As the parent of a UAA student, you play a very important role in the success of your student. Your encouragement can often make the difference as students consider their opportunities at UAA. Your vision for their success and accomplishment can help your student seek out and apply for opportunties that will enhance their education.
The University Honors College houses opportunties for students to excell. The mission of the University Honors College is to offer capable and highly 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. Through academic courses, undergraduate research, and opportunities to apply for major scholarships and fellowships, UAA students are becoming leaders in their academic fields.
Honors Academic Programs
The College houses 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.
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. Visit the Honors Curriculum website to learn more about these programs.
Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate research creates opportunities for hands-on, active learning that takes students beyond the classroom and introduces them into the global community of scholars. Students can participate in the research endeavors of a faculty member, or in a project of their own design.
Examples of research and creative activities vary according to discipline and may include:
- surveys
- analyses
- library research with primary and secondary sources
- fieldwork
- original works of creative expression
- theses
- laboratory experiments
The University Honors College houses the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship. Through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, students can apply for grants to help them fund their undergraduate research. There are many types of awards and funding opportunties, so students should review the different opportunities available through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.
Major Scholarships and Fellowships
Major scholarships and fellowships are among the highest honors that undergraduates or recent graduates can achieve. Many scholarships and fellowships offer recipients the chance to study or conduct research abroad while others fund post baccalaureate education at a significant level.
Major scholarships and fellowships build on a student’s undergraduate achievements in important ways and the benefits of winning such awards are numerous. Major scholarships and fellowships not only reward academic performance and commitment to community, but compliment other areas of life as well. Such awards are gateways to significant career opportunities and personal and intellectual growth.
These prestigious awards are highly competitive, but in the past four years UAA has had three Truman Scholars, one Research Fulbright Scholar, and one Teaching Fulbright Scholar. There are many major scholarships and fellowships, each with a different application procedure and timeline. Visit the Major Scholarships and Fellowships website to find a listing of opportunities and how students apply for these prestigious awards.
