Rebekah Page, Associate Director
https://honors.utk.edu/
The Chancellor’s Honors Program is the University of Tennessee’s principal honors program with students representing majors in all nine of the university’s undergraduate colleges. The Chancellor’s Honors Program is built upon the core values of intellectual curiosity, critical awareness, and social responsibility. Through completion of an exclusive first-year honors writing sequence and electronic portfolio complemented with select honors courses offered by departments across the university, the Chancellor’s Honors Program offers high-achieving students the opportunity to engage with one another in a community of scholars. It also encourages them to participate with both the larger campus community through involvement, service, and research and the greater world through study abroad.
Similar to the university’s general education curriculum which requires students to complete coursework from among several categories, the Chancellor’s Honors Program curricular requirements encourage students to engage in a broad array of honors coursework in order to broaden their understanding beyond their chosen majors. Students will take five approved honors courses from at least three of the following five categories:
- Artistic Expression and Humanistic Thought: courses that focus on the exploration, appreciation, and understanding of artistic, literary, and/or philosophical works. These courses may be analytic or creative in nature.
- Behavioral, Social, and Communication Sciences: courses that focus on the understanding of society and interactions between people, i.e. human behavior and social dynamics.
- Natural Sciences: courses that focus on exploration and interpretation of scientific theories or natural phenomena, requiring students to engage with the material critically and ethically.
- Human Cultures and Civilizations: courses that focus on the study of human history and non-U.S. cultures.
- Logic, Mathematics, and Quantitative Reasoning: courses that focus on the acquisition of quantitative skills in order to solve problems.
It is important to note that, unlike the university’s general education curriculum, approved honors courses from these categories may come from upper-division course offerings as well as lower-division general courses. A complete, up-to-date list of approved courses by category is maintained on the Honors and Scholars website (https://honors.utk.edu/chancellors-honors-program/chp-approved-honors-courses/).
The Honors Living and Learning Community welcomes first-year students, while other specialized programs are geared primarily for returning students. Prominent among these are the Honors Council, which is the Chancellor’s Honors Program student government; the Honors Ambassador Program, which provides liaison across program constituents and helps with program recruitment; and the Honors Peer Mentor Program, which connects advanced honors students with their first-year peers. Chancellor’s Honors students may also benefit from exclusive grants in support of research projects and required international and intercultural learning. In recognition of their exceptional academic achievement, Chancellor’s Honors students receive special graduation recognition.
The Chancellor’s Honors Program anchors the University of Tennessee’s uniquely decentralized system of honors programs and opportunities. Chancellor’s Honors students are encouraged to participate in one or more of the University of Tennessee’s many specialized college or departmental honors programs.
Eligibility
The Chancellor’s Honors Program is available to entering first-year students. High school seniors with superior academic credentials are invited to apply. Recent entering classes have had an average high school core GPA of above 4.0 and an average composite ACT of 32. Current first- and second semester students, and qualified transfer students may be eligible to apply for membership.
Curricular Requirements
To supplement the requirements in their respective colleges, Chancellor’s Honors students complete:
- First-year honors writing sequence
- Five approved honors courses from at least three of the following categories2:
- Artistic Expression and Humanistic Thought
- Behavioral, Social, and Communication Sciences
- Natural Sciences
- Human Cultures and Civilizations
- Logic, Mathematics, and Quantitative Reasoning
- Two-semester, or approved equivalent, capstone experience in undergraduate research, scholarship, or creative activity culminating in a senior thesis or project. (UNHO 497 -UNHO 498 or approved equivalent)
TOTAL: 25+ credit hours of honors coursework3
Co-curricular Requirements
- Ready for the World Experience: an approved international/intercultural learning experience to be fulfilled through one of the following:
- Study-abroad
- International travel for service, research, internship, or other academic purpose
- Completion of a major or minor in a modern foreign language
- Completion of an approved intercultural domestic project
- Campus and Community Engagement: an annual requirement to actively participate in the life of the campus and community by:
- Attendance at least three honors-approved events (called “Becker Seminars”) each semester
- Completion of at least 25 hours of documented community service each year
- Electronic Portfolio: electronic website (which can be private) where students will summarize and make connections between curricular and co-curricular experiences and reflect. Designed to be a four-year undertaking, the completed portfolio will be reviewed prior to student’s graduation.
Chancellor’s Honors students are expected to make timely progress towards honors graduation while maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5. Students risk losing their place in the program if they fail to meet these requirements.
| 1 |
ENGL 198 *-ENGL 298 * fulfills two of the three Communicating through Writing courses required by the university. All CHP students must complete ENGL 198 *-ENGL 298 * regardless of existing credits from AP or dual enrollment composition courses. |
| 2 |
The University Honors Committee, comprised of appointed representatives from each of the undergraduate academic colleges, approves existing honors courses for the Chancellor’s Honors Program requirements. A complete, up-to-date list of approved courses by category is available on the CHP Canvas site as well as the Honors and Scholars website (http://honors.utk.edu/chp-approved-honors-courses/). Students may also apply for approval of a maximum of one honors-by-contract or study abroad course (for which they have received transfer credit from UT). |
| 3 |
No AP or dual enrollment credit will be accepted for honors credits for the Chancellor’s Honors Program requirements. |
* Meets University General Education Requirement .
