Committee in Charge
John C. Briggs, Ph.D. (English)
Michael F. Dunn, Ph.D. (Biochemistry)
Qing Jiang, Ph.D. (Engineering)
Conrad Rudolph, Ph.D. (Art History)
Marlene Zuk, Ph.D. (Biology)
Outstanding students from all disciplines and majors can participate in the University Honors Program (UHP). The UHP lower-division curriculum provides special seminars, projects, and other courses designed to introduce honors students to the rewards of scholarship and research. First-year courses encourage innovative approaches to introductory courses and provide an avenue for faculty to present courses that concentrate on their particular interests. UHP seminars expose students to methods of conceptualizing issues and framing questions that characterize disciplines. These seminars help prepare students for the independent research that upper-division honors demands. In the junior and senior years, each student in the UHP selects a topic for an honors project or thesis and pursues this topic under the supervision of an individual faculty member. The thesis or project is submitted by the end of the senior year. In both the upper division and lower division, the UHP challenges honors students to take an active role in shaping their education.
The program offers a variety of extracurricular activities. The UHP offers staff support for honors students, including support for fellowships, internships, applying to graduate schools, and summer programs. A reading room, seminar room, and lounge and work space with computer facilities are available to honors students.
Lower-Division Courses
Admission to lower-division honors is based on an application, high school grades, and aptitude and achievement test scores. Students take honors courses and participate in workshops, personal growth, and community service activities.
Upper-Division Honors
The upper-division UHP provides the student with the framework to produce a thesis or project, a substantial, independent product of scholarship, research, or creative activity. This structure is adaptable to almost any major and allows each student the flexibility to work with a faculty advisor to shape a research program to meet the ambitions of the project.
Continuing UCR students with an excellent academic record may apply or be nominated to participate in upper-division honors whether or not they completed lower-division honors. Students who transfer to UCR as juniors with excellent academic records may also apply or be nominated to the upper-division UHP.
During the junior year, students narrow their research focus, select a faculty supervisor, and prepare to undertake the honors project. The UHP provides support in all phases of this planning. The honors project is usually undertaken in the first two quarters of the senior year and is completed well before graduation.
The completed thesis is submitted to the faculty advisor and to a second faculty reader for approval. The approved thesis, a cumulative GPA of 3.4 in the major, and an upper-division GPA of at least 3.50 qualify the student for graduation with upper-division honors. The honors designation appears on the official transcript.
Education Abroad Program
The University Honors Program encourages students to participate in the Education Abroad Program (EAP). The EAP is an excellent opportunity to travel and learn more about another country and its culture while taking courses which earn units toward graduation. In addition to year-long programs, a wide range of shorter options is available. While on EAP, students are still eligible for financial assistance. Students are advised to plan study abroad well in advance to ensure that the courses taken fit with their overall program at UCR. Consult the departmental student affairs officer for assistance. For further details visit UCR's International Services Center at internationalcenter.ucr.edu or call (909) 787-4113.
See Education Abroad Program under International Services Center in the Student Services section of this catalog. A list of participating countries is found under Education Abroad Program in the Curricula and Courses section.
ANTH 001H. Honors Cultural Anthropology. (4) Description under Anthropology.
ANTH 002H. Honors Biology Anthropology. (4) Description under Anthropology.
CHEM 01HA, CHEM 01HB, CHEM 01HC. Honors General Chemistry. (4, 4, 5) Description under Chemistry.
CHEM 097H. Freshman Honors Project: Introduction to Research. (1-4) Description under Chemistry.
CRWT 097H. Freshman Honors Project: Poetry. (4) Description under Creative Writing.
ECON 002H. Honors Introduction to Macroeconomics. (4) Description under Economics.
ENSC 001H. Honors Natural Resources and the Environment. (4) Description under Environmental Sciences.
ENSC 002H. Honors Environmental Quality. (4) Description under Environmental Sciences.
ENSC 003H. Honors Contemporary Issues in the Environmental Sciences (4) Description under Environmental Sciences.
ETST 001H. Honors Introduction to the Study of Race and Ethnicity. (4) Description under Ethnic Studies.
ETST 012H/RLST 012H. Honors Religious Myth and Rituals. (4) Description under Ethnic Studies and Religious Studies.
