Lower Division Honors Program

About the UHP Learning Community

The University Honors Program (UHP) provides a smaller learning community within the larger University community with which to identify and connect. Our students often refer to UHP as their second family.

The Lower Division University Honors Program encourages well-prepared and highly motivated students to excel in this challenging academic environment by taking an active role in shaping their education. The UHP also stresses the concept of "service-learning," a crucial element of the program. Students are expected to volunteer in efforts that better the community.

The UHP lower division curriculum provides Honors students with special seminars, projects, and classes designed to introduce them to the challenges and rewards of scholarship and research. Honors courses are small in size, allowing for personal interaction with some of the most enthusiastic and innovative faculty members at UCR.

Admission Process

Lower Division Honors - For Incoming Freshmen

Participation in Lower Division Honors is by application.  Only incoming freshmen may apply to the Lower Division Honors Program. The application period is January - April.  Students are only admitted to Lower Division Honors prior to the fall quarter of their first year at UCR.

A 3.5 high school GPA as reported on the UC system application is a mandatory criteria for eligibility. Applicants with an SAT score of 2100 or higher and a GPA above 3.5 will be marked as "guaranteed admission" once their application to Honors has been received. As long as those students complete the UHP application by the deadline, they are guaranteed admission.  Other students who are eligible for "guaranteed admission" consideration are Regents and Chancellor's scholars. A competitive candidate will also have an excellent high school record of both scholarship and service.

Applications from students with SAT scores below 2100 will be evaluated by the UHP Admission Committee and many of these students will gain admission to the program.  Keep in mind, admission to the UHP is becoming increasingly competitive and not all students meeting the 3.5 GPA criteria will be admitted.

Sophomore Applied Learning Component - For Current UCR Freshmen

A new feature of the University Honors Program, the Sophomore Applied Learning Component, is an opportunity for excellent current UCR freshmen to join the University Honors Program at the end of their first year. Applications to the Sophomore Applied Learning Component are accepted only from current first-year UCR freshmen and only during spring quarter.  Qualified students will be invited to apply via their campus e-mail account. Applicants must have a cumulative UC Riverside GPA of 3.50 or above. Learn more about Sophomore Honors!

Key Lower Division Components

Personal Growth & Community Service

The Personal Growth and Community Service Components provide a framework for students to learn more about themselves. Students are encouraged to not just find personal meaning in their pursuit of intellectual knowledge, but to become more well-rounded, active learners who raise questions, identify goals, and consider options and practical strategies for increasing their own self-knowledge. UHP participants are encouraged to develop an understanding through engaging in a variety of service learning activities.

Peer Mentoring Program

Current Honors Students volunteer to serve as peer mentors to first year students.  Incoming students gain a mentor who has a similar major and interests, one who will help them make the transition to the college environment.  Mentors guide their students in the development of the skills and techniques that can enrich and enhance their academic and personal goals.

Lower Division Program Requirements

Curriculum

Honors students must complete at least four Honors courses (16 units) within the first two years. At least two of these courses (8 units) must be seminar courses. The Honors courses offered vary each quarter and are available on the Honors Website.

UHP courses are only open to Honors students. Honors seminars are courses developed by faculty especially for the Honors Program. The topics vary each quarter. Honors sections are the discussion section of a large lecture course, and are taught by the faculty, not a graduate student.

In addition, Honors students must enroll in a core set of courses in their first year:

• HNPG 09 (Fall quarter): Designed to help students think through typical ethical problems of college life, and learn the art of moral reasoning and dialogue, which can then be applied to other situations. Students review case studies, and explore themes central to the college experience.
• HNPG 10A/B (Winter and Spring quarters): The 10A/B Colloquium includes lectures by professors from various UCR departments. Faculty share their current research and innovations in the field, along with their own personal stories of their path to teaching at UCR.

Completion of the Lower Division Honors Program

The following outline summarizes the information above in a format to clearly explain to students what is required of them to complete the Lower Division Honors Program and receive notification on their transcript. Honors students complete the Lower Division Honors Program once they have satisfied the following:

1. Complete the first-year workshop and colloquium series (HNPG 09, HNPG 10A, and HNPG 10B)

2. Complete the quarterly requirements of the Learning Contract.

3. Students must complete 16 units of Honors section and seminar credit:

• Four, 4-unit courses within two years.
• At least 8 of the 16 units must be seminars - classes that typically begin with "HNPG"
• HNPG 097, Lower Division Research, can be used to satisfy a maximum of 4 seminar units.
• Students can elect to distribute HNPG 097 over two quarters. For example: a student may take 2-units of HNPG 97 in -Fall, and take 2 more units in Winter. The total amount is still 4 units, or the equivalent of one Honors seminar class.

4. Students must be in good Honors Academic Standing at time of completion. (cumulative GPA at least 3.20)

Honors Academic Standing

UHP Probation & UHP Dismissal

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In order to receive Lower Division honors recognition at the end of the sophomore year, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 and a GPA of 3.2 (B) in all Honors courses. Honors credit for a section or seminar will not be given if a student receives a grade lower than "B" in that Honors section or seminar. It is expected that UHP students maintain these same grade point requirements from quarter to quarter.

All students below the required 3.2 cumulative GPA will be notified in writing and placed on UHP probation for one quarter. If a student's GPA falls below 3.0, it is sufficient for immediate dismissal from the UHP. If the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 is not attained the following quarter, status in the University Honors Program will be revoked. A student may also be placed on UHP Probation for failure to complete his or her learning contract.

