Honors Experiences enrich a student’s undergraduate education by encouraging them to extend their learning inside and outside the traditional classroom setting. To graduate from the Honors College, Honors scholars are required to complete 21 Honors Experience credits.
During their first year, Honors scholars will earn four to six Honors Experience credits for their Honors Seminar(s) and Honors Colloquium, Afterward, they must complete an additional 15-17 Honors Experience credits from the list below in order to graduate from the Honors College.
Students collaborate with faculty mentors on an ongoing faculty research or creative activity project, or conduct independent research under the guidance of a faculty member. This experience provides students with an inquiry-based learning opportunity and engages them as active learners in a research or creative activity setting. Either the student’s own project or the faculty member’s project to which the student is contributing should utilize the methods for creating new knowledge that are recognized in the field and should result in a unique contribution to the field of knowledge.
Please Note: Honors scholars already enrolled in departmental research credit (e.g., PSY 498, CHE 290) do not need to follow the process detailed below in order to receive Honors experience credit as the credits will automatically be picked up.
If your department is not able to offer you research credit or if you are completing an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) at another school, you can still receive Honors credit by submitting an Honors Petition. Requests for Honor Experience credit via the petition process should be submitted by the following deadlines:
Petitions received after the aforementioned deadlines will be reviewed in the following cycle. Decisions will relayed to you via email within 4 weeks of the posted deadlines.
In order to complete the petition process, you will be asked to submit a reflection paper to the Honors College and for your supervisor’s contact information. Your supervisor will not receive your reflection paper. Petitions will not be accepted and added to your Honors record without supervisor approval.
Students have the option of individualized student work under the guidance of a faculty member. Independent study courses are intended to pursue topics that are not currently offered through regular coursework at UB. Independent study may be the focal point in the design of an individual program or it may merely add desired depth or breadth to a student’s formal degree program. To enroll in independent study, students must identify a member of the faculty or appropriate professional staff member willing to sponsor their work and gain approval of the appropriate department.
Please Note: Honors scholars already enrolled in departmental internship/co-op credit (e.g., MAE 496, ES 429, theatre practicums) do not need to follow the process detailed below in order to receive Honors experience credit as the credits will automatically be picked up during our review.
If your department is not able to offer you internship credit, you can still receive Honors credit by submitting an Honors Petition. Requests for Honor Experience credit via the petition process should be submitted by the following deadlines:
Petitions received after the aforementioned deadlines will be reviewed in the following cycle. Decisions will relayed to you via email within 4 weeks of the posted deadlines.
In order to complete the petition process, you will be asked to submit a reflection paper to the Honors College and for your supervisor’s contact information. Your supervisor will not receive your reflection paper. Petitions will not be accepted and added to your Honors record without supervisor approval.
Learn more about the travels and adventures of some recent Honors alums.
To see a full list of acceptable courses for Honors credit, look in the University Honors College section of your Academic Requirements Report in the HUB Student Center and you can view the full list under “Honors Experiences”.
Please contact your Honors advisor if you have questions about acceptable Honors experience coursework.
The Honors Contract permits students to turn a regular university course into an Honors course by contracting with the instructor to complete extra work. The contract involves an agreement among the honors student, a UB faculty member, and the University Honors College. All of the terms stated in the contract must be successfully completed by the agreed upon due date in order for the student to receive honors credit.
The contract project should add an academic dimension by introducing new material or by allowing the student to go into greater depth than normally required in some aspect of the course. Contracts may also be service-learning focused through student engagement in a service project and reflection related to the course content. It should be made clear on the Contract for Honors Credit how this work exceeds regular course requirements. Since a faculty member must supervise the contract, students should select faculty who have the time to oversee their projects to completion.
Honors Contracts will not be accepted later than the end of the second week of the semester or the first week of a summer session.
Students should expect to spend approximately 30 hours of work or service hours (including reflection) during the semester or summer session to complete their honors contracts. Faculty should expect to add individual student supervision meetings and any necessary lab time to their current semester workload.
The contract is complete when the instructor is satisfied with the student’s completed work per the terms of the contract by the due date. An evaluation form is sent to the course instructor at the end of the semester and must be signed by the instructor before being returned to the Honors office. Only then is the contract complete.
The Honors Contract does not affect the student’s grade in the course. To receive honors credit for the course, honors students must satisfactorily complete the terms of the contract during the semester that credit is earned. Students receiving an “I” in a course that they have contracted will not receive honors credit upon completion. Instructors will not penalize students who do not complete the terms of their honors contracts; these students will receive the grade earned in the class. Faculty must inform the University Honors College of the status of the contracted work at the same time they report grades for the course. A form will be mailed to the instructor for this purpose near the end of the semester.
If you have any questions about contract coursework, please contact the Honors College at 716-645-3020 or by email at honors@buffalo.edu.
Occasionally, an Honors student will complete a noteworthy experience and not earn academic credit or pursue an experience that does not fit into the existing categories of Honors Experiences. When this occurs, the student may petition to include the experience towards their Honors credits by submitting an Honors Experience Petition Request.
* Denotes non-coursework category
Last updated: June 01, 2023 12:20 pm EST