SUB MENU
 

Honors program

Honors Program

The Honors Program provides FAU students the opportunity to achieve academic excellence beyond the level of standard coursework by completing honors-level enrichment in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design.

Students interested in pursuing honors designation in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design are required to meet the eligibility and admission requirements noted below. Each student’s honors program of study will include at least six credits in honors coursework in upper-level planning/urban design courses.

There are two pathways to attaining Honors in the Major in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design. Undergraduate students who successfully fulfill all requirements associated with one of the pathways noted below and have a final cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater at the time of degree conferral will receive a designation of Honors in the Major on their transcripts. The transcript notations are:

Honors in the Major in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design: Honors Capstone Thesis
or
Honors in the Major in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design: Honors Capstone Research

Requirements for Eligibility and Admission to the Honors Program in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design

(Program entry is limited to 20 percent of students within the Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design major.)

  1. Completed at least five upper-level (4000) courses in BURP or BUD;
  2. Cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.3 in core courses;
  3. Cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 overall;
  4. Formal application form, which may be found here , must be submitted after completion of 90 credits but no later than three weeks prior to the beginning of the semester for which the student seeks to enroll in the Honors Program.

The application package should include: application form to be signed by the mentoring faculty; unofficial transcript; résumé; personal statement; and a letter of support by the mentoring faculty.

Requirements to Maintain Eligibility in the Honors Program in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design

  1. Maintain good academic and ethical standing;
  2. Maintain cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.3 in core courses;
  3. Maintain cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 overall;
  4. In the beginning semester, complete at least one Honors Compact in upper-level planning/urban design courses with a grade of “B” or higher to prepare for independent research and honors-level enrichment;
  5. For the thesis option, BURP students must complete URP 4978, RI: Honors Planning Capstone (3 credits), in lieu of URP 4979, RI: Planning Capstone, with a grade of "B" or higher. BUD students must complete URP 4924, RI: Honors Urban Design Capstone (3 credits), in lieu of URP 4923, Urban Design Capstone, with a grade of "B" or higher.

If any of the above standards for maintaining eligibility in the program