Summer Honors Course Contracts

Summer Honors Course Contracts differ from regular Fall and Spring long semester contracts. They are typically not approved unless students have a pressing or unusual circumstance that requires it.

 For example: the student is preparing to graduate during the following Fall semester but has an outstanding number of Honors hours to complete. Without completing an Honors Summer Course Contract, the student may not be able to graduate “With Honors” or “With Highest Honors” in time.

How Honors Summer Course Contracts Work

Students whose Summer Course Contract Proposal requests are approved will need to meet once per week with their contracted Professor(s). If the course is over one session only (i.e., 4 weeks), students will need to extend their Contract projects beyond the class by several weeks so that it will count as a full contract.

Students will not have to meet with their professors once the course is over, but they will need to decide with their contracted professor what they will continue to work on independently moving forward.

However, if preferred by both parties, students can continue meeting with their professors once the course concludes.

If students contract a four-week Summer course, the independent work they do must be spelled out on the contract form. While the grades for the courses will be submitted when due as usual, the Honors Course Contract Completion Form will be submitted later when the student has completed their projects to their contracted professor’s satisfaction.

The Honors Summer Course Contract Timeline

Typically, if an Honors Summer Contract takes place during Summer I, the project continues through Summer II; if it occurs during Summer II, then it can go into the first and second week of the Fall semester. However, if the Summer Honors Contract runs through Summer I and Summer II, students do not need to continue to work independently after the terms are over. Students should simply submit their final contracted project by finals day in August (SHSU Academic Calendar).

Starting an Honors Summer Course Contract

Students need to email their professors to see if they are willing to do Summer Honors Course Contracts that extend beyond the four weeks. If the professor agrees, then the student must email the Honors College Dean, Dr. Kimberly Bell and INCLUDE their professor in the communication. It is important that students also cc Associate Dean, Dr. Tracy Bilsing as she can approve projects for Dean Bell when she is out of office or unavailable.

Once the student has done this, the Honors office will send them the official Summer Contract Proposal Form.

Honors Summer Course Contract Proposal Form Deadline

Students must submit their Summer Honors Course Contract Proposal forms by the first week of each session.

The Elliott T. Bowers Honors College

Academic Building IV Suite 202 | Box 2479 | Huntsville, Texas 77341-2479

Phone: (936) 294.1477 | Email: honors@shsu.edu