Course Proposal Help: Course Designations
- Type of honors designation
- Breadth designation
- Should this course be considered for LAS credit?
- General Education: QR-A, QR-B, Comm A or Comm B
- Core General Education Requirement
- Should this course be considered for the Ethnic Studies General Education designation?
- If this is a foreign language course, indicate the level.
- Should this course have the workplace course designation?
Type of honors designation (if any)
Form help
- A value should be selected ONLY if each and every time the course is offered it will have the selected honors designation (uncommon)
- If selecting a value from the drop-down, an additional field will appear and you must articulate why the course should have this designation.
Guidelines
If the course will have an honors designation at the catalog level (on every section each and every time the course is offered) there are three options. If a value is selected the proposer will need to enter a brief rationale for having the designation. The sample syllabus should also reflect and support the selection of an honors designation.
Available Honors designations at the catalog level:
- Honors Only Courses (This is administrative only. Contact DAPIR if you would like to use this value.)
- Accelerated Honors
- Honors Optional
Section-level honors
It is also possible to add honors using a "section level" designation where the designation is applied to a specific offering of the course in a given semester. Oversight is the responsibility of the school/college honors program and is added each semester in the process of developing the Schedule of Classes.Syllabus
The sample syllabus must reflect the designation.
Honors Course Designations Policy
Honors Course Designations
Policy Number
UW-1070Responsible Office
Data, Academic Planning & Institutional ResearchType
University PolicyRationale/Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to set criteria for the development and use of honors course designations at UW-Madison.
Policy
The following honors designations are available for use in the course catalog and at the class section level
Honors Only CoursesSymbols/Designations: H, HON
Characteristics:
- Reserved for undergraduate students declared in an honors program.
- Small courses (usually 20 students or fewer) or special discussion sections, facilitated by a faculty member and attached to a larger class.
- Taught by a faculty member who is an expert in the subject matter of the course.
- Designed to challenge students to actively participate; hence, the course content is often shaped by student questions and interests.
- Interactive discussion and learning rather than passive experiences (e.g., listening and note-taking).
- The enrollment system automatically assigns honors to students who successfully complete the course.
Symbols/Designations: !, HOP
Characteristics:
- Open to both honors and non-honors students.
- Accelerated courses that award honors credit in recognition of the amount and rigor of material covered in the course within the context of the undergraduate curriculum.
- Often designed to combine two semesters of material into one semester and therefore taken as part of a well-balanced schedule and in consultation with an academic advisor.
- The enrollment system automatically assigns honors to students who successfully complete the course.
Symbols/Designations: %, HIA
Characteristics:
- Open to both honors and non-honors students. Regular courses with an optional honors component available to undergraduate students.
- The optional honors component of work is designed to facilitate in-depth, student-driven learning and enrich the student’s experience. Examples include an individual or non-traditional project, paper, or problem set, creative writing, media project, or a performance/presentation.
- It is extremely rare for the honors optional designation to be applied to a course at the catalog level. This type of honors course is dependent on the instructor of the class section and as such is not applicable to every course offering.
In all cases, to count toward honors requirements, students must earn a grade of B or higher in a course that carries one of these honors designations.
Approval of Accelerated Honors and Honors-Only course designations at the catalog level is part of the course proposal process.
If these honors course designations are to be applied at the section level to a specific offering of the course in each semester, oversight is the responsibility of the school/college honors program and is added each semester in the process of developing the Schedule of Classes.
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources
Approval Authority
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic AffairsPolicy Manager
Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional ResearchContact
Associate Vice Provost for Academic Planning -- Michelle Young, MEYOUNG@WISC.EDU, (608) 262-2143Source: View policy UW-1070 in the UW-Madison Policy Library
L&S Breadth designation (if any)
If a course has a breadth designation, it is always applied at the catalog level (on every section each and every time the course is offered).
Form help
If a value is selected from the drop-down, an additional field will appear and you must enter a brief rationale for requesting the designation.
