FAQs for Prospective students
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What’s the difference between an ‘A Section’ and a regular introductory class?
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What’s the difference between the Honors residence halls and the other halls on campus?
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Is being in Honors like being in a club like the National Honors Society in high school?
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What’s special about the professors who teach Honors classes?
1. What is the Honors Program?
The Honors Program at the University of Hawai΄i at Mānoa offers a
course of study that prepares talented and motivated students for
independent and original research and creative work. It emphasizes
intellectual community and encourages mentorship relationships both
among students and between students and faculty. The Honors Program is
divided into Selected and Upper Division Honors.
2. What is Selected Studies and who should apply?
Selected Studies
is the lower division component of the Honors Program, especially
designed for first year and sophomore students. If you a freshman you
should apply to Selected Studies. If you are still a sophomore and have
general education requirements to fulfill, you should probably apply to
Selected Studies.
3. What is Upper Division Honors and who should apply?
Upper Division Honors is the component of the Honors Program specially designed for junior and senior students. If you have declared a major and you are nearly finished with general education requirements, or you will soon be a Junior, you should apply to Upper-Division Honors.
4. What are the benefits of the Honors Program?
Honors combines the intimate educational experiences offered by small, liberal arts colleges, with the extensive range of educational opportunities and the excellence of faculty and facilities of a Carnegie “Doctoral/Research-Extensive” university. It offers “the best of both worlds!"
- Small class sizes emphasizing in-depth discussion
- Special inquiry-based curriculum that emphasizes active learning and independent research while also meeting General Education requirements
- Personalized academic advising and guaranteed registration in Honors courses
- Honors housing (reserved floors in dorms), organized social events (picnics, bowling, hiking, etc.), reading/meeting room for students, student activities club
- Prestige of
Sophomore Honors on your official transcript and the value of an
Honors degree in application for jobs and graduate school
5. What are the automatic admission requirements?
As an incoming freshman there are two ways to enter Selected Studies:
- Invitation
Incoming high school students who meet our automatic admission requirements of a 3.0GPA and minimum either 1800SAT or 27ACT should receive an invitation after UHM has admitted them.
- Initiative
You don't have to be invited to apply! If students do not meet the above criteria, they may apply under their own initiative. A letter of recommendation from a high school counselor or a high school instructor is required.
See Requirements.
As a UH or transfer student applying to Selected Studies you need a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and one academic letter of recommendation.
As a UH or transfer student applying to Upper Division Honors, you need a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and three letters of recommendation, 2 of which must be from a UHM instructor.
For details about admission into the Honors Program, please see
Instructions.
6. Do I need to be invited to apply to the Honors Program?
No! Anyone can apply, at any time.
7. What is required to remain in the Honors Program?
You must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and take at least one Honors
course per semester to remain in good standing
8. What exactly are Honors courses?
Honors provides a range of courses that allow you to satisfy General
Education requirements, build you major, and explore educational
opportunity at the University of Hawaii. There are two kinds of Honors
courses: "A Sections" and Honors "alpha" courses.
9. What's the difference between an "A Section" and a regular introductory class?
“A Section” courses are special sections of regular classes that are reserved for Honors students. Enrollment is limited to 20 students and generally such courses provide students with a more in-depth and challenging exploration of the course subject matter.
For hallmarks and a list of courses see
"A Section"
Courses.
10. Why should I take an Honors "alpha" class?
Honors "alpha" courses are special seminar courses which are part of an innovative "inquiry-based" curriculum designed to introduce students to research and creative work at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. These intimate seminars build community among Honors students, introduce you to faculty, and train you both to conduct research and creative work.
You can start right away with HON 101: Introduction to Manoa and its neighborhoods, a course designed especially for first-year students.
For a list and descriptions of other Honors alpha courses see
Courses [link].
11. Do I have to take Honors classes?
You must take at least one "A Section" or Honors class to remain in
good standing. Typically, Honors students take more than one Honors
class, but only very rarely would they take all Honors classes.
12. How many students are there in Honors?
About 340 in total. About 250 in Selected Studies and 90 in the
Upper Division Honors Program. Typically about 150 new students join
the program each year.
13. How many Honors students are in the residence halls?
Each year varies depending on how many students request this option. However, each year the Honors Program reserves 3 floors (appx. 75 spaces) in first-year housing and 2 floors in the upperclass Frear hall.
14. What's the difference between the Honors residence halls and the other halls on campus?
The biggest difference is the stronger sense of community. Because many Honors students in the residence halls are also in classes together, friendships and study groups are started more easily.
15. Is being in Honors like being in a club like the National Honor Society in high school?
No. UHM Honors Program is not a club or Honors Society but an
academic program. It is not affiliated with any other honors societies
on campus. It does, however, similarly include co-curricular activities
and incorporates service projects.
16. What’s special about the professors who teach Honors classes?
Faculty who teach Honors alpha classes are selected in a competitive
process for which they must provide proposals. They are selected
specifically for their strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
17. Can anyone participate in Honors? What about a major in X?
All undergraduate majors are eligible to participate in the Honors Program. The application process to upper-division Honors includes a review by the department’s undergraduate advisor. In some cases, departments have additional entrance or program requirements for their majors.
Some majors have extensive requirements that may cause difficulties
for students who wish to participate in Honors. With good planning and
some willingness to be flexible most of these difficulties can be
overcome. Students in doubt about the feasibility of doing Honors in
their chosen major should schedule an appointment to talk with the
Honors Program Director.
