Introduction to Honors Curriculum
The University Honors curriculum is made up of 12 semester hours of honors coursework and 12 honors credits (or units) of experiential learning. Please view the links to learn more, or follow this worksheet for more information: University Honors Curriculum Worksheet
- The goal for orientation is for new honors students to register for their first semester courses. For first year students, this typically includes an honors first year seminar, Honors Primetime, and possibly one or two other honors general education courses.
- Honors Primetime is a three-and-a-half day workshop exclusively for incoming first year honors students which earns participating students one semester hour of honors coursework credit. See the link for more information on this unique opportunity!
- Honors students are required to enroll in an honors first year seminar for their first semester.
- First year seminars are one-semester-hour courses taken during a student's first semester. Students can choose from a wide range of courses and disciplines and need not select a topic related to their major. We encourage openness, flexibility and exploration in selecting a first year seminar!
- Honors students who are required to enroll in a specific first year seminar for their major (e.g., engineering, Tippie direct admit) may substitute any other honors class or honors contracted class to fulfil this requirement. If schedules allow, we encourage adding an honors first year seminar as well.
Move-in for all incoming students will be August 17-19, 2024. Students will be able to select a move-in time in mid-July. Be on the lookout for an email from University of Iowa Housing and Dining with details on this process. You can also stay up to date on the Housing website: https://housing.uiowa.edu/move-in
Honors Primetime will begin Monday, August 19 and will end at noon on Thursday, August 22.
Incoming First Year Honors Students
Incoming first year honors students enrolling for fall semester register for a required honors first year seminar* and, if possible, for Honors Primetime, the pre-semester honors class. Beyond these unique first year opportunities, we recommend that you select as many honors classes and sections available to you, given your major or general education requirements. A typical first semester schedule will include anywhere from one to four honors classes.
* Students in the College of Engineering, Tippie Direct Admits, and other students whose majors require them to take a specific first year seminar may substitute a different honors class for this requirement. For these students, an honors first year seminar is recommended but not required.
Transfer Students
We recommend that transfer students joining University Honors explore honors in the major through their individual majors and colleges. Honors contracting is another option particularly suited to transfer students. Students transferring from an honors program at a different college or university may be able to apply previous honors coursework to their University Honors degree audit. Contact honors-program@uiowa.edu early in your program membership to explore this possibility.
Transfer students are encouraged to make an individual appointment for honors advising early in their first semester at Iowa.
Current Student Orientation & Welcome to Honors
Honors Peer Mentors and Outreach Ambassadors hold Welcome to Honors and group advising sessions for current/continuing students who join the program. Welcome to Honors sessions are held within the first five weeks of the semester and are advertised in the Honorable Messenger, our weekly email newsletter. New members receive an email invitation to sign up for a Welcome to Honors session. New members may also arrange individualized honors advising. See here for more information about Peer Mentoring.