Guidelines
The criteria for each breadth designation.
Syllabus
The sample syllabus must reflect and support the selection of the designation.
Should this course be considered for LAS (Liberal Arts and Science) credit?
Form help
- For subjects in L&S (cross-listed or listed in the subject field) this field defaults to yes.
- All subjects outside of L&S must changes the answer to yes.
Guidance
The criteria for the Liberal Arts and Science (LAS) designation.
Select a level
Only displays if the answer to "Should this course be considered for LAS credit?" is yes. A separate field will open and you must provide a brief rational for the level designation that is selected.
Form help
You must select a level when selecting LAS credit.
Guidance
The criteria for the level attribute.
Syllabus
The sample syllabus must reflect and support the selection of the designation and level.
Communications and Quantitative Reasoning: QR-A, QR-B, Comm A or Comm B designations (if any).
All general education designations are applicable at the catalog level.
Form help
- Select the appropriate values from the drop-down. An additional field will open and you must articulate how the course meets the selected general education designation.
Guidelines
- The criteria for the General Education Quantitative Reasoning or Communications designation.
- Communication A
- Communication B (including section-level Com B)
- Quantitative Reasoning A & B
Syllabus
The sample syllabus must reflect and support the selection of the designation.
Core General Education Requirement
Core General Education is a University General Education requirement and may be available on a course.
Guidelines
The criteria for the Core General Education designation.
Policy
Policy is currently being routed through the appropriate governance groups and will be updated once official.
UW-Madison General Education Requirements
Courses can only carry one Core General Education attribute, which would be assigned at the catalog level.
| Core General Education Requirement | Definition | UW-Madison Minimums |
|---|---|---|
|
Civics & Perspectives (CP) |
Examines the experiences and contributions of persistently marginalized racial or ethnic groups in the U. S. to foster informed, constructive engagement in a diverse society. |
3 credits |
|
Communication & Literacy (CL) |
Builds core abilities in writing, reading, speaking, listening, and critical thinking for clear, purposeful communication across contexts. |
6 credits |
|
Humanities & Arts (HA) |
Explores human culture, expression, and values through critical interpretation of literature, philosophy, history, languages, and the arts. |
6 credits |
|
Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning (MQR) |
Develops skills in math, logic, data analysis, and quantitative reasoning to interpret information and support sound decisions. |
6 credits |
|
Natural Science & Wellness (NSW/NSWL) |
|
6 credits (one course must have a lab) |
|
Social & Behavioral Science (SBS) |
Examines human behavior and social systems using empirical methods to understand individuals, groups, and institutions. |
3 credits |
|
Total |
|
30 credits |
FAQ
An additional general education KB space is presently under construction and will be updated once official.
Form Help
Select the appropriate values from the drop-down. An additional field will open and you must articulate how the course meets the selected general education designation.
Syllabus
The sample syllabus must reflect and support the selection of the attribute.
Should this course be considered for the Ethnic Studies designations?
Ethnic Studies is a University General Education requirements and may be available on a course that also has a Quantitative Reasoning or Communications designation.
Guidelines
The criteria for the ethnic studies designation.
Syllabus
The sample syllabus must reflect and support the selection of the designation.
If this is a foreign language course, indicate the level.
This designation is used to help undergraduate students identify the hundreds of courses offered that focus on learning to speak, understand, read and write a language other than English.
Form help
- If a language level is selected the proposer will be asked to provide a brief rationale.
- The course requisites must align with the foreign language level selected.
Guidelines
For more information, see the Policy on the Course Designation for Foreign Language.
Syllabus
The sample syllabus must reflect the designation and level.
Should this course have the workplace course designation?
This designation helps undergraduate students identify courses that take the theories and concepts learned in the classroom and apply them in professional settings. This is not applicable to courses that are graduate or professional students only (courses 700+ and/or with an audience of only graduate and professional students).
For more information, see the Policy on the Course Designation for Workplace Experience.
Syllabus
The sample syllabus must reflect the designation.