Students must earn an “A” or “B” in a course for it to count as Honors credit. To remain active in the program, students must take at least one Honors course every academic year.
General Education
General education Honors courses are designated sections of general education courses that fulfill the University of Montevallo’s general education requirements. These courses vary by semester, but have previously included:
History of World Civilizations for Honors I & II (HIST 103 & HIST 104)
Honors Composition I & II (ENG 103 & ENG 104)
Honors Global Literature (ENG 233 & ENG 234)
Honors Foundations of Oral Communication (COMS 102)
Honors Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 111)
Honors Ethics (PHIL 221)
Honors Introductory Sociology (SOC 102)
Honors Nature of Mathematics (MATH 155)
Honors Introductory Biology (BIO107)
Invitation to Listening for Honors (MUS 122)
Honors Introduction to Theatre (THEA 122)
Honors Introductory Spanish I & II (SPN 103 & SPN 104)
Honors Introductory French I & II (FRN 103 & FRN 104)
Specialized Honors Courses
Every semester, Honors students also have the opportunity to take a variety of specialized classes. These courses include:
HNRS 308, a one-credit hour colloquium course that follows the Special Topics model of course design and that is generally open only to Honors students. Topics change every semester and this course may be taken more than once.
HNRS 309 and 409, three-credit hour seminars that follows the Special Topics model of course design and is generally cross-listed. Topics change every semester and this course may be taken more than once.
Honors Thesis (HNRS 490)
The mission of our Honors thesis is to provide a course for credit (HNRS 490) that allows Honors students to delve into a subject matter of their choosing in order to enhance their academic experience. The Honors thesis can be a traditional essay or it can be a creative project, such as an art installation with a critical explanation. It can be an extension of your major capstone class or it can be a standalone experience. It can be a way to produce a writing sample for graduate school on a topic of your choice or a way to combine your major and minor in an interesting project. Options abound. HNRS 490 may be taken as 0, 1, or 3 credit hours, and may be paired with Undergraduate Research. Completing HNRS 490 would fulfill your required course component toward the Honors Diploma in place of HNRS 400, though you may also take HNRS 400.
Apply here for the Honors thesis.
Undergraduate Research
You are encouraged to combine an Honors thesis with Undergraduate Research. To do so, set-up an appointment to come talk to Dr. Martin regarding this option and then select HNRS 490 as the UR course. If you are combining your Honors thesis with UR then you must register for 3 credit hours in HNRS 490 when you submit your UR application. UR homepage.
Major Capstone
You may combine HNRS 490 with a major capstone class, but this will require your instructor’s permission. When you combine the Honors thesis with a capstone class the general expectation is that you will go one step above and beyond what everyone else in the course is completing. For example, if everyone else has to complete an essay, an option to turn this into an Honors thesis would be for you to then submit (and present if accepted) your essay at a conference. This would be going one step above. You will work with your major capstone professor to determine what is appropriate. If you are combining your Honors thesis with a capstone course then it is possible to register for 0 credit hours in HNRS 490.
How to schedule HNRS 490
For an Honors thesis you will need to identify a faculty mentor willing to work with you. You need to approach this faculty as soon as possible since you will complete the thesis proposal before you register for classes for the next semester. After you submit the proposal and it is approved, you will then register for HRNS 490 when you register for classes with the CRN provided by Dr. Martin. The course will not be visible to all students since you are the only participant.
Thesis Proposal
After you find a faculty mentor willing to work with you, you will need to fill out the thesis proposal. Apply here.
The proposal asks for the following information:
- General name and contact information
- Student identification details
- Proposed Thesis title
- Faculty Mentor Name
- Thesis credit hours (0,1, or 3)
- Semester you plan to complete the thesis
- If this thesis is combined with a major capstone or UR
- Proposed Thesis description
- Proposed Thesis form (essay, performance, etc).
Contact
If you even think the thesis is a possibility, please set-up an appointment with Dr. Martin so that we can talk through the options and find what will work best for you.