Main College Office
Sage Hall, Room 320
Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #310529
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-3305
Fax: 940-369-7370
E-mail: honorscollege@unt.edu
Web site: honors.unt.edu
Glênisson de Oliveira, Dean
Bethany Blackstone, Associate Dean for the Honors College
James Duban, Associate Dean for Research and National Scholarships
Eric Gruver, Associate Dean for TAMS
The Honors College is dedicated to enriching the undergraduate academic experience for talented, motivated and well-prepared students. Honors College membership is open to all qualified students, whatever their major. Upon joining the Honors College, students find that they are part of an exciting community of talented scholars pursuing academic and intellectual growth. The goal of the Honors College is to help these students build an excellent foundation, via research-based curricula, thereby preparing them to study at the graduate level, establish a career, and meet the demands of responsible citizenship.
The benefits of Honors College membership
Honors classes
Honors faculty and staff work to design, implement and support learning opportunities for students, both in and beyond the classroom. The primary benefit of Honors College membership is the right to enroll in honors classes, which are taught by faculty members with a strong commitment to undergraduate education. Honors classes offer a supportive environment conducive to intellectual growth. The small enrollment of honors classes opens up opportunities for active participation in learning, including projects, presentations and class discussions. In addition, many honors classes can be substituted for non-honors classes in the University Core Curriculum. Honors students also enjoy priority registration each semester.
Undergraduate research
Many honors students elect to participate in undergraduate research. Students may take courses to learn about research, develop their research projects, and write an honors thesis, all under the guidance of a faculty mentor in their major. Honors research courses include HNRS 1500 - Introduction to Research: An Interdisciplinary Perspective ; HNRS 3500 - Honors Thesis Proposal Development ; XXXX 3996 – Honors Mentored Research; and XXXX 4951-Honors College Capstone Thesis. Students have opportunities to present their research at regional and national conferences and may submit their work for publication in the North Texas Journal of Undergraduate Research, or in other scholarly journals.
Special programming and housing
Members are invited to participate in many programs sponsored by the Honors College, including welcome back events, professional development programs, and events sponsored by the Honors College Programming Council. Members are also eligible to live in Rawlins Hall or Honors Hall, depending on their class year. Both Honors residence halls feature a faculty-in-residence.
Honors College membership and participation
Honors College membership is open to every qualified student pursuing a baccalaureate degree at the University of North Texas, and membership is compatible with every undergraduate major and program. Membership in the Honors College is secondary to membership in the college of the student’s major, and the program’s flexibility allows students to decide each semester on the combination of honors, non-honors and major classes that best suits their needs.
Eligibility for membership
College freshmen
Admission to the Honors College is competitive and requires a separate application. To be eligible, freshmen must have a combined math and verbal SAT score of at least 1200 (ACT 27) and be in the top ranks of their high school graduating class, as evidenced by class standing and grade point average. An essay is a required part of the Honors College application. Students who are awarded the UNT Meritorious Scholarship qualify automatically for admission but must submit the completed application.
Continuing UNT and transfer students
Continuing UNT students or students transferring to UNT from other institutions of higher learning are eligible to enroll in the Honors College on the basis of their GPA from already completed college work. A cumulative GPA of at least 3.35 qualifies continuing UNT and transfer students for membership in the Honors College, provided that at least one full-time semester of college work has already been completed.
Students transferring to UNT may apply up to 9 honors credits from another NCHC-member honors program or college toward the Honors Scholar or Distinguished Honors Scholar Award. For such courses to apply toward a UNT Honors College award, the grade earned must be B or better. The dean of the Honors College must approve all honors courses from other institutions to be applied toward a UNT Honors College award.
Transfer Honors students also have the option to work towards the Advanced Honors College Scholar Award. This academic award requires 12 hours of Honors credit to be completed in residence at UNT, including an undergraduate thesis project (XXXX 4951). No Honors transfer hours can be applied towards this award.
UNT students who join the Honors College after graduation from the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science may receive up to 9 honors credits for courses taken in TAMS toward the Honors Scholar or Distinguished Honors Scholar Award. For such courses to apply toward a UNT Honors College award, the grade earned must be a B or better. The dean of the Honors College must approve all TAMS courses to be applied toward a UNT Honors College award.
Programs for participation and recognition in the Honors College
Honors College Scholar Award
The Honors College Scholar Award requires students to complete 18 honors credit hours with a cumulative and Honors GPA of at least 3.25. Students may use two Honors contracts and six hours of study abroad credit to fulfill a portion of the 18 required credit hours. Students who complete the Honors College Scholar Award receive the Honors College medallion and have the accomplishment noted on their UNT transcript.
Advanced Honors College Scholar Award (transfer students only)
Designed specifically for transfer students matriculating to UNT with a substantial number of credit hours, the Advanced Honors College Scholar Award requires these students to complete the following: two Honors courses, HNRS 3500 , and an Honors thesis in any department course numbered 4950/4951. Students may use one Honors contract as well as a study abroadcourse at UNT to satisfy the two Honors courses. The student must maintain a cumulative and Honors GPA of at least 3.25. Students who complete the Advanced Honors College Scholar Award receive the Honors College medallion and have the accomplishment noted on their UNT transcript.
Distinguished Honors College Scholar Award
The highest recognition available to students through the Honors College is the Distinguished Honors College Scholar Award. For this award, the student must complete the following: 21 honors credits, including HNRS 3500 and an Honors thesis in any department course numbered 4950/4951. Students must also maintain a cumulative and Honors GPA of at least 3.25. Students may use two Honors contracts and six hours of study abroad credit at UNT to satisfy part of their 21-hour requirement. Students who complete the Distinguished Honors College Scholar Award receive the Honors College medallion and have the accomplishment noted on their UNT transcript.
Honors College Engagement Recognition
This recognition is for students who are particularly active in attending Honors College events and/or campus activities, accumulating a minimum of 100 hours during their time at UNT. These students can receive the Honors College Engagement Recognition in addition to an Honors College award.
If you have any questions regarding the Honors College Distinctions or what catalog year you fall under, please contact Honors College Academic Advising.
Honors courses
Specific objectives have been adopted for honors courses, including the following.
- Honors courses emphasize development of analytical and evaluative skills through readings from primary sources, journal articles and other supplementary materials.
- Honors courses encourage students to engage in high-level thinking and learning through activities such as intensive discussion; writing in small, collaborative learning settings; and research papers and projects.
- Honors courses promote independent thinking by making students accountable for important aspects of their learning.
- Honors courses place material in a conceptual context that illustrates the importance of that material and its relationship to other knowledge.
- Honors courses provide enhanced opportunities for students to develop research skills and produce independent, original research or creative products as part of the course requirements.
Honors courses include innovative approaches to course content and teaching, allowing honors courses to serve as campuswide prototypes.
Honors classes at the 1000 and 2000 levels are reserved for members of the Honors College. Students who are not members of the Honors College but have junior status and a GPA of at least 3.5 may request enrollment in honors classes at the 3000 and 4000 levels if space is available after honors students register. The honors academic counselor can assist with enrollment.
Honors classes are reserved for members of the Honors College.
Honors courses that meet University Core Curriculum requirements