Procedure for approving changes in an Honors-in-Major Program 
Overview: The 1984 Senate Motion establishing the University Honors Program gave the UHP oversight of Honors in Major programs throughout the university. Central to that mission were two expectations: one, that the faculty in the various departments and disciplines were charged with establishing curricula in the Honors in Major programs that reflected disciplinary practices and pedagogies; two, that the UHP was charged with ensuring consistency across the university with regards to the central values of an “Honors experience.”
Those central values encompass the following:
- a student will be expected to pursue opportunities in the discipline that demand greater depth and rigor than those normally required by the major;
- they will be expected to complete the curriculum at a consistently high level of achievement;
- they will be expected to engage in independent study and research (under the supervision of a faculty member) beyond the requirements of their course-work;
- and they will be expected to present and defend a culminating project that synthesizes aspects of their study.
Process: The following procedure is designed to assist departments and the UHP as they collaborate in their shared responsibility. It is also designed to ensure that deans and colleges are fully involved in academic decisions within their colleges.
- When a department decides to review its Honors in Major program, it should collaborate with the University Honors Program. Proposed changes should address how the department envisions its changes to be in accordance with the principles that govern all Honors in Major programs. The department may wish to request information from the UHP; and the UHP may wish to suggest modifications to ensure broad consistency across the colleges.
- The department approves the changes, and forwards their proposal to the UHP for a statement of support. This statement is attached to the departmental paperwork.
- The department forwards the paperwork to the College, where it goes through regular College channels for approving curricular changes.
- When the proposal is approved, the college forwards it to the Provost’s office.
- The Provost’s office will inform the department, the college and the University Honors Program when the approval is finalized.