L&S Honors Program
College of Letters & Science

Exceptions and Changes to Honors in the Major

Exceptions to Honors in the Major Requirements

Departmental officials (usually academic advisors) who have been granted authority by the department chair may submit exceptions to Honors in the Major requirements for individual students via DARSX.

Exceptions are appropriate when:

  • the student can’t reasonably complete the existing requirements due to changes in departmental offerings or other extenuating circumstances,
  • the student has met the spirit of an individual requirement (typically through completion of a different course that serves a similar purpose and has the same Honors status as the original requirement), and
  • the substitution is agreed upon in advance

Exceptions should not:

  • change Honors GPA requirements
  • allow a course in which the student earned a final grade lower than B to count toward Honors requirements
  • allow the student to complete fewer relevant courses than other students completing Honors in the Major

If exceptions are a regular occurrence or are regularly being considered, the department is strongly encouraged to evaluate their standard curriculum. It would be appropriate to initiate a formal change to the Honors in the Major curriculum that eliminates the need to apply exceptions.

Changes to Honors in the Major Requirements

Creating or making changes to a major’s Honors in the Major (HM) track involves the following steps:

1. The department develops a proposal for new or updated HM requirements.

  • Changes to HM typically arise out of the changing needs of the department and the changing demands of the student body a department serves.
  • Minimum requirements that must apply to all Honors in the Major curricula in L&S are outlined in Guide.
  • You are strongly encouraged to consult with Christine Evans, Associate Director of Advising and Curriculum, throughout this process.

2. The department submits a program change through Lumen. Please submit your changes before the L&S annual Guide revisions deadline (typically early December).

3. The L&S Faculty Honors Committee (FHC) reviews the proposed changes to Honors in the Major.

  • This committee typically meets once per month during the academic year.
  • In addition to the details required by the Lumen proposal, it is helpful if the department can share why these specific changes to HM are desirable or necessary and how the proposed changes are expected to impact current and future students. Such information can be submitted to Christine Evans, Associate Director of Advising and Curriculum, and she will share it with all FHC members.
  • Upon review, the FHC will either approve the changes or defer the decision. In the latter case, FHC members may request additional information from the department and/or offer suggestions with the intent to help the department with revisions and resubmission.

4. The L&S Curriculum Committee reviews the proposed changes to Honors in the Major.

  • This committee typically meets twice per month during the academic year.
  • Changes approved by FHC and the L&S Curriculum Committee will be documented in Lumen and initiate relevant changes to Guide and DARS.

5. Notifications and changes to student declarations are completed.

  • Once approved at all levels of governance, the department should ensure that the changes are communicated to relevant parties, including faculty and academic advisors. This may also include checking the departmental website to remove any outdated information.
  • As a default, students who declared the major before the updates to HM take effect would follow the previous version of the requirements.
  • If declared students would benefit from following the updated HM curriculum and would not be graduating before the updates take effect, those students can work with major advisors to have their major declaration term changed to a term in which the new requirements are active.

Christine Evans, Associate Director of Advising and Curriculum, is available to consult on:

  • individual cases that may warrant exceptions to Honors in the Major requirements
  • best practices for Honors exceptions
  • issues that arise with existing Honors in the Major requirements
  • formation of new Honors in the Major requirements
  • Honors in the Major policies and norms across L&S