Honors Credit Opportunities
HONORS CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES
Honors College students are not required to take any Honors (UH) courses or complete any way to earn honors credit in particular. Honors (UH) courses are optional and are innovative and unique opportunities to earn honors credit if the course topics appeal to you!
Before you explore Honors College (UH) Course opportunities, please review the note from Honors faculty below on the Honors College's philosophy of teaching and learning.
The Virginia Tech Honors College offers you exceptional learning opportunities, extraordinary courses, and experiences that are not available to students outside the college and its partnerships. These opportunities are quite challenging and require that you stretch yourself beyond what is asked of you in high school and many other university settings. As a VT Honors College student, you should be aware of the following Honors College (UH) Course expectations.
We expect the best from ourselves and our colleagues – and that includes you, our students. We invest heavily in and have high standards for our individual and collective work, and we expect you will do the same.
These standards mean you should expect to –
- Participate as a highly motivated, independent, and reflective learner, who builds collaborative and transdisciplinary skills. You will need to make connections and apply yourself across disparate domains of knowledge and action. This process requires you to play an active role in your learning, work respectfully across disciplines and sectors, and seek connections within and between courses.
- Push the boundaries of knowledge and engage with new and challenging ideas to drive innovation. This is difficult work and requires more effort than you might initially think. Indeed, it is often more challenging than you may encounter in your major. Full engagement means failure is inevitable at times, as is learning from failure for growth and improvement over time.
- Engage in constructive feedback or critique with peers and faculty, enabling you to iterate and improve both current projects and future work. We care deeply about you, your ideas, and your work, and we engage accordingly. We express this care and respect through feedback and critique designed to push you beyond your current limitations and encourage improvement through iteration. No matter how strong your work is, continually ask yourself, “What have I not yet considered? How could I improve this?”. Unlike some of your past experiences with feedback, Honors courses often require you to apply feedback to a new version of the same project so that you can improve it over time.
- Be a strong partner in your education, asking critical, informed, and well-considered questions that will clarify and foster our collective inquiry and innovation. Asking questions about course structures you may not understand, expectations for your performance, and interpretation of feedback is key to success.
- Value our diversity, our rich differences in disciplinary training, scholarly experiences, and approaches to teaching. As our partners in this transdisciplinary effort, you will need to embrace this diversity as well, moving beyond a desire for single perspectives and simple answers.
While there are many other ways to earn honors credit, this guide reviews the following ways to earn honors course credit:
Honors (UH) Courses focus on critical real-world issues and allow motivated students to embrace hands-on learning across a variety of academic disciplines.
UH 1404: Principles of Collaborative Discovery
This is a required course for all new (fall 2023 or later) Virginia Tech Honors students.
Introduction to honors education at Virginia Tech. Disciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity. Qualitative and quantitative research methods. "Wicked problems," systems thinking, and collaborative discovery. Problem analysis and iterative thinking. Ethical dimensions of trans-sector activity.
Prof. Jones
Goodwin 190
CRN 21503
Tuesday/Thursday 5:00 - 6:15
Prof. Henshaw
Goodwin 190
CRN 21664
Tuesday/Thursday 5:00 - 6:15
Dr. Patrick
Hancock 100
CRN 20455
Monday/Wednesday 4:00 - 5:15
UH 1604: Introduction to Honors Quantitative/Qualitative Research
Dr. Patrick
Tuesday/Thursday 3:30 - 4:45
Squires 134
CRN 20457
OR
Dr. Velez
Tuesday/Thursday 3:30 - 4:45
Squires 134
CRN 21200
Are you interested in engaging in research as an undergraduate, either independently or as part of a faculty project? Do you think you might be interested in a job as a researcher or in going to grad school? Take UH 1604 to learn about critical practices in undergraduate quantitative and qualitative research including generating focused research questions, finding scholarly literature, organizing data, conducting ethical research, collaborative research practices, and identifying venues to present research findings. UH 1604 Research Practices focuses on critical practices in undergraduate quantitative and qualitative research, providing an introduction to best practices for application or as an entry-point to the series of research courses. Learn about other Honors students who have engaged in undergraduate research, and start making connections with faculty and peers that might lead to research opportunities in the future!
UH 3204: Honors Service-Learning
Sustainability Living Laboratory
Dr. Budowle
Wednesdays, 4:00 - 6:50
Hillcrest 143
CRN 20485
By using the Virginia Tech campus and surrounding community as a “living laboratory,” students will learn about sustainability (e.g., climate action, energy, buildings, waste, food, environmental justice) as a broad topical lens for contributing to meaningful change through service and engagement. Course activities include envisioning and reflection; field trips, including some direct service; student-led discussion facilitation; and most centrally, a team-based, semester-long project emphasizing the research and advocacy aspects of service-learning. This project-based approach supports students as professionals-in-training, partnering with campus and community mentors to complete real-world sustainability projects of clearly defined need for a deeply engaged approach to service-learning.
