HONOURS PROGRAM COVERSHEET

Program Name:

Step 1: Proponent completes Honours Program Proposal Template.

Step 2: Proponent sends draft proposal to the Office of University Planning & Analysis (OUPA) for review. OUPA will ensure that the proposal has fulfilled all the requirements defined by the institution.

Step 3:OUPA will submit the proposal to the following Councils/Committees for review and approval on the proponent’s behalf.

Authorization Form for New HonoursProgram Approval

The Office of University Planning and Analysis will manage the Authorization Form.

Faculty Council(s) approves Honours program proposal. Must consult all faculties involved (e.g. BA/BSc) / Insert a summary of the minutes from Faculty Council(s) on this program. / Faculty Council Date:
Provost Council approves Honours program proposal / Copy and paste approval email from Provost Office / Provost Council meeting date:
Curriculum Committeeprovides comments on the program content and calendar copy to Senate / Copy and paste Curriculum Committee email notification. / Curriculum Committee meeting date:
Planning and Priorities Committee / Proposal sent to P&P as an information item. / Planning and Priorities Committee meeting date:
Senate grants educational approval to Honours program proposal / Copy and paste Senate email notification. / Senate meeting date:
OUPA informs VIU community of program implementation

New HONOURSPROGRAMProposal

Program Name:

Honours degrees can be developed from existing Majors.Honours degrees are not to be confused with a “Distinction” designation. The addition of Honours degrees from existing majors does not require approval from the Ministry.

Credential Summary

Faculty(s):
Dean(s) and Proponent(s):
Total number of credits:
Maximum number of students admitted per year to Honours:
Curriculum Vitae: / Please append the Curriculum Vitae of teaching faculty involved in the Honours program

Program History

Year the Major was approved by the Ministry: / Select a date. / Go to the Approval and Consents page on the Ministry site
Last date the program was reviewed: / Select a date. / Contact the Office of University Planning & Analysis
Graduate Data by Academic Year 1
2014/15 / 2015/16 / 2016/17 / 1. Source: OUPA General Enrolment DataPoint (dp5). Students may be counted more than once if they complete more than one declaration. For example, a student graduating with a BA minor in Anthropology and a minor in History will count twice.
2. Contact the Office of University Planning & Analysis for graduate data.
Major
Minor

Resources

Indicate how the addition of the Honours program will affect your program budget: (provide evidence of consultation with your Dean and Finance Department)

Rationale

Program readiness: / Target implementation date (if approved): / Select a date. /
Program purpose and key/unique features:
Add relevant information from the most recent Program Review and Summative Program Assessment.
CURRICULUM/PROGRAM CONTENT
STANDARDS:
  1. Honours degrees can be developed from existing Majors. Honours degrees are not to be confused with a “Distinction” designation. Honours programs have all the requirements for a Major, plus an additional 12 credits (minimum) in the discipline. The Honours program does not need to exceed the total credits for the degree completion. For example, the additional 12 credits may be in lieu of electives so the overall total for the Honours program is still 120 credits or within the total credits required for the degree completion.These 12 credits are typically made up of a methods/theory course at the upper-level, and include a graduating essay or major project (where such courses and projects are not already required for the Major). Individual departments shall specify the courses that meet this additional requirement for students within their Honours program. Study in a foreign language will not be a university-level requirement for an Honours degree, but an individual department may include such a requirement as part of its program.
  1. All Honours degrees must adhere to criteria described in the Institutional Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements, Institutional Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements, Undergraduate Degree English Requirements, and Breadth in Degree Programs Policy.
  1. Residency Requirement: Students are expected to complete all additional 12 credits at Vancouver Island University. With the approval of the appropriate Dean and under exceptional circumstances, this amount may be reduced.

CRITERIA: / COMMENTS:

Existing and New Courses for Honours Program

Identify which courses already exist at the institution and which new courses will be implemented as a result of the program. / New courses:
Existing courses:
How does the proposed program meet the requirement for an additional 12 credits in the discipline?
Please provide rationale if the Honours program has fewer than 12 additional credits in the discipline. In Appendix A, include a comparison of Honour programs offered at other institutions as supporting documentation.
ACTION: All new courses and course outlines must be submitted to the Course Management System (CMS) prior toCurriculum Committee submission deadline. If new courses are not submitted, the proposal cannot move forward in the approval process. If the program uses existing courses, please check that the course outlines are up-to-date. See Guidelines on submitting courses to CMS. For new course outline template, go to the Curriculum Committee Templates and Approval Processes webpage. For questions regarding the Course Management System, please contact Curriculum Committee Support.

Review and Selection Process

Describe how the department will review and select qualified applicants.
How often will applications be reviewed?
CALENDAR COPY
CRITERIA: / COMMENTS:

General Description

General information on the discipline, what are the major advantages of an Honours degree, why students may be interested in the discipline, how it’s taught, research opportunities, estimated time spent outside of class, etc. Areas of employment that graduate might wish to explore, or employment that graduates have been able to secure after completion of the program.

Graduate Opportunities

Include options for graduate studies.

Eligibility for Admission

Grade Standard:
The general requirement for admission is a GPA of at least a 3.67 (A-) on the most recent 45 credits of study.Departments may set additional requirements. /
  • The requirement for admission is a GPA of ……
  • If a student meets the minimum requirements for the Honours Program, are they guaranteed admission into the Honours Program or do students compete for a limited number of spaces?
Please provide rationale if GPA requirements differ from 3.67 (A-). In Appendix A, includea comparison of GPA standards from other institutions as supporting documentation.
Submitting an Application:
Do students apply through a Program Chair, Degree Advisor, or other?
How will the Degree Advisor be notified?
Application Deadlines:
When do students apply?
Are there application deadlines?

Program Outline

Course Code and Namee.g. ENGL 490 - (Capstone Project) / Credits
Total Credits
Notes:

Residency Requirement

Students are expected to complete all additional 12 credits at Vancouver Island University. With the approval of the appropriate Dean and under exceptional circumstances, this amount may be reduced. / Please provide rationale if the Honours program does not meet residency requirements.

Requirements for a Honours/Major/Minor

Students must fulfill all the Institutional B.A./B.Sc. requirements as outlined in the Calendar, including Degree English Requirements and courses listed under Year 1-4: / Years 1 and 2
Years 3 and 4

Recommended Electives:

Provide a list of recommended electives:

Graduation Requirements

Honours students need an average GPA of 3.67 (A-) on all 3rd and 4th year courses taken within the discipline in order to graduate from an Honours program. /
  • Honours students need an average GPA of ….
Please provide rationale if GPA requirements differ from 3.67 (A-). In Appendix A, include a comparison of GPA standards from other institutions as supporting documentation.

New Honours Program Proposal Template v5 – September15, 2017Page 1

Approved by Senate October 2017

APPENDIX A: Comparison of Similar Honours Programs Offered at Other Post-Secondary Institutions

PSI / Program Name / Total Credits Honours Courses / Total CreditsBachelorHonours Degree / Specialized Honours Courses and Credits / Honours Admission GPA / HonoursGraduation GPA
UFV / E.g. Bachelor of Arts Psychology Honours / 12 / 120 / For example: Honours Thesis I (6 credits) and Honours Thesis II (6 credits) in lieu of electives.

New Honours Program Proposal Template v5 – September15, 2017Page 1

Approved by Senate October 2017

New Honours Program Proposal Template v5 – September15, 2017Page 1

Approved by Senate October 2017