University Honors Program

The University Honors Program engages students in the life of the mind and encourages them to raise their expectations for themselves and their education. Honors students become intrinsically involved in their own learning experience, develop heightened critical awareness and independent thinking skills, and participate in research or creative works at the university and in the community.

Student Meeting with an Honors advisor in the honors lounge. Lamp in the middle. In the background is the Undergraduate Academic Engagement Sign.
Honors Program

University Honors

Current UNC students and students transferring to UNC may apply to join the University Honors Program. University  Honors  provides students an opportunity to work closely with faculty mentors and to engage deeply with their studies. Students explore topics of interest, participate in experiential learning, and complete an in-depth honors thesis or creative project in any discipline. Capstone projects may include field or lab research, survey or interview research, or humanities theses in the Research Path; an applied or civically engaged project, business or teaching curriculum project in the Applied Path; or a creative writing, music, theatre, dance or fine arts project in the Creative Path. Students may choose to complete only the capstone portion of the program as a Capstone Experience student.

Karina Martinez image

“Being in Honors has become one of my greatest academic achievements, it has shown me how much I am capable of accomplishing.” ~ Karina Martinez, Sociology ’23

Karina won the Honors Director’s Civic Engagement Award at the 2023 Honors Spring Banquet and was awarded the Meritorious Thesis Designation with her Honors Research Capstone:
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Investigative Report on the Current Effectiveness of Case Management and the Justification for Continued Education trainings.

Honors Curriculum Requirments

Honors Curriculum

The University Honors curriculum provides students the opportunity to engage in both broad interdisciplinary study and in-depth exploration of a specific topic. It builds on the First Year Experience and culminates in an Honors Capstone project. Coursework may include interdisciplinary seminars, applied coursework, internships and study abroad.

Honors Program in Catalog
Student at computer being helped by library faculty member.

Program Entry Options

The Honors Program offers several entry points for students with a desire to broaden or deepen their academic studies.

First Year Honors Experience

Designed for both incoming students and continuing students who want an introduction to Honors education. The program curriculum is interdisciplinary and supports students to produce honors quality Students completing the Honors First Year Experience receive the designation “First Year Honors” on their UNC transcript.

University Honors Program

University Honors is designed for students who want to take full advantage of the intellectual breadth and depth of the Honors Program, providing access to upper-division electives and in-depth research experiences culminating in the creation of a Senior Honors Capstone project. Students who completed First Year Honors simply continue their journey, but all UNC students — including transfer students — may apply for entry to the program as late as the end of their sophomore year. Students completing the University Honors Program receive recognition at commencement and official designation as “University Honors” on both their transcript and diploma.

Honors Capstone Experience

Honors Capstone Experience program is designed for juniors and seniors who discover Honors too late to take advantage of the full program or who want to explore their major discipline in-depth through the creation of an Honors Capstone project. This project may be in the form of a traditional research thesis, a creative work, or an applied project. Students completing the Honors Capstone Experience program receive an “Honors Capstone” designation on their transcript.

Past Honors Capstone Projects

Miranda Bermudez in India standing in front of a building in India.

Miranda Bermudez

Honors Capstone: In the Shadows of Stigma: Perceptions of Gender among Women of India's Modern Denotified Chhara Tribe

Anthropology

Miranda won the Eugene Koplitz award for Best Honors Thesis Proposal award 2023-2024. Her research took her around the word to India for an ethnographic study along with her faculty mentor, Dr. Michael Kimball, Professor of Anthropology.

Bridger Menlove presenting his honors research poster at UNC Research Day.

Bridger Menlove

Honors Thesis: Therapeutic Effects of Cannabigerol: Altering Immune Cell Populations in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Biological Sciences

Bridger Menlove won the coveted Becky Edgerton Award for the best Honors Thesis and for embodying the honors value of intellectual curiosity at the highest level among his peers in 2023. His research project was mentored by Dr. Yuyan Han, Professor of Biological Sciences.

Jordan Robinette presenting her PowerPoint at Student Showcase for Artists and Scholars.

Jordan Robinette

Pandemic Preschooling: Exploring the Link Between Supplemental Education During the Pandemic and Academic Performance in the 2023-24 School Year

Psychology

Jordan Robinette presented her meritorious thesis at the Western Regional Honors Conference and at Student Showcase for Artists and Scholars. Jordan's Honors Capstone was mentored by Dr. Nancy Karlin.