How To Earn Honors Credit
The Honors Program offers many opportunities for students to earn honors credits. Almost all Honors credit is earned concurrently with degree requirements - there are no additional costs or classes required to graduate with Honors.
- Enroll in Honors courses and receive a course grade of B or higher. Many of your UMKC Essentials core requirements can be fulfilled by taking honors courses.
- Complete an individual Honors Contract in any course to receive Honors credit for that course. If you complete an Honors Contract for a course, you cannot receive Honors credit through the discussion group for the same course.
- Participate in an Honors Discussion Group – a weekly student-led discussion session offered in connection with certain courses at UMKC. If you attend a discussion group for a particular class, you cannot complete an Honors contract for the same class.
- Complete a study abroad program. Every summer, the Honors Program offers a one-month study abroad program. In addition, many academic departments at UMKC offer excellent study abroad programs. Up to 15 credits earned in any UMKC-approved study abroad program may be counted as regular honors credits toward the coursework needed to earn the University Honors distinction.
- Enroll in a Beyond the Classroom experience, which could be an internship, a clinical experience, practice teaching, undergraduate research or a community engagement project. Up to six credits earned in Beyond the Classroom experiences may be counted toward the University Honors distinction.
- Enroll in Graduate courses - Up to six credits of graduate-level coursework may be counted toward the University Honors distinction. Talk to your academic advisor for more information.
- Complete a Senior Honors Thesis or Project.
Honors Credit Tracking and Planning Resources
Planning your Honors credit just got easier! The Honors Program has introduced new resources to help students track, review, and plan their Honors credits throughout their undergraduate experience.
In tandem with current resources such as PlanMyDegree, students can use these new Honors resources to:
- Document and review previous Honors credits they have completed.
- Keep track of the Honors credits they are currently pursuing.
- Plan for prospective Honors credits they may want to complete in the future.
- Get a clearer picture of their progress toward their Honors credit requirements.
- Guide important decisions about what types of Honors experiences may work best with their courseload.
Whether you are just beginning your Honors journey or getting ready to graduate, these tools can help you stay organized and make informed decisions about your remaining Honors coursework.
Explore the Honors Credit Tracking Sheet & Decision Flowchart!
Honors Credit Decision Flowchart
Questions about any of these resources? Email honors@umkc.edu!