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The Honors College is committed to enriching the work of faculty and helping them to continue to grow as educators. We offer various forms of involvement and support for faculty.

Funding for Course Activities

Limited funding is available for special course activities. Faculty and staff may request funds by contact Dr. Zeb Baker (zeb.baker@MiamiOH.edu) for more information.

Serve on our Advisory Committees

• The Honors College Advisory Committee (HCAC) is a University Senate committee which approves all Honors-related curricular policies and co-curricular programs and courses.
• The National Fellowships Committee is a University-wide committee which oversees the on-campus support of Miami ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs competing for national fellowships and scholarships.
  • Please note: the Honors College is committed to assisting all ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs and alumni identify, plan for, and win national fellowships. For more information, please visit the National Fellowships and Awards website. Overviews of the fellowships and their descriptions can be found there.

Mentor an Honors Student's Honors with Distinction Project

During their final undergraduate years, Honors ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs can pursue Honors with Distinction, which can be earned through the proposal, development, and completion of a large-scale project (e.g., Honors thesis, senior recital) or an intensive pre-professional experience (e.g., ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ teaching, internship).

Honors with Distinction is optional for Honors ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs who joined the University Honors Program in Fall of 2020 or earlier. All ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs must have a faculty mentor for their Honors with Distinction projects to help ensure the quality and rigor of the project. Faculty can mentor ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs through the process of proposing, completing, and submitting their Honors with Distinction projects. 

If a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ joined the Honors College in Fall 2021 or later, they are required to complete the Honors Senior Project, which is similar to Honors with Distinction. More details about the Honors Senior Project can be found here.

Recommended steps for Honors with Distinction

• Step 1: Preparing to complete an Honors with Distinction Project
  • Student develops project idea and recruits faculty mentor
  • Student meets with Honors advisor to discuss project idea, proposal process, and (if necessary) suggested improvements
  • Student completes and submits the
  • A copy of proposal is sent to faculty mentor, who approves or denies the proposal
  • (If applicable, ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs may apply for Honors Grant Funding to help support their Honors with Distinction project)
• Step 2: Completing the project
  • Once faculty mentor approves the proposal, ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ begins the project
  • Student, working with the faculty mentor, completes their project
  • Students are encouraged to develop a presentation of their project (e.g., Undergraduate Research Forum, digital portfolio website)
• Step 3: Submitting the project
  • If the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ plans to finish the Honors with Distinction project prior to the semester they plan to graduate or within the first 6 weeks of the semester the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ plans to graduate, the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ will submit the completed project in the , including an uploaded copy of the final outcome or product of the project (e.g., thesis, recording of a performance, etc.) and a reflective narrative about what the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ learned from the project
  • A copy of this submission is sent to the faculty mentor, who approves or denies that the project was completed. The faculty mentor does not provide conditional approval of a draft, only final approval of the completed project.
    
    
    
  • If the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ plans to complete the Honors with Distinction project the semester they graduate, the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ will submit a recent draft of the project to the faculty mentor midway through the semester (in March for May graduates and in October for December graduates) for the faculty mentor to conditionally approve the project. The faculty mentor’s conditional approval indicates that the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ is on track to finish the project by the end of the semester and the work completed thus far is satisfactory. This conditional approval is for the commencement program notation timeline.
  • Once the project is complete, the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ submits the project through the , including an uploaded copy of the final outcome or product of the project (e.g., thesis, recording of a performance, etc.) and a reflective narrative about what the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ learned from the project
  • A copy of this submission is sent to faculty mentor, who approves or denies that the project was completed. This approval must be submitted no later than the day after grades are due for that term.
    
    

    Graduation term & project completion date:	When ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs should propose their project:	Student should send their mentors a draft for conditional approval:	Conditional approval granted by mentor for commencement notation:	Completed project submitted to Honors College:	Final approval from mentors:
    May/August 2023	Spring 2022-Fall 2022	By March 1, 2023	By March 31, 2023	By May 5, 2023	By May 17 2023
    December 2023/January 2024	Fall 2022-Spring 2023	By October 1, 2023	By October 31, 2023	By December 8, 2023	By December 20, 2023
    May/August 2024	Spring 2023-Fall 2023	By March 1, 2024	By March 31, 2024	By May 10, 2024	By May 22, 2024
    December 2024/January 2025	Fall 2023-Spring 2024	By October 1, 2024	By October 31, 2024	By December 6, 2023	By December 18, 2023
    May/August 2025	Spring 2024-Fall 2024	By March 1, 2025	By March 31, 2025	By May 9, 2025	By May 21, 2025

Mentor an Honors Student's Course Extension   

An Honors Course Extension gives Honors ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs who are passionate about the topic of study in a regularly-offered course an opportunity to engage in more rigorous inquiry and exploration into the course content. Course Extensions allow the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs to take initiative in the learning process by approaching the course’s instructor and working with them to develop additional coursework that seeks greater depth or breadth than the normal course requirements. As a mutual agreement between the instructor and the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ, the extension must result in a tangible end product that would not otherwise result from satisfying that course’s typical requirements.

