Planning Sheets

Honors Option Agreement

Turn almost any course into an Honors course with the honors option agreement form. The form must be submitted by the end of the third week of classes. The Honors advisor will contact the faculty to confirm the agreement after receiving the form and will contact the faculty member to confirm work has been completed at the end of the semester.

Steps to Follow Before Completing the Form:

  1. Approach your instructor within the first three weeks of the semester to ask about turning your course into an honors course. Sometimes faculty are too busy to devote the time needed to support your work. It’s ok if they say no!
  2. Keep in mind that Honors courses and experiences are designed to be measurably broader, deeper, or more complex than standard courses (following the National Collegiate Honors Council definition of honors education).
  3. The instructor determines what your Honors-level work will be for the course. Students will include information about what work is required on the option agreement form.
  4. Students are encouraged to share academic and career goals and any ideas you have for honors projects or assignments.
  5. Students will write a rationale for the Honors Option Agreement as a separate document and upload it to the Honors Option Agreement form. Explain clearly and comprehensively your:

    • Reasoning for turning this course into an Honors course, and

    • How this course meets your academic and career goals.

You may want to refer to specific Cohen Honors Learning Outcomes or the outcomes for the specific area of emphasis in your rationale (e.g. leadership track outcomes). Minor in University Honors: https://catalog.wichita.edu/undergraduate/honors-college/minor-honors/  

Examples of work completed to earn Honors credit for a standard course include:

  • A research and reflection paper comprising real-world experience which applies in-class knowledge.
  • A presentation of further studies related to the discipline including additional primary source materials, additional problems to solve, or ways to extend course material.
  • Assist professor with a small part of current research related to course content.

Petition Forms

Petition for an exception to Cohen Honors College curriculum requirements or catalog regulations

Petitions due: Fall graduates, December 1st and Spring & Summer graduates, May 1st

Review Process
Results are returned to you by email (shockers.wichita.edu only), the afternoon of the first business day following the review and decision. We make every effort to respond within 4 weeks. To comply with Federal Privacy Laws, we do not release exceptions results over the telephone.

Other Forms

Honors Course Permission form - Are you not currently a member of the Cohen Honors College but interested in learning more? Any WSU student can take one Honors seminar course with permission without being admitted to Honors.

Honors Meeting Room Request form

Newsworthy Submission form - Use this form to tell us something newsworthy about you or advertise an event in the Weekly Update.

Troubleshooting - Report a problem with door access, printing, or something else using this form. 

Voluntary Withdrawal - Let us know you want to withdraw from Honors using this form.

Honors Student Programming Excuse Form - Members of student groups coordinated within the Cohen Honors College will submit this form one week in advance of a program they cannot attend.