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Part A — Creating an Honors Contract Form

Only a student can initiate a new contract form. Prior to creating the form, the student and instructor MUST meet and discuss what the proposed requirements for earning Honors contract in the course will be. When the details are known, the student will complete the correct contract form (Contract or Designation) and save it. Once saved, the student cannot make changes. The contract form is inactive until it has the instructor's signature. The Honors Contract System contains the list of Inactive contract forms, and they are sorted by the Instructor Signature Deadline. Typically this deadline is Census Date, but some courses have an earlier deadline (e.g., 8-week courses). New forms cannot be created after this date.

In some instances, the instructor may elect to revise the proposed work. When this occurs, the student will receive an email directing them to log into the Honors Contract System to review the changes.

When creating a new contract form, the system will automatically remove courses that are ineligible for contracting. Ineligible courses are: courses already contracted, designated courses, courses by taught by part-time faculty (TAs, GTAs, etc.) and courses with an HONR prefix. The remaining classes will appear in the drop-down list no earlier than five days before the first day of class.

Please note that a professor may not require a certain course grade in order to approve a contract. The Honors College guidelines are already set at an A or a B.

Once a contract form has both the student and instructor signatures, it becomes active and no further revisions are permitted. The Honors College and Faculty Fellows review the proposed requirements of all contract forms for eligibility and rigor. The student can begin working on the proposed requirements as soon as the form is active since the Honors College review may take several days to complete. The form is considered valid unless it is returned by the College for more information.

If there are problems with a contract form, the Honors College will contact the student via their email. The student must consult with the instructor to improve or modify the proposed requirements. Both the student and instructor are required to sign the contract form again before the revision deadline, which is typically seven calendar days after the notification is sent.

It is the responsibility of the student to check the status of their Contracts and Designation Forms before the deadline and to remind the instructor, if necessary.

Part B — Finalizing an Honors Contract

The instructor can approve a Contract at any time by providing a second signature on the form, once the requirements of the contract have been completed to their satisfaction. A contract is considered void if the instructor does not provide a second signature, rejects the work done by the student as substandard, or if the student fails to fulfill the requirements by the stated deadline.

The Reflection Section is optional, but students are strongly encouraged to complete it. This section becomes available to the student: a) once the instructor has provided their second signature indicating approval of the work done; or b) seven days prior to the last official day of class.

The deadline for finalizing Contracts is typically one week before the last official day of class; however, some courses have an earlier deadline (e.g., 8-week courses). A list of Active contracts is sorted by the due date in the Honors Contract System and can be viewed at any time by signing in.

It is the responsibility of the student to check the status of their Contracts before the final deadline, and remind the instructor, if necessary.

Important Note: Honors Designation Forms do not require the instructor to provide a second signature; however, an instructor who feels that a student's completed work is not sufficient for earning Honors contract does have the option of notifying the Honors College and withdrawing their approval.

Honors Contract Notations on the Transcript

At the end of each semester, students who have completed Honors Contracts and Designation Forms and who have earned an A or a B in those courses will have their Honors contract noted on their transcript.

The transcript notations should appear within a week after the Registrar declares the grades are final. This date is listed in the Registrar's website in the Grades Posting Schedule.