Honors Contract Guidance
If you are planning on contracting for Honors credit in any of your courses, please use the
following guidelines. We must all consider the fact that instructors are already dealing with
multiple courses, multiple sections and many students when an Honors student asks them to
arrange to do an Honors contract. This requires extra work on their part and they are not
required by anyone to agree to contract with you. Most, however, are willing and happy to
discuss the possibilities with you, under the right circumstances. In order to maintain a favorable,
willing and supportive attitude toward USA Honors by our faculty, please be considerate and
understanding of the instructors whom you approach. In some past situations (rare, but you know
how those things get repeated!), faculty have felt that an Honors student was asking for special
favors and perhaps acting "spoilt".
1. Approach your instructor before the class begins, and certainly not later than the first day of
class, to determine if a contract for Honors credit is possible. I will not approve any that are
submitted beyond the end of the second week of classes in any term. Plan ahead and be
proactive!
2. Do not plan to meet an Honors course requirement (i.e. CIS 250) by contracting for another
non-honors section of a course that is offered as an Honors course or in a term when it is not
offered as an Honors course (i.e., EH 105). Departments are currently assigning faculty to
Honors courses with reduced enrollment for specific terms and sections. This reduces their ability
to cover other sections with greater enrollment. Faculty assigned to Honors courses have been
specially selected and have agreed to take the assignment knowing that it will probably take extra
effort on their part but that enrollment will be controlled at lower numbers than regular sections.
Faculty teaching non-honors sections expect larger enrollments but don't expect to do one-on one
work with an Honors student. Under extenuating circumstance, and with particularly generous
faculty, you may be able to arrange these contracts, but don't at all count on it.
3. For non-honors courses, many faculty may not have encountered the concept of an "Honors
Contract" and may need a little coaching or discussion to become comfortable with the idea. Feel
free to refer them to me with questions. As you can imagine, this kind of a situation could
become negative if the instructor feels you have waited too late or feels pressured to do this
contract. So, give them plenty oflead-time and information and accept a "no'' answer if they are
not willing to arrange a contract.
4. As a courtesy to your instructor who has been doing a contract with you, gently and politely
remind them near the end of the term that they need to report the satisfactory completion of the
contract to me (final signatures on the contract form) in order for me to have it put on your
transcript. Don't just leave it up to them to remember!
Careful adherence to the above suggestions should keep the faculty happy and enthusiastic and
should continue to give you opportunities and access to enriched "Honors" courses.
Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. Happy contracting!