Current Student Information
This page includes links to useful information for students currently enrolled in the UTRGV Honors College.
Forms
Honors-by-contract student form (due by 7 September for Fall 2018 semester)
Graduation form (students graduating Fall 2018 must turn in this form to the Honors College office by 21 September)
Students in the UTRGV Honors College follow our basic honors curriculum, the Rafael and Carmen Guerra Honors Program, which includes specialized tracks for pre-medical and pre-law students, and for students in the College of Business and Entrepreneurship.
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Requirements for graduating with honors (for students entering before Fall 2016)
To fulfill Honors College requirements and graduate with honors, students may choose to follow one of three different coursework tracks during their time in the program. The Honors College strives to allow students to move through the program by taking as few courses outside their major degree plans as possible. Honors courses are specifically designed to provide Honors students with opportunities to fulfill university core requirements within the Honors College. Finally, Honors College graduates must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and must successfully complete all requirements of their chosen track.
Students who graduate as Honors Scholars will have this designation recorded on their transcripts. They will also have the distinction of wearing an Honors Medallion at graduation.
Track 1: Honors (21 hours)
HONR 2387 Humanities I (3 hours)
HONR 2388 Humanities II (3 hours)
HONR 3380 Honors Practicum (3 hours)
Three upper-division Honors or Honors-by-Contract (9 hours)
One additional Honors elective (3 hours)Track 2: Honors with Distinction (25 hours)
HONR 2387 Humanities I (3 hours)
HONR 2388 Humanities II (3 hours)
HONR 3380 Honors Practicum (3 hours)
HONR 3187 Honors Seminar – Problems in Independent Study (1 hour)
HONR 3387 Honors Seminar – Independent Studies (3 hours)
HONR 4387 Honors Seminar – Independent Studies (3 hours)
Three upper-division Honors or Honors-by-Contract (9 hours)Track 3: Honors with Highest Distinction (28 hours)
HONR 2387 Humanities I (3 hours)
HONR 2388 Humanities II (3 hours)
HONR 3380 Honors Practicum (3 hours)
HONR 3187 Honors Seminar – Problems in Independent Study (1 hour)
HONR 3387 Honors Seminar – Independent Studies (3 hours)
HONR 4387 Honors Seminar – Independent Studies (3 hours)
Three upper-division Honors or Honors-by-Contract (9 hours)
One additional Honors elective (3 hours)For Tracks 2 and 3, HONR 3187, 3387, and 4387 constitute work towards an honors thesis, capstone practicum, and/or other creative component.
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Requirements for graduating with honors (for students entering Fall 2016 or later)
Rafael and Carmen Guerra Honors Program (Basic Honors Curriculum)
- 9 credits of lower-division honors courses - Choose from Honors Humanities sequence (HONR 2387 Honors Humanities I; HONR 2388 Honors Humanities II), or honors sections of undergraduate core courses.
- 3 credits of honors practicum (HONR 3380)– A required departmental internship or experiential-learning activity may be substituted with the addition of an honors component.
- 9 credits of upper-division honors courses – Typically these will be upper-division courses within the student’s major, although honors study abroad may also count.
- Students also have the option of doing an honors thesis, which includes a total of 4 credits (HONR 3187 for 1 credit and HONR 4387 for 3 credits). A required departmental capstone experience may be substituted with the addition of an honors component.
- Students who are core-complete or nearly so when admitted to the Honors College must take the Honors Humanities sequence, and substitute an additional upper-division honors-by-contract course for the remaining three required lower-division honors credits.
Honors track for students in the College of Business and Entrepreneurship
- Students working toward a Bachelor’s in Business Administration may graduate with honors by being admitted to the Honors College and doing the following:
- Lower-division requirements must be met by taking honors sections of lower-division business foundations courses (such as ACCT 2301, ACCT 2302, ECON 2302, MGMT 1301).
- Upper-division requirements in general will be met by taking honors sections of upper-division business core courses (such as BLAW 3337, FINA 3380, MGMT 4389, etc.).
- The Honors Practicum requirement will be met either through a required departmental internship or service-learning project with an added honors component (equivalent to Honors-by-Contract), or through taking HONR 3380.
- A student may pursue an honors thesis either through a required departmental capstone experience with an added honors component (equivalent to Honors-by-Contract), or through taking HONR 3187 and HONR 4387.
Honors track for pre-medical students
- 9 credits of lower-division honors courses – Two semesters of Honors Biology (BIOL 1486 and BIOL 1487), Bioethics (PHIL 2322).
- 3 credits of honors practicum (HONR 3380) – A required internship, service-learning activity, or shadowing may be substituted with the addition of an honors component
- 9 credits of upper-division honors courses –
- Students in the BMED program should consult with the BMED Department Chair and with the Dean of the Honors College to work out the details of their honors pathway.
- For all other students: Biological Communication (BIOL 4400), two upper-division Honors-by-contract; students in this category are also strongly encouraged to do an Honors thesis, which includes a total of 4 credits (HONR 3187 for 1 credit and HONR 4387 for 3 credits).
- Students in the pre-medical track are also strongly encouraged to pursue the minor in Medical Humanities.
Honors pre-law track
- 12 credits of lower-division honors courses – PHIL 1387/1388 and POLS 2387/2388 (POLS 2385/2386 for students entering Fall 2017 or later).
- 3 credits of honors practicum (HONR 3380) – The Political Science or Criminal Justice internship courses may be substituted with the addition of an honors component.
- 6 credits of upper-division honors courses – Two upper-division courses from the legal studies minor will be taken as “honors-by-contract.”
- Students on the Pre-Law honors track are also strongly encouraged to do an Honors thesis, which includes a total of 4 credits (HONR 3187 for 1 credit and HONR 4387 for 3 credits).
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Archer Fellowship Program
The Archer Fellowship Program was established by The University of Texas System in conjunction with former U.S. Representative Bill Archer as a way to bring highly motivated and accomplished students to Washington, D.C., for a comprehensive academic and professional experience. Selection is based on a competitive application process, and each cohort of Archer Fellows is comprised of the best and brightest students from across the UT System. For more information, visit their web site.
The application deadline for the 2016-2017 academic year is Monday, February 15, 2016. Finalists will be notified by March 4, 2016 and will be invited to participate in an on-campus interview throughout March. On campus interview TBA. Students selected to participate in the program will be notified on or before Friday, April 8, 2016.
Eligibility Requirements
Required to apply and at the time of participation
- Overall GPA: 3.0 or higher
- Previous work or internship experience
- Campus leadership and/or community involvement
Required by semester of participation:
- Junior or senior status
- 24 hour completed in-residence
- Completion of basic government requirements
Please contact the Honors College for any questions regarding the Archer Program. We may be reached at 956-665-3145 or at honors@utrgv.edu, located in the STAC 2.101.
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Other competitive scholarships and fellowships
The Rhodes Scholarships - Each year 32 American students are selected as Rhodes Scholars; the Rhodes Trust provides full financial support for Rhodes Scholars to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Oxford in the UK. This is the most prestigious and highly competitive of all the major competitive awards.
The Marshall Scholarships - Marshall Scholarships finance up to forty young Americans of high ability each year to study for a graduate degree in the UK, in any field of study.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarships. The Gates Cambridge Scholarships are awarded to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time graduate program in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.
The George J. Mitchell Scholarship - The Mitchell Scholarship is a national competitive scholarship sponsored by the US-Ireland Alliance. The Scholarship funds up to 12 students per year for one academic year of graduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
Fulbright U.S. Student Program - The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides two main types of awards for recent graduates:
- English Teaching Assistantships place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to local teachers of English. ETAs help teach English language skills while also serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S.
- Research/study grant applicants design their own projects and typically work with advisers at foreign universities or other institutions of higher education.
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation - The Truman Scholarship provides juniors with demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to public service. Scholars receive $30,000 to go toward three years of graduate study leading to a career in public service.
Udall Undergraduate Scholarship - The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to American Indian nations or to the environment.
Boren Scholarship - Boren Scholarships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide funding for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests. In exchange for funding, Boren Scholars commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation.
Barry Goldwater Scholarship - The Goldwater Scholarship is awarded to sophomores and juniors, and provides up to $7500 per year for up to two years. Applicants must be majoring in a STEM field and must be planning a research career in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. Students planning careers in medical research are eligible, but students planning careers in clinical medical practice are not.
Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans - The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans program honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States. Each year, they invest in the graduate education of 30 New Americans—immigrants and children of immigrants—who are poised to make significant contributions to US society, culture or their academic field. Each Fellow receives up to $90,000 in financial support over two years, and they join a lifelong community of New American Fellows.
Schwarzman Scholars Program - Each new cohort of Schwarzman Scholars will join a global network of the world's most talented young leaders, helping to build stronger links between China and a rapidly changing world. The Schwarzman Scholars experience is anchored in a rigorous and innovative Master’s of Global Affairs degree program at Tsinghua University, one of the country's leading universities. Drawing on the best traditions of Tsinghua and top academic institutions around the world, the curriculum bridges the academic and professional worlds to educate students about leadership and about China's expanding role in the world. The program also provides Scholars with unparalleled learning opportunities with leaders from China and the world through high-level interactions at lectures, an internship program, a mentors network, and intensive deep-dive travel seminars.
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Eta Omicron Nu
Eta Omicron Nu (HON) is the student organization for the UTRGV Honors College. Every member of the UTRGV Honors College is eligible and encouraged to participate in HON activities. HON meets about twice a month during the Fall and Spring semesters. -
Honors Course Descriptions
HONR 2385 - Honors Big History I
This is a course in “Big History” – an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the universe and the individual’s place in it through the study of cosmology, Earth and life sciences, and human history. (Brownsville campus)
Prerequisites: Instructor approval.
3.000 Credit hours
3.000 Lecture hours
HONR 2386 - Honors Big History II
This course applies the knowledge and skills gained in Honors Big History I to the lower Rio Grande Valley with a particular emphasis on the human experience in terms of economic, social, political and cultural developments and challenges on both sides of the international border. (Brownsville campus)
Prerequisites: HONR 2385.
3.000 Credit hours
3.000 Lecture hours
HONR 2387 - Honors Humanities I
An interdisciplinary offering that emphasizes the broad scope of Western civilization, from ancient Greece through modern times. The course would stress the integration of the arts and humanities into a broad view of Western civilization. This course would cover the content of HONR I and II freeing HONR II to become a non-Western Humanities class. This course is important so that UTRGV students will have a global understanding of the complexities of the world the will inherit. (Edinburg campus)
3.000 Credit hours
3.000 Lecture hoursHONR 2388 - Honors Humanities II
An interdisciplinary course that emphasizes the broad scope of non-Western civilizations, including Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. The course stresses the integration of arts and humanities into a broad view of non-Western civilizations fundamental for UTRGV student's understanding of the global world in which they will engage. (Edinburg campus)
3.000 Credit hours
3.000 Lecture hours
HONR 3187 - Honors Seminar Independent Study
This course is for students who plan to do an honors thesis. It aids the student in choosing a topic for research, in hypothesis generation and study design, and inb preparing a research proposal. The final project for the class is the student's honors thesis proposal. (Online)
1.000 Credit hours
1.000 Other hours
HONR 3380 - Honors Practicum
Allows students to gain practicum experience within their respective disciplines through an internship, research assistantship, or service learning project. (Online)
3.000 Credit hours
3.000 Other hours
HONR 3388 - Honors Study Abroad
This course provides opportunities for Honors College students to participate in study abroad to promote interdisciplinary learning, contextual insight, cultural appreciation, and critical thinking skills for outstanding future contributions to society and the world. (Both campuses)
3.000 Credit hours
3.000 Other hoursHONR 4387 - Honors Independent Study
Supervised completion of research and writing of thesis or creative project, with periodic meetings for coordination, instruction in methodology and discussion. The final project for the course is the student's honors thesis and honors thesis defense.
3.000 Credit hours
0.000 Lecture hours
3.000 Other hours
HONR 4680 - Honors Archer Internship
This course offers a full time internship for students in the Archer Fellowship Program in Washington D.C. providing opportunities for high level internships augmenting student coursework while participating in the Archer Program. Students participate in 32-40 intern hours per week. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Archer Fellowship Program.
6.000 Credit hours
6.000 Other hours