Frequently Asked Questions 
- What are the requirements to complete the University Honors Program?
- How many honors courses am I required to take each semester?
- What is an Inquiry 444H seminar?
- Do these Honors courses add to my regular course load each semester?
- What must I do to stay in the Honors Program?
- May I study abroad in the honors program?
- What are the benefits of participating in the University Honors Program?
University Honors (32 credits)
4 honors Gen. Ed./other approved courses (including Inquiry 444H seminar) (16 credits)
AND
Honors-in-Major coursework (including thesis), according to department’s specific guidelines (minimum of 16 credits)
Honors-in-Major only (16 credits)
Minimum of 16 credits of Honors-in-Major coursework (including thesis), according to each department’s specific guidelines.
There is no set requirement, but we strongly encourage you to take two or even more each semester. Students who take more than one usually do better in all their courses, and report greater satisfaction with their college experience. But at a minimum: Honors Program students must successfully complete four honors general education courses (including an Inquiry 444H seminar) by the end of their sophomore year and an additional four or more honors courses (including the senior honors thesis) prior to graduation. Honors courses foster the skills of inquiry, analysis, and writing, and encourage students to explore subject matter in greater depth and detail.
The 444H seminar is a small, discussion-based course, centered on a special topic, designed to be interactive and research-oriented. The faculty are drawn from amongst the finest teachers in the university. The course size, which is capped at twenty first and second-year students from across the five colleges, allows for a lively forum in which to express your views and develop new interests. Seminar students develop close relationships with each other, and with the faculty teaching them.
Each semester we offer a new group of seminars in which timely special topics cover a wide range of disciplines. When you see one that interests you—take it! It may not come around again.
In order to develop a strong sense of UNH as a community of learners, we strongly encourage you to take the honors seminar in your first year.
No, since most Honors courses fulfill general education requirements.
Students who enter the University in fall 2008 and in subsequent years must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.40 in order to graduate with a University Honors designation. The current minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 will continue to apply to all students enrolled at UNH as of May 2008.
Individual Honors-in-Major programs may set their own minimum cumulative GPA's. Please see departmental information.
Yes, we encourage students to study abroad! We offer the opportunity for students to complete an honors general education category five requirement abroad. We also offer a special honors exchange with University College at Utrecht in the Netherlands. And of course, you can study anywhere in the world through either a UNH program or one of our many partnerships. UNH's Center for International Education
In addition to having access to wonderful small classes in every college, students in the Honors Program enjoy social events, cultural opportunities, speakers, films and advising sessions sponsored by the Program and by the Student Advisory Board. Special Honors Study Abroad opportunities ensure that students can fulfill both Honors general education requirements and, occasionally, major requirements. Honors students know their faculty better, and can work more closely with them over a longer period of time. And Honors students are recruited for post-baccalaureate opportunities: international fellowships like Fulbrights, Marshalls and Rhodes; graduate programs in medicine, law, and the arts and sciences; and employment in a full range of competitive areas.