UH 3614: Data Collection/Analysis for Honors Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Dr. Lewis
Tuesday/Thursday, 3:30 – 4:45
Hillcrest 143
CRN 20487
More and more, we are asked to critically evaluate and understand complex data and statistics. But what do all those numbers really mean? How do we distinguish between information that is enlightening and information that is misleading? In UH 3614 you will learn about different types of data, collect and manage data, evaluate the work of others, and communicate evidence-based conclusions to general audiences. After taking this course, you will have a data visualization sample for your professional portfolio and be prepared to work with and talk about data in an area that interests you.
UH 4504: Honors Discovery and Innovation Studio
No Blue, No Green
Prof. Ruiz-Geli
Thursdays, 5:00 – 7:50
Hillcrest 143
CRN 20496
The Anthropocene Era is here, right now, showcasing the dark side of our CO2 footprint. Students will become activists by addressing and focusing research on the scenario of Venice, Italy. The challenges in Venice are an increase in water pollution, loss of biodiversity, impact of tourism, and risk of rapid urbanization, and these actions together threaten the ecosystem of the Italian Laguna and the fragile wetlands. Students will engage with smart materials from leading industries like Vector Foiltec, USM, Iguzzini and Piaggio Fast Forward to develop new solutions, disruptive innovations, and new applications to be incorporated in Venice scenario. Students will present their research creatively using performance, video, models, plans and sections, sketches, literature, music, data from the lab, advance engineering, and scientific formulas. NO Blue - NO Green Studio will enable students to work together as a team from multiple disciplines, focus on one shared goal, speculate about alternative futures, and fight global warming.
UH 4504: Honors Discovery and Innovation Studio
Self Care: Assisting Abilities
Dr. Braaten and Dr. Sands
Tuesday/Thursday, 11:00 – 12:15
Hillcrest 143
CRN 21680
Difficulty completing every day tasks such as dressing and eating can be demoralizing and often labels those with such limitations as disabled. Student conducted research will identify currently available solutions for these difficulties and evaluate their practicality and efficacy. Students addressing the problems of aging and limitation will be informed by the interdisciplinary engagement with their peers and guest speakers. Projects will be identified and prototypes will be developed and produced. Final products will be presented to a group of jurors.
UH 4504: Honors Discovery and Innovation Studio
Gamechangers: Design for Impact
Prof. Jones
Tuesday/Thursday, 12:30 -1:45
Hillcrest 143
CRN 21201
This studio course flips the script on how we see design, sports, and community. This course brings together a crew of thinkers, creators, and disruptors from all disciplines to explore how sports can be a vehicle for real social change. You’ll learn how to collaborate, prototype, and build solutions that take on real-world challenges, using the game to fuel impact. It’s not just about design. It’s about team. It’s about culture. It’s about the moves you make to change the game in your community. In this course, you’ll get to dive deep into what it means to create with purpose and build a team that can shake things up. By the end, you’ll have a project that redefines what it means to fuse sports, design, and culture, building solutions that don’t just sit on paper but shift the community and change the narrative.
Watch the video below to learn how to find Honors courses in the VT course registration system.
Squires 134, Honors College Studios
Honors-UAP SuperStudio asks you to work across disciplines and outside your comfort zones to form interest and problem areas, manage teams, and set the scope and goals of projects related to our environment, broadly conceived. In doing so, you will further develop synthesis, collaboration, and communication skills to help you explore your interests, develop portfolio or resume artifacts, and help you land a job. One former student noted: “I talked so much about my SuperStudio project in my interview that I can safely say it helped me land the job. My experience wouldn’t be the same without you!”
If you are interested, please join Honors SuperStudio, now with the fall theme Climate and Community forming the basis for our shared problem exploration! SuperStudio comprises two co-requisite courses that meet Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Wednesday mornings, for four credit hours that count for eight honors credits. We hope to see you there.
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Anne-Lise Velez at aknox@vt.edu.
Students will enroll in one of the following:
Dr. Velez
Tuesday/Thursday 2:00 - 3:15
CRN 20493
How do social conceptions of rights, public opinions, and environmental policy relate to each other and shape land use patterns? If this sounds interesting, sign up for the collaborative four-credit Honors-UAP SuperStudio [CRN & UH 4504 + UH 4514]. In it, you will start synthesizing policy issues and theories for non-experts as you work in a multidisciplinary team to identify a climate-related topic on which to focus your semester project. At the end of the semester you will have a great project for your portfolio and great experience communicating to different audiences!
