Changing Department HM Requirements

Adding or making changes to an Honors in the Major (HM) track involves three basic steps.

1. The department determines what the new HM requirements will be.

Changes to HM typically arise out of the changing needs of the department and the changing demands of the student body a department serves. As your department begins discussions, please keep in mind that Honors Program staff is happy to work with you and your department for developing your HM options, whether you are beginning from scratch or honing an existing program. You are most welcome to draw on the curricular experience of our Associate Director for Academic Services in designing your HM requirements.

Guidelines that all Honors in the Major curricula must follow can be found here.

A template that offers ideal Guide language, including for Honors in the Major curricula, can be found here

2. Submit the HM changes to the Faculty Honors Committee (FHC) for review.

Once your department has determined the new requirements, the changes will need to be reviewed by the Committee, which typically meets once a month during the academic year for such purposes. It is useful to provide Committee members with a document that succinctly addresses the following details:

  • What the old requirements were, if any (be sure to identify specific options within the major, if relevant)
  • What the new requirements are
  • Why the change is necessary
  • How many students will be affected.

This document, along with any supporting materials, can be submitted to the Associate Director for Academic Services who will share it with the committee.

Upon review, the FHC will either approve the changes or defer the decision. In the latter case, Committee members may request additional information from the department and/or offer alternative suggestions with the intent to help the department with revisions and resubmission to the Committee.

Once the FHC approves the revisions, they are passed on to the College of Letters & Science Curriculum Commitee for ratification. Once final governance approval has been received, official memoranda are sent to the Chair and any faculty or staff who were involved with the submission.

3. Finalize the changes as necessary 

To finalize any changes, the department may need to do one or more of the following: amend the Guide, alter Honors designations in the Schedule of Classes, contact the DARS representatives to alter the way the system reads the department’s HM requirements, alter the departmental website if it includes curriculum, and/or notify relevant individuals (academic advisors, departmental faculty, etc.).