MISSION
The University Honors College offers capable and motivated students the opportunity to engage in an intense intellectual experience and to develop an integrative perspective extending beyond the confines of individual majors and disciplines.
The mission of the University Honors College is to be a catalyst for scholarly excellence in undergraduate education. The College advances, coordinates, and administers active learning and undergraduate research opportunities for students across the campus. Through its multi-disciplinary academic and student support programs, the College serves as a locus for inquiry, discovery, leadership and engagement. Above all, the College helps students develop a competitive edge for career options as well as for admission to the best graduate and professional schools in the nation.
COLLEGE STRUCTURE
The College houses the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, and three University Honors academic programs: the University Honors Core Program, the Natural and Complex Systems Program, and the Forty-Ninth State Fellows Program. Students enrolled in these programs are also enrolled in the disciplinary school or college in which they complete their degree programs. University Honors students may pursue any major or minor they wish at the University, and foundation University Honors courses will satisfy General Education Requirements. In their junior and senior years, students choose from several options to complete their senior thesis requirement, facilitating focus on the development of research and writing skills.
Students, who complete the requirements of their disciplinary school or college, and the G.P.A. and program requirements of University Honors College, will graduate with the designation of University Honors Scholar on their transcripts and diplomas.
University Honors offers smaller classes with excellent faculty, guided individual research, personalized academic advising and mentoring, special leadership and internship opportunities, community involvement, and enhanced scholarship prospects. Honors courses will approach the course subject matter with more intensity and rigor than is demanded of typical courses. Students will also participate in a range of honors activities together, designed to enhance intellectual and personal opportunities. Intensive advising by college faculty and staff is an important element of University Honors, and Honors students are required to meet regularly with advisors.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
There are various options that students can select within the University Honors College: the Honors Core Program, the Natural and Complex Systems Program, and the Forty-Ninth State Fellows Program.
The Honors Core Program requirements, taken by all Honors students, include courses in humanities, social science and community service. All Honors courses have an emphasis on critical thinking and analytical reading, taking on challenging activities through interdisciplinary projects, and preparing students for participating in independent research in their disciplines.
The Natural and Complex Systems (NCS) Program includes additional courses that focus on scientific, research-based projects that integrate student work across the Natural, Physical, Engineering, Mathematical, and Computer Sciences. This option is open to honors students in all disciplines but is targeted particularly toward students in science-oriented degrees. Honors students may take courses in the NCS Program if they meet the course prerequisites.
The Forth-Ninth State Fellows Program includes additional curriculum in democratic institutions and leadership. Focusing on politics, history, and Alaska, it consists of selected courses, weekly tutorials, and extracurricular activities. Spaces are limited in this intensive program and students typically apply prior to their freshman year to begin the program as they start their studies at UAA. The Forty-Ninth State Fellows option is an Honors course of study that focuses on history, politics and Alaska with the goal of preparing students to take their place as Alaska's next generation of leaders. - More information -
A limited number of students are admitted to the Honors Core Program, the Natural and Complex Systems Program, and the Forty-Ninth State Fellows Program each year. All baccalaureate degree-seeking students who are motivated to pursue honors level work are encouraged to apply.
In addition to the University Honors College, nineteen departments at UAA offer departmental honors options. Students may complete both University and departmental honors requirements with dual designations upon graduation, and in some cases departmental honors courses may be substituted for one or more University Honors College requirements. In addition, students pursuing departmental honors and non-honors students may enroll in some University Honors College courses with permission of the University Honors College and on a space available basis.
Much of the information in this section is also in our Student Handbook, which you may download as a pdf file.
HISTORY
Initiated by Chancellor Edward Lee Gorsuch, the University Honors Program was founded by UAA professor Ronald Spatz in 1998. In its 2000 accreditation review of UAA, the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges described the University Honors Program as a "small but energetic program" and singled it out for special commendation for providing a center of activity "to support student inquiry and research." In March 2007 the University Honors College was established and professor Spatz was named to head the new college as its dean.