Prof. Williams
Tuesday/Thursday 2:00 - 3:15
CRN 20494
What is the future of learning and education? How will education evolve to include climate literacy? If you want to engage in this learning environment, join the collaborative four-credit Honors-UAP SuperStudio UH 4504, 3 credits and UH 4514, 1 credit (both required). In this course, you will examine learning in educational environments (Higher Education, and more). Students will synthesize educational best practices, theories, and issues in groups. By the end of the semester, you will work with a variety of students from multiple majors, analyze climate-related topics through critical reflection, and create a project for your portfolio or resume.
Dr. Lewis
Tuesday/Thursday 2:00 - 3:15
CRN 20495
How do we know if the social change we asked for is actually happening? Follow the numbers! Sign up for the collaborative four-credit Honors-UAP SuperStudio [CRN UH 4504 + UH 4514] to explore how various forms of data allow us to predict the future of climate and community. In this course, you will learn how to find and synthesize data, trends, and information from multiple sources to determine to what degree, if any, policy changes approach the intended goal. By the end of the semester, you will have practiced developing an evidence-based strategy to address a climate or community-related issue that you can add to your professional portfolio.
Students will ALSO enroll in:
Dr. Velez
Wednesday 11:15 - 12:05
Squires 134
CRN 20498
In this course, you will further develop the teamwork, collaboration, synthesis, and communication skills that will help you land a job. By the end of the semester, you will work with a variety of students from multiple majors, analyze climate and community-related topics through critical reflection, and create a project for your portfolio or resume.
If you have a particularly busy semester planned — or are new to the Honors College — UH 2124: Honors Reading Seminars offer an enjoyable, low-pressure way to earn honors credit. We have several offered throughout the week focused on a variety of fun and interesting topics to explore!
Honors Reading Seminars are small, discussion-based classes in which students read about and explore topics of interest; practice critical reading, thinking, and communication skills; and build community with other Honors students. Reading seminars are taught by the Honors Peer Educator who proposes the seminar topic. Classes meet for 50 minutes, once a week, and earn participants 1 Honors credit. Grading is Pass/Fail only.
Spring 2025 Honors Reading Seminar topics will be announced in early November once the Peer Educator application process is complete.
Questions? Please reach out to Dr. Paul Heilker.
Departmental Honors Courses are offered through Virginia Tech's many different academic departments. These courses end with an “H” and are found in the course registration system within specific subjects (for example, MATH 2114H is an honors section of "Introduction to Linear Algebra".) A Departmental Honors Course is generally much smaller than non-honors sections of the same course and may be taught in unique ways.
COMM 2764H - Topics in Multimedia Communication, CRN 13230
COMM 2764H - Topics in Multimedia Communication, CRN 13231
COMM 2764H - Topics in Multimedia Communication, CRN 13232
COMM 2764H - Topics in Multimedia Communication, CRN 13233
COMM 2764H - Topics in Multimedia Communication, CRN 13234
COMM 2764H - Topics in Multimedia Communication, CRN 13235
ENGL 3734H - Community Writing, CRN 15218
ENGL 3744H - Writing Center Theory and Practice, CRN 15220
HNFE 2014H - Nutrition Across the Life Span, CRN 16481
ISC 1106H - Integrated Science I, CRN 16775
ISC 1106H - Integrated Science I, CRN 16775
ISC 2106H - Integrated Science II, CRN 16778
ISC 2106H - Integrated Science II, CRN 16778
MATH 2114H - Introduction to Linear Algebra, CRN 17344
MATH 2204H - Introduction to Multivariable, CRN 17367
MATH 2214H - Introduction to Differential E, CRN 17390
MATH 2406H - Mathematics in a Computational, CRN 17391
MATH 2406H - Mathematics in a Computational, CRN 17391
MKTG 3104H - Marketing Management, CRN 18154
MUS 3164H - History of Electronic Music, CRN 18430
Watch the video below to learn how to find Departmental Honors Courses in the VT course registration system.
Looking for a way to earn honors credit that doesn’t mean adding courses to your schedule? Consider completing a Faculty-Student Agreement (FSA) for a course you’re already taking! Review the FSA Guide here.
An FSA Form is required by the end of the third week of a fall or spring term in order to pursue an FSA. Find the form and more information about this process in the FSA assignments in the Canvas Honors Credit Tracker.
Have questions about honors credit or need help planning your Honors Laureate Diploma?
Set up an appointment with the Honors Peer Advising Center (HPAC)!
Learn more about Honors academic requirements and all of the ways to earn Honors credit here.