A Course Extension should involve evidence that the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ has explored the course subject matter in greater depth than is required by the regularly-offered course. The additional project should require at least 15 hours of concentrated effort beyond what is expected of non-Honors ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs in this course. Course Extensions should result in a tangible end product such as an intensive and substantive paper, presentation, creative product, or another traditional or non-traditional artifact that demonstrates ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ learning. Projects that explore the course topic in an interdisciplinary or non-traditional manner are encouraged.

Role of the Course Instructor

The course instructor is critical to the success of the Course Extension. A ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ who wishes to earn a Course Extension for your course will contact you prior to, or early in, the semester to ask if you are willing to oversee a Course Extension for the class in which the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ is enrolled. No faculty member is obliged to participate in a Course Extension. In rare cases, the Honors College will decline a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s proposal to complete a Course Extension; in those cases, Honors College staff will contact you regarding the decision and the reason.

Most credit-bearing courses qualify for Course Extensions. Exceptions are UNV 101 courses and laboratory sections. A ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ may not complete a Course Extension for a course in which an Honors section is offered during that semester. Students must take a course for a grade in order to earn a Course Extension. (This requirement is waived during the Fall 2020 semester, consistent with the university's temporary change in restrictions on courses taken credit/no credit.)

Honors Course Extension Process

• It is the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s responsibility to initiate and complete the Course Extension process. The course instructor will be asked to verify their support of the project, as well as the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s completion of the Course Extension agreement.
• If an instructor agrees to supervise a Course Extension, the next step is to assist the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ in finding and developing a suitable project or projects. Honors College staff encourage ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs to approach instructors with ideas for their proposed Course Extension. Instructors may provide any level of guidance in project development, and are not expected to accept a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s plans or suggestions. Instructors have latitude to dictate the entire Course Extension, if they wish. Regardless of the instructor’s level of guidance, it is the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s responsibility to write and submit the proposal for the Course Extension.
• The deadline for ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ submissions of the Course Extension proposal is October 15th during the fall semester and March 15th during the spring semester. Students pursuing course extensions during a summer or winter term, or in a sprint course, should consult their Honors advisor about appropriate deadlines.
• When a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ submits a Course Extension proposal, an email is automatically sent to the course instructor containing a link to the Course Extension approval form. The ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s Course Extension cannot be approved by Honors College staff until the course instructor approves the proposal. The Honors College staff will review each proposal and let ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs know if the proposal is approved and/or additional work is needed. The ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ remains enrolled in the regularly-offered Miami course and is expected to participate in all course meetings, activities, and assignments, unless otherwise outlined in the Course Extension proposal.
• In rare cases, Honors College staff will decline a Course Extension proposal; in those cases, we will contact you regarding the decision and reason.
• The ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ is responsible for conferring with the course instructor regularly throughout the semester. As the instructor, you have the right to reject the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s Course Extension project(s) if a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ does not maintain the expected level of communication.
• Projects are due to the Honors College no later than 5pm on the final Friday of regular instruction of the term. Projects may be submitted to the course instructor and the Honors College at the same time. As with the proposal, the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s final work is subject to approval of the course instructor, and no Honors Course Extension credit will be granted until the instructor verifies satisfactory completion of the Course Extension project(s). The instructor assigns the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s grade for the course.

Course Extension Evaluation 

• The course instructor sets the standards for the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s work, and should make those standards clear to the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ at the time of the Course Extension proposal. If you, as the course instructor, deem the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s work unsatisfactory, the Honors College will not override that decision and will not grant credit for the Course Extension.
• Course Extension credit will be denied to ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs if:
  • The ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ earns a grade lower than a B in the course, or the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ takes the class credit/no credit. 
  • Students do not meet submission deadlines.
  • A ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ takes a grade of “Incomplete” in the course. Students must complete the course within the regular time frame of that academic term.
  • Students with extenuating circumstances are strongly encouraged to contact their Honors advisor to discuss their options.
• The Course Extension should be evaluated separately from regular coursework and should not be incorporated into the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s final grade for the regularly-offered Miami course.
• All rules about academic integrity remain in effect for Course Extension work.
• The ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ is responsible for all submissions and deadlines. The instructor is expected to approve or deny ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ proposals and submissions in a timely manner.

Additional Details

• Honors Course Extensions do not generate any additional credit hours for ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs, nor do they affect a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ’s grade point average.
• Course Extensions cannot be granted retroactively.
• Course Extensions will not be granted if a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ takes an “Incomplete” in the credit-bearing course, if the ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ takes the class for credit/no credit (except in the terms where the university has granted pandemic-related exceptions to its credit/no credit policy), or if a ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ earns a grade lower than a B in the credit-bearing course, as determined by the course instructor.