Students who have applied for an Honors Fellowship must meet all UHP standards and maintain the 3.2 grade point average. If a student’s GPA falls below 3.2 overall, the Honors Fellowship will be rescinded. If the student applied for an Honors Residential Fellowship, he or she would be required to pay the full housing costs for spring quarter.

Honors Colloquium

Students will be introduced to many resources and opportunities available at UCR.  Faculty members from various disciplines will present informal lectures about their research.  First-year students are required to keep the following times available in their schedule:
Fall Quarter: Wednesdays 5:10-7:00p.m.
Winter & Spring Quarters: Wednesdays 4:10-5:00pm

Honors Sections and Seminars

To complete the requirements for Lower Division Honors, each student must successfully complete a minimum of four honors courses over two years. At least two of the four Honors courses for which a student receives Honors credit must be seminars. In order to successfully complete the coursework requirement, students must receive a grade of B (not B-) or higher to receive Honors credit for a section or seminar. Students will be required to continue taking Honors courses until they have received Honors credit for four courses. 

In the UCR Schedule and Directory of Classes UHP seminars are listed under Honors (e.g., HNPG 32E) and sections are listed within a department (e.g., History 10H is listed with the History Department).

You can find the list of current and previous Honors courses offered here.

Additional Opportunities

Honors Living and Learning Community

Housing
The UHP values a true living/learning community and seeks to create a seamless learning environment between students’ in-class and out-of-class experiences. We offer Honors housing options both in Aberdeen-Inverness and Pentland Hills residence halls. Students live and learn together, create study groups, and have access to additional academic, personal, and social enrichment activities. First Year students living in the Honors residence halls are eligible for the Honors Residential Fellowship, which provides $2000 towards the cost of their spring quarter housing fees.

Faculty in Residence
The Faculty in Residence lives among students in the Honors residence hall and provides educationally enriching programs for students. Dr. Vorris Nunley, Professor of English, currently serves in this role.

Honors Fellowship

The Honors Fellowship is designed to encourage and support scholarly endeavors of University Honors Program (UHP) participants. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of academic merit (GPA) and completion of a UHP Learning Contract. Each fellowship award category has a list of minimum qualifying requirements. Honors Fellowship awards are subject to funding availability.

Visit the Honors Fellowship page for more detailed information, guidelines and necessary forms.

Additional Benefits of the University Honors Program

Peer Mentors
Each first year Honors student is paired with a current Honors student by their majors. Peer Mentors serve as a role model, answer questions, and help ease the transition from high school to college. Peer Mentors have experienced what it is like to be a UCR and Honors student and can give insight into what it was like for them.

Small Class Sizes
Honors courses are limited to 15-20 students, and allow Honors students to get to know faculty on a one-on-one basis. Small classes also allow students an opportunity to delve more deeply into material. All Honors courses are taught by ladder-ranked faculty, not by graduate students or teaching assistants.

Priority Registration
Honors students receive priority registration, which allows them to register for classes on the first or second day of course enrollment.
Residential Fellowship: We truly value students living and learning together. We offer $2000 for first year students and $1700 for continuing students towards the cost of room and board in the spring semester.

Honors Non-Residential Fellowships
For continuing students not living in the Honors residence halls, we offer $500 fellowships to support student research, education abroad, and participation in UCDC and UC Sacramento.

Personal Interaction with Faculty
Our faculty have a wealth of knowledge and are eager to share their wisdom and passion with Honors students. Small class sizes, speaker series, and muffin mornings provide opportunities for Honors students to interact with faculty. We encourage students to create meaningful relationships and we provide opportunities to do so, which leads to faculty helping students consider advanced degrees, prepare for graduate and professional school, write letters of recommendation.

Individual Counseling and Advising
Our goal is to be an extra set of eyes and ears on campus and provide a network of resources to help students learn about what is going on on-campus and how they can get involved. We will help students with decision making about major and career choice, graduate school, applying for scholarships and internships, and seeking opportunities for research.

Personal Growth
Our focus on personal growth help students become well rounded intellectually and socially, provide opportunities to explore who they are in their quest to become an educated adult.

Community Service
Volunteering allows Honors students to help shape and positively impact our community.

Muffin Mornings
Muffin Mornings are our chance to come together every week as an Honors community. We invite faculty and staff across campus to talk with students about research, internship opportunities, and scholarships.

Research/Internship Assistance
We encourage our students to get involved in research and seek out internship opportunities. Honors staff work one-on-one with students to help identify research and internship opportunities, on and off-campus.

Speaker Series
Faculty and Department sponsored Speaker Series provide students an opportunity to become familiar with the research and breakthroughs in their own academic field, to explore a different academic discipline than their own, or explore areas of interest to help determine their major.

University Education Abroad Program (EAP)

The University Honors Program encourages students to participate in the Education Abroad Program (EAP).  The EAP is an excellent opportunity to travel and learn more about another country and its culture while taking courses which earn units toward graduation.

In addition to year-long programs, a wide range of shorter options are also available.  While on EAP, students are still eligible for financial assistance.  Students are advised to plan study abroad well in advance so as to ensure that the courses taken fit with their overall program back at UCR.

For further details see the University of California's EAP website at www.uoeap.ucsb.edu or contact UCR's International Services Center at 951-827-4113.

The International Services Center

The International Services Center offers opportunities for UHP participants to meet international students (International Club), learn or practice foreign languages (Foreign Language Club, Language Partners), watch media presentations on various cultures presented by peers, and discuss international affairs and global issues.