Curriculum

The purpose of the honors curriculum is to engage in an honors-level academic experience with other honors students and selected UCI faculty. Courses are designed especially for Campuswide Honors students, and are taught by dedicated faculty who are passionate about teaching honors students. Many of the courses are team-taught and interdisciplinary, and open up a world of new ideas, issues, and methods of inquiry. They also help students develop and sharpen their reading, writing, mathematical, analytical, and communication skills. Campuswide Honors courses offer small discussion sections, special honors forums, and the opportunity to learn and collaborate with other highly motivated students.

The Honors curriculum consists of Honors Humanities Core and two core course track options: Campuswide Honors Classic Track and Sustainable Societies. Classic Track includes Honors Social Science Core (Critical Issues in the Social Sciences) and Honors Science Core (The Idiom and Practice of Science, for non-science majors only). Sustainable Societies includes Critical Analysis of Health Science Literature, Environmental Issues Facing Sustainable Societies, Social Science Perspectives on the Sustainability of Societies, and Cities: Focal Point for Sustainability Problems and Solutions. Certain majors also take Honors Biology. The honors curriculum fulfills most of UCI’s General Education requirements.

In addition, honors students engage in undergraduate research under the direction of a faculty mentor. You will develop and implement your own research project or creative project. There will be opportunities to present your findings at conferences and symposia, and publish your research through UCI’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

What courses are continuing students required to take?

Campuswide Honors requires all students to complete as much of the honors curriculum as possible, with the minimum for those who enter the program after fall quarter of the freshman year being one year-long honors core course sequence. Depending upon an applicant’s class level, major, and coursework already completed, it could be more. While most transfer students and some continuing honors students may have already satisfied part or all of their UC Irvine general education requirement, they will be expected to complete their remaining general education requirements with the honors curriculum. In addition, all honors students must engage in research for a minimum of two quarters, which culminates in an honors thesis, creative project, or publication-quality paper.