HIST 010H. Honors World History: Prehistory to 1500. (4) Description under History.
HIST 015H. Honors World History: 1500 to 1900. (4) Description under History.
HIST 020H. Honors World History: Twentieth Century. (4) Description under History.
MATH 09HA, MATH 09HB, MATH 09HC. First Year Honors Calculus. (4, 4, 4) Description under Mathematics.
PHIL 001H. Honors Introduction to Philosophy. (4) Description under Philosophy.
PHIL 007H. Honors Introduction to Critical Thinking. (4) Description under Philosophy.
PHIL 008H. Honors Introduction to Logic. (4) Description under Philosophy.
POSC 010H. Honors American Politics. (4) Description under Political Science.
RLST 005H. Honors Introduction to Asian Religions. (4) Description under Religious Studies.
RLST 015H. Honors Death. (4) Description under Religious Studies.
WMST 030H. Violence Against Women. (4) Description under Women's Studies.
Upper-Division Courses
AHS 195H. Senior Honors Thesis. (1-4) Description under Art History.
BSAD 199H. Senior Honors Research. (4) Description under Business Administration.
HIST 199H. Senior Honors Research. (1-5) Description under History.
HNPG 009. Ethics and College Student Life (2) Workshop, 2 hours. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Designed to help students think through typical ethical problems of college life and learn the art of moral reasoning and dialogue, which can then be applied to other situations. Students review case studies and explore selected themes central to the college experience nationwide. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 010A. First-Year Colloquium (1) Colloquium, 2 hours. Prerequisite(s): open only to students in the University Honors Program who are freshmen or first-year transfer students. A series of presentations on basic research skills and resources available at UCR. Topics include campus computing, library resources, career planning, education abroad, and internships. A five to eight page research project is required. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Credit is awarded for only one of HASS 001, HASS 002, or HNPG 010A.
HNPG 010B. First-Year Colloquium (1) Colloquium, 2 hours. Prerequisite(s): open only to students in the University Honors Program who are freshmen or first-year transfer students. Presentations by professors from various UCR departments on their research. Teams of students interview the professors and present their results to the group. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Course is repeatable to a maximum of 2 units.
HNPG 020. The Nature of Academic Research (4) Seminar, 3 hours; outside research, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): sophomore standing in the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Presentations by faculty from a cross section of campus disciplines on the nature of research in their disciplines and their own current projects. Presentations are followed by discussions with students. Students work on group projects comparing how research on a selected issue is approached by two related disciplines. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available. Credit is awarded for only one of ANTH 181G, HNPG 020, or HASS 003.
HNPG 023 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the following areas: Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 024 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Biological Sciences (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the Biological Sciences. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 025 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Physical Sciences (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the Physical Sciences. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 026 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Natural Sciences and Mathematics (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the following areas: Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 031 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in the Fine Arts (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the Fine Arts. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 033 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Humanities (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the Humanities. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 034 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Religious Studies (4) Seminar, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of religious studies. Topics and instructors vary and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 036 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in History (4) Seminar, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of history. Topics and instructors vary and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 037 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Literature (4) Seminar, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of literature. Topics and instructors vary and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 038 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Philosophy (4) Seminar, 3 hours. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of philosophy. Topics and instructors vary and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 041 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Economics and Political Science (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the following areas: Economics and Political Science. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 042 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the following areas: Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 043 (E-Z). Honors Seminar in Social Sciences (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assignment of remaining hours varies from segment to segment. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Additional prerequisites may be required for segments of this course; see the University Honors Program. Introduces research and methods at the frontiers of one or more of the Social Sciences. Topics and instructors vary from year to year and are chosen by the Honors Program Executive Committee in consultation with departments. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available.
HNPG 097. Honors Lower-Division Research (2-4) Consultation, 1-4 hours; outside research, 2-4 hours; term paper, 2-4 hours. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor; consent of the University Honors Program. Independent research or projects completed in consultation with a faculty member. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available. Course is repeatable to a maximum of 4 units.
To complete the university Upper-Division Honors thesis students work with individual departments under the 199H or 198 series to be awarded credit for their projects. See course descriptions under appropriate departments.