honors scholarship opportunities
- Honors study abroad programs and scholarships
- Paid undergraduate research assistantship opportunities
- Honors internships
- Community service learning
opportunities
- Special privileges with the
University libraries
- Honors listserv and newsletter
- Special Honors academic and social events
- Fast-track admission to UT Arlington graduate programs
- Honors Bridge to Graduate School Fellowship opportunities
- Membership in the Honors College Council
- Use of the Carolyn A. Barros Reading Room (library and
computer laboratory)
- Graduate and professional school advising
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Honors College Programs and Services
Honors Study Abroad Program
The Honors College Study Abroad Program
offers short-term opportunities for students to acquire new
knowledge and understanding of the people, events, movements,
ideas, and products of cultures other than their own; to link
historical events and developments with those of the twenty-first
century; and to understand the contributions of other peoples and
regions to American institutions and culture. Rigorous
instruction and intensive on-site learning in countries as
diverse as Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Ghana, the Czech Republic,
Greece, England, and Costa Rica are hallmarks of the Honors study
abroad experience. Scholarships are available from both the
Honors College and the Office of International Studies
(www.uta.edu/oie/studyabroad/). (Note: the Honors College
Study Abroad Program typically involves short-term travel and as
such cannot be used for the study abroad option for the Senior
Project, although credits from the program may be used to meet
the coursework requirement for the Honors degree.)
The AP* Summer Institute (APSI)
The Honors College at UT Arlington, in
conjunction with the College Board, annually presents the AP
Summer Institute. Each year more than 600 new and experienced
middle and high school teachers receive invaluable training from
College Board-certified AP and Pre-AP instructors to prepare them
to teach AP courses. Courses are offered in Art, English,
Science, Language, Mathematics, and Social Studies.
*College Board, AP, and the Advanced
Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College
Entrance Examination Board, and are used here with
permission.
Honors Academy
The UT Arlington Honors College
provides a program of study for motivated high school students
who enroll in university courses to earn college or dual credit.
Honors Academy students can earn up to eight hours of course
credit per semester towards a college degree while also meeting
high school graduation requirements. UT Arlington offers
qualified high school students an outstanding learning experience
that will provide the foundation for a successful transition from
high school to university-level work.
Requirements
Each participant must be a high school
junior or senior and meet the following requirements:
|
Class
Rank |
PSAT/SAT Score |
| Top Quarter |
No Minimum
|
| Second Quarter or Below |
105 PSAT or 1050 SAT* |
*PSAT or SAT scores are calculated by
combining the Critical Reading and Math scores.
All students must satisfy Texas Success
Initiative (TSI) requirements by:
- Passing THEA or an equivalent exam,
or
- Meeting TSI minimum scores for the
SAT, ACT, or TAKS
Admission
Students must submit the following
forms for admission:
- Application for admission and a $35
application fee
- Official high school transcript
indicating junior or senior standing
- Official SAT-I, PSAT, or ACT
scores
- Completed Early Admissions Program
agreement signed by the high school principal, the student, and
the student's parent or legal guardian
Honors Academy
Scholarships
To
earn an Honors Academy Scholarship, a student must be admitted to
UT Arlington as a dual credit/early admissions student
and have scored at
least 120* on the PSAT or 1200* on the SAT, or be in the top ten percent of his or
her high school class.
*PSAT or SAT scores are calculated by
combining the Critical Reading and Math scores.
Academy students who complete at least
six hours at UT Arlington with a GPA of 3.0 or above are awarded a
$1500 scholarship to be used when they enroll as full-time UT
Arlington students. The Honors Academy Scholarship is renewable for
up to four years, as long as the student maintains a GPA of 3.0 or
higher.
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Honors Scholarships and Assistantships
The Honors College, in conjunction with
the UT Arlington Scholarship Office, annually awards numerous
Honors Scholarships, many of them renewable for up to three
additional years for students who remain in good standing in the
College. Applications are available in the Honors College Office
and on the Honors College website. Information on departmental
and organizational scholarships and financial aid is available in
the Scholarship and Financial Aid Office, 252 Davis Hall.
Honors Distinction Scholarships
The Honors Distinction Scholarship is the
most generous award offered to undergraduate students at UT
Arlington, providing $20,000 per year for up to four consecutive
years for education-related expenses. It is merit-based and highly
competitive. To be eligible, applicants must have a minimum score
of 1300 on the SAT (combined Critical Reading and Math) or ACT
composite score of 30, and acceptance to UT Arlington and the UT
Arlington Honors College. Students who receive the award, which may
not be stacked with any other UT Arlington scholarship, must
satisfy the following requirements in order to maintain support:
achieve an overall GPA of 3.35 (on a 4.0 scale) by the end of their
first year and an overall 3.5 GPA thereafter through gradutation;
complete at least 30 credit hours per year; reside in UT Arlington
housing for at least their first and second years; and make
satisfactory progress each year toward the 24 credit hours of
coursework stipulated for the Honors degree.
Honors Bridge to Graduate School Fellowships
The Honors College offers competitive
scholarships for Honors College graduates or degree candidates
seeking enrollment in UT Arlington's graduate programs. In
addition, Honors students may be eligible for advanced admission
and, depending on the graduate program, exemption from the
GRE. Honors seniors are encouraged
to consult the graduate advisors of their prospective departments
and the Honors College for further information. (Note: this
fellowship is not available to students enrolled in five-year or
six-year combined programs.)
Honors Undergraduate Research Assistantships
The Honors Undergraduate Assistantship
Program, in concert with UT Arlington's other schools and
colleges, places students in paid research assistantships in
their disciplines. Honors Research Assistantships are awarded on
a competitive basis, and successful applicants must enroll in
three credit hours of research or independent study while holding
the assistantship. Information and applications are available in
the Honors College Office.
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Course Descriptions
View Course Descriptions for:
Honors
(HONR)
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