Honors Contract
An Honors Contract refers to a course not listed as Honors that is allowed to count for Honors credit. Students may use upper-division (3000 and 4000 level) courses in their major or minor fields of study as Honors Contracts. In addition, a lower-division (2000 level) course that is never included in our offerings may also qualify. In order to add an Honors Contract to a course, the student and course instructor must agree upon unique course requirements or projects that justify Honors credit. The contract is an agreement between the student and instructor concerning the work necessary to justify Honors credit for a non-Honors course. Students can only apply a maximum of two honors contracts toward the Honors College minor requirements.
Students may request Honors Contract approval by following the guidelines given below.
- The student must co-write the Honors Contract with the instructor of the course to provide for an enriched or accelerated experience.
- The student must submit the online Honors Contract application (electronically signed by the instructor), and the specifics of the Honors Contract work to the Honors College for approval.
- The deadline submission dates are September 30th for Fall courses and February 15th for Spring courses. Contracts in summer courses are not recommended due to the accelerated nature of the class but students may check with their honors advisor for the summer due date if needed.
- Students will be notified via email if their Honors Contract request has been approved by the Dean.
The Honors Contract must explicitly state the work the student will undertake to earn the Honors designation. That work should be more rigorous than and/or go above and beyond what is expected of the other students in the course. For instance:
Students may undertake an additional, or more demanding research project; give a special presentation to the class; participate in a workshop; expand a paper for presentation or submission at a conference; work as a research assistant; be involved in an internship; conduct field work; create/exhibit exceptional artwork; or give a performance or concert.
The contract should also state specifically how the work proposed by the Contract is different from the requirements of the other students in the course. For example:
Katie will write a research paper. WILL NOT MERIT APPROVAL
Katie will write a longer research paper. WILL NOT MERIT APPROVAL
Katie will complete additional projects to be decided upon as the course progresses. WILL NOT MERIT APPROVAL
The correct way to address the Honors Contract should be similar to, or as detailed as:
For Honors credit, Katie will write a 5-page research paper on a theory of ethics not covered in this class. This extra writing assignment will require Katie to use at least two other outside resources and to apply in-depth research methods and critical thinking.
At the end of the semester, the Honors College will email the instructor to confirm that the student has completed the Honors component of this course. The Honors College will then notify the Records Office to assign the Honors designation on the student's transcript after final grades are posted. Questions regarding the contract should be sent to uhc@mtsu.edu.
The online Honors Contract application form can be accessed through the link below. The student will need to start the form and then it is routed to the instructor for his or her approval before it comes to the Honors College for review and approval.
