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Several kinds of honors courses are offered as follows:

Enriched honors courses are separate sections of departmental courses that are limited to 25 students. These courses are designated with a single H following the course number (e.g., Psychology 100H) and may carry 3 or 4 credits.

Honors Colloquia are one-credit honors sections appended to regular three- and four-credit courses. They often develop topics in greater depth than in the related course; however, it is not unusual for colloquia to introduce totally new material or experiences. Colloquia are designated with HH following the course number, and are limited to 25 students. Colloquia may be prearranged and advertised in the honors course guide or determined in the first two weeks of a semester and scheduled via a colloquium contract. Honors colloquia versions of regular courses carry the combined number of credits of the regular course and the honors colloquium. Thus, Anthropology 317 for three credits becomes Anthropology 317HH for four credits.

201H Ideas That Change the World is a four-credit course in which students examine books and works of art that may have profoundly shaped the world we live in. The course is divided into four units: Models of Inquiry; the Impact of Science and Technology; Social Philosophy and Civic Engagement; and Art in the World. This course carries General Education Interdisciplinary credit.

391AH Honors Seminar: Topics is a 1-credit course in which students participate in a topical seminar designed by its instructor that incorporates skill-building in preparation for the honors thesis or project. Every section is open to students of any major, and advanced knowledge of the topic is not necessary. Students should check the Honors Seminar website for descriptions of all sections: https://www.honors.umass.edu/academics/courses/honors391ah/sections.

196ISH, 296ISH, 396ISH, 496ISH Honors Independent Study (3-6 credits) involves frequent interaction between instructor and student. The student and the sponsoring instructor must fill out a contract which is available at the Bloom Honors Advising Center and on the college’s website. There must be a plan for regular meetings and qualitative enrichment must be evident on the proposed contract before consent is given to undertake the study. A writing component is strongly encouraged as preparation for the honors thesis or project. To fulfill honors course requirements, honors independent studies of 3 or more credits must be passed with grades of B or higher.

One- or two-credit add-on honors independent studies must be affiliated with regular courses of 2 or more credits. Once the add-on contract is approved, the student’s honors independent study course enrollment replaces the regular course. Thus, a student enrolled in Economics 362 for three credits is re-enrolled in Economics 362ISH for four credits, combining the three-credit regular course and the one-credit add-on.

198H, 298H, 398H, 498H Honors Practica are one- or two-credit Pass/Fail skill-oriented courses which allow honors students to work together in small groups (for example, Peer Advising Practica). These practica cannot be used to meet honors academic course requirements.

499 Honors Thesis or Honors Project may begin with either a 499-numbered course or a graduate-level seminar, but must end with a 499-numbered course. The honors thesis or project is a six-or-more-credit intellectual pursuit that may range in scope from the more traditional sequence of honors research and thesis to concurrent or sequential seminars with an honors thesis or project as the major assignment. Students should consult a Commonwealth Honors College advisor before undertaking an honors thesis or project.