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At the UTRGV Honors College, we believe in empowering students to pursue their passions while developing the skills and experiences that prepare them for leadership, impact, and discovery. Our Honors Tracks are designed to give students the flexibility to explore their academic interests, engage in meaningful experiential learning, and cultivate a deeper understanding of their field.
Whether your goal is medicine, health sciences, law, or interdisciplinary scholarship, there’s an Honors Track to guide you toward your future. Each track combines rigorous honors coursework, experiential learning opportunities, and mentorship to help you grow as a scholar, a professional, and a leader in your community.
Rafael & Carmen Guerra Honors Program
Your Gateway to Interdisciplinary Exploration and Academic Excellence
The Rafael & Carmen Guerra Honors Track is a flexible path for students across many majors, including pre-med. Students in this track explore interdisciplinary ideas, engage in experiential learning, and have the option to pursue an honors thesis, all while building a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences.
This track empowers students to customize their Honors experience, combining intellectual curiosity with practical experience.
- Lower-Division Honors Courses: 9 credits, choose from Honors Humanities sequence (HONR 2387 Honors Humanities I; HONR 2388 Honors Humanities II), or honors-by-contract (HBC) for lower-division courses.
- Honors Practicum: 3 credits HONR 3380 (description here)- internship, research, service-learning, or experiential-learning activity.
- Upper-Division Honors Courses: 9 credits (upper division honors-by-contract, honors study abroad)
- Optional Honors Thesis: 4 credits (HONR 3187 for 1 credit and HONR 4387 for 3 credits)
VaqueroMD & PACT Early Assurance Programs
Your Launchpad into Healthcare
The VaqueroMD and PACT programs offer high-achieving students a highly selective, transformative pathway into medicine or physician assistant studies. Selected students begin their undergraduate journey in the Honors College, and upon meeting program benchmarks, are guaranteed admission into UTRGV’s School of Medicine (VaqueroMD) or the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (PACT).
Through these tracks, students engage in rigorous honors coursework, benefit from personalized mentorship and cohort support, and gain access to pre-professional experiences, internships, and leadership development—all designed to nurture confident, purpose-driven professionals committed to service their communities.
- 9 credits of lower-division honors courses: Includes MEDH 2311, taken either as an honors section (MEDH 2311-Honors) or as a regular course with an Honors by Contract (HBC). Two additional lower-division courses with HBC are also required. The Honors Humanities sequence (HONR 2387 and HONR 2388) is recommended.
- 3 credits of honors practicum (HONR 3380): Can be fulfilled through an internship, service-learning activity, or shadowing, with an honors component added.
- 9 credits of upper-division honors courses: Includes MEDH 4301, taken either as an honors section (MEDH 4301-Honors) or as a regular course with HBC, plus two additional upper-division courses with HBC.
Total: 21 credits
Students are 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 are also strongly encouraged to pursue the Minor in Medical Humanities. Both MEDH 2311 and MEDH 4301 are included in the minor.
BMED Scholars Program
Your Launchpad into Biomedical and Health Sciences
For students drawn to the frontlines of biomedical discovery and healthcare leadership, the BMED Scholars Program offers a dynamic, support-rich community. Through structured mentorship, research opportunities, clinical experiences, and cohort-driven collaboration, Scholars build their academic and professional foundation in a guided, encouraging environment.
This program goes beyond traditional coursework, empowering students to engage deeply with scientific inquiry and community service. Scholars develop leadership and resilience through immersive experiences, emerging ready to lead and innovate in the Health and Biomedical Sciences.
- 9 Credits of Lower-Division Courses
- Six Honors-By Contract (HBC) credits selected from any two of the following BMED courses: BMED 1301, 1302, 2301, or 2302.
- Three credits from MEDH 2311 – Introduction to Medical and Health Humanities, either as the honors section (MEDH 2311-Honors) or as the regular course with an Honors by Contract (HBC).
- Honors Practicum – 3 credits (HONR 3380)
A required internship, service-learning activity, or shadowing experience. Substitutions are only allowed with explicit permission from the Department Chair of Health and Biomedical Sciences (HABS) and the Dean of the Honors College, and the activity must include an honors component. - 9 Credits of Upper-Division Honors Courses
- Six HBC credits from upper-level BMED courses (3XXX or 4XXX).
- Three credits from MEDH 4301 – Medical Humanities: Critical Perspectives, either as the honors section (MEDH 4301-Honors) or as the regular course with an HBC.
- Optional Honors Thesis – 4 credits
Students are strongly encouraged to complete an honors thesis: HONR 3187 (1 credit) and HONR 4387 (3 credits). These may be substituted with BMED 3223 and BMED 3224 (Experiential Learning I & II), which require oral presentations at the end of the academic year and written lab reports submitted to the research mentor throughout the year.
Honors Pre-Law Track
Your Pathway to Legal Advocacy and Justice
The Honors Pre-Law Track is built for students who envision themselves shaping justice, advocating for change, or analyzing policy with nuance. Students on this track must take at least two upper-division Legal Studies courses for honors credit, and are encouraged to complete a Legal Studies minor — an interdisciplinary field incorporating perspectives from political science, English, history, anthropology, and philosophy.
Alongside hands-on practicums and honors coursework, this track equips students with legal reasoning, writing, and critical analysis skills — inspiring a compelling and purposeful academic trajectory that translates into success in law school and beyond.
- 9 credits of lower-division honors courses – Choose from Honors Humanities sequence (HONR 2387 Honors Humanities I; HONR 2388 Honors Humanities II) and/or honors-by contract (HBC) for lower-division courses.
- 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.
- 9 credits of upper-division honors courses – At least two upper-division courses from the Minor in Legal Studies must be taken as honors-by-contract (HBC).
Total = 21 credits
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).
Students in the Pre-Law Honors Program are also strongly encouraged to pursue the Minor in Legal Studies.
Accelerated Mathematics Honors Program
The Accelerated Math Honors Track is designed for ambitious students ready to push the boundaries of their learning. This cohort-based program offers a structured pathway to advanced coursework, undergraduate research, and a seamless transition into graduate study.
Students in this track not only complete their bachelor’s degree but also earn a master’s degree in mathematics within five years. Along the way, they gain the advantage of close faculty mentorship, early exposure to graduate-level research, and the support of a like-minded cohort.
This program challenges students to think deeply, collaborate with purpose, and build the skills needed to excel in research, teaching, and professional careers in mathematics and beyond.
- 15 credits of lower-division honors courses
- 3 credits of a research course (MATH 4391 Research Experience in Mathematics)
- 9 credits of upper-division honors courses
- 9 credits of graduate- level classes that count for both undergraduate and graduate credit, or 9 credits of upper- division courses
- (optional) completion of the MS degree in the fifth year