The University of Tampa Honors Program has recently created a new team-taught interdisciplinary curriculum for its students that will replace the current Baccalaureate Experience, and applications are now open for faculty interested in being Fellows in the new program.
Honors Fellows will teach one class per year in-load every 3 years with the Honors Program and will be paid a one-time stipend of $1000 for course creation, if selected.
Options include teaching in one of the team-taught courses (Where are we going? Where have we been? Or Where are we now?) or leading an Idea Lab on your own. Idea Labs are courses in thought experiments. In these courses, students will use critical inquiry to try and test hypotheses to address and/or solve a problem that presents itself locally (in Tampa Bay) or globally (in society).
In order to present your research at an Honors Conference, you'll need to have a draft of the paper or project ready, along with an outline of the presentation you plan to give at the conference. Participation in these conferences is competitive - we will select only the very best proposals and fully fund those students to attend these conferences.
The Honors Program is always looking for new, innovative courses that will challenge our students to think, explore, and achieve. Honors courses are designed to challenge our very best students by operating at a higher level of intellectual inquiry. The Honors Committee awards Honors designation to courses based on a combination of the criteria listed below:
- Is there rigorous grading?
- Does the course have an experiential-learning focus?
- Is there an expectation for students to engage in research?
- Is there a requirement for in-field, professional writing assignments?
- Is there a meaningful community service project in conjunction with a scholarly component (such as a paper or presentation)?
- Are there oral presentations in a symposium setting?
- Is there an expectation for creative works (performance, film, scholarly writing, blogs, journals, portfolios)?
- Are there enhanced class discussions, exercises, curricula?
- Is there a challenging reading list?
- Are there guest professionals who will visit the classroom?
- Are there educational excursions or other required attendance at appropriate events outside the classroom (such as Honors Program symposia)?
- Is there a level of inquiry to the course that is unique, challenging and extraordinary?
Your course proposal should address at least some of the above questions in illustrating why the course is worthy of the Honors designation. The Honors Committee also expects that all syllabi submitted as part of new Honors Course proposals will be in compliance with all university-wide requirements (e.g., ADA, academic integrity policy, etc.).
For more information about the expectations of Honors Courses, please see this guide.
To help encourage Honors Program students to engage in original scholarship, the Honors Program will consider requests for funding to help students travel to academic and scholarly conferences WITH their academic mentors or advisors. The Honors Program typically provides around $250.00 per student per conference but can, pending the specifics of the situation, provide additional funds.
In order to qualify for travel funds, students and their mentors must have previously requested student travel funds from (1) their respective colleges (e.g., College of Arts and Letters, College of Business, etc.) and (2) their respective departments. Evidence of having requested travel funds from colleges and departments is required in the application.
In addition to completing the application for student travel, students must provide evidence of their participation at the conference. Specifically, they must provide documentation of their inclusion in the conference program and/or a photograph of them presenting at the conference when they return (or both).
The Honors Abroad Scholarship is an award given to deserving Honors students in good standing whose field of study will directly and significantly benefit from an Honors Study Abroad experience. The award can be applied toward any UT faculty-led study abroad opportunity. Applications are due online at least two months before the onset of the study abroad experience.
Selection of the students to receive scholarships will be made by the Honors Program Director and Associate Director. Scholarship funds will be awarded at the time the student makes the final deposit for travel abroad with the International Program Office.
Please read the Honors Thesis Guidelines before beginning your application.
Please fill out the form in its entirety. Failure to give the proper information about your project may result in the application's rejection. Some theses require research/travel funding, but not all; if the cost questions do not apply to your project, write N/A where required.
Due Dates:
Fall -- First Monday of November
Spring -- Second Monday of April
This form is for people who have had their thesis project approved by the Honors Committee but, while researching, had to make a significant change to their thesis. Small changes are at the discretion of the thesis director, but large changes that change the overall thesis topic or the essence of the thesis should be documented by filling out this form.
This form is for faculty who supervise Honors Theses to submit their evaluation of the final project.
For Faculty:
You'll need the name and ID of the student to complete the form. You'll also need to upload a scanned copy of this document signed by yourself and the other members of the Thesis Committee.
For Students:
You'll need to sign the Institutional Repository form if you're willing for the library to store your thesis. It's here: https://utampa.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d06YpvYH4Ut3XVk.
This rest of this thesis completion form is for your faculty advisor to complete. Please send them a link to this form so they can complete it.
Honors tutorials are only open to students with 90 degrees or more (Seniors). Other students should satisfy their Honors requirements by taking Honors-designated classes, writing a thesis, or participating in the Oxford Abroad program.
As an Honors student, you can consider the possibility of undertaking an Honors Enrichment Tutorial, particularly if you are actively involved in a major that requires a large number of courses or you have completed the Baccalaureate Experience requirements.
Honors Enrichment tutorials are meant to personalize your classes. They have the potential to lead to scholarly articles in journals or to presentations at professional conferences. They are an agreement between you and the professor of one of your classes to meet at least once every other week to discuss a special project on which you are working. The project may be extra problems that you discuss in a seminar, a written paper, or it may be a laboratory experiment, a review of some pertinent literature, a research project, or a creative work. Honors enrichment tutorials offer you a special opportunity to interact with your professor to advance your education.
These tutorials are intended to improve the quality of the class and elevate it to an Honors experience for you. You and the professor make the arrangements and submit them to the Director of the Honors Program. You receive Honors designation for the course once the professor indicates successful completion of the tutorial project to the Honors Director. A successfully completed tutorial counts as one Honors course to fulfill the Honors Program requirements.
To arrange an Honors Enrichment Tutorial, simply do the following:
a) Select one of the classes you will be taking or are already taking. This must be a class taught by a full-time member of the UT faculty, not an adjunct professor. This class must be taken for a letter grade (A – F), not pass/fail.
b) Approach the professor about doing it as a tutorial as well as a classroom experience. If one professor is unable to do it, another from one of your other classes usually will.
c) Complete this application with your professor by the deadline (the deadline is the third Friday of classes each semester). This application requires a description of the project and dates for the meeting times.
d) At the conclusion of the term, remind the professor to write the narrative assessment so that it becomes part of your file and the professor may receive the stipend.
If you have additional questions about Honors Tutorials, please see this guide on the Honors blog.
For Faculty:
You'll need the name and ID of the student to complete the form. You'll also need to upload a short document detailing what the student did for the Honors Enrichment Tutorial and whether you think they satisfactorily completed what they had proposed to do.
For Students:
This form is for your faculty advisor to complete. Please send them a link to this form so they can complete it.
Partners in the Parks (PITP) is an outdoor experiential learning program coordinated by the National Collegiate Honors Council. PITP projects at national parks across the country offer unique opportunities for collegiate honors students and faculty to visit areas of the American landscape noted for their beauty, significance and lasting value. To learn more about PITP travel destinations, dates, and deadlines, visit: https://www.nchchonors.org/events/partners-in-the-parks.
Submissions are due by 3/1/2024. The Honors Program will pay for the flight and registration fees affiliated with the trip after the student pays a $200 non-refundable deposit. Students are responsible for all other fees, including but not limited to camping gear, any lodging before/after the the program begins, and ground transportation.
Co-directors will select the students who will represent the University of Tampa at Partners in the Park.
Seniors are not allowed to apply for PITP, as these are summer programs that require students to be actively enrolled.
Through the efforts of the family and friends of Timothy M. Smith, the UT Honors Program is pleased to offer the Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration Award. This award is made each year to stimulate international study and writing among Honors Program students. The selected student will receive up to $2,500 for summer travel expenses. The award, offered through the Honors Program, has been established to honor the life of Timothy M. Smith. Although a lawyer by trade, Tim’s true passion was traveling the world and writing about his many experiences. The award provides a talented student author with an opportunity to travel and find additional inspiration for pursuing literary aspirations. The Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration Award is presented annually to an Honors Program student near the end of the fall semester.
Eligibility: Any continuing full-time University of Tampa undergraduate Honors student in good standing is eligible.
The application deadline is February 1 for travel in the subsequent summer.
Note: Each year’s recipient must submit a photo essay detailing their experiences during their summer journey. Essays will be posted at www.inspirationthroughexploration.com
For more information on the Timothy M. Smith Inspiration Through Exploration Award, visit www.inspirationthroughexploration.com or contact the Director of the Honors Program, at honors@ut.edu or (813) 257-3545.
Honors Executive Council is interested in short videos about why you are in Honors or what you like about the Honors Program to share on Instagram.
Please make sure that your video is professional and appropriate. A high-quality video can earn you 10 Engagement points (only 1 per semester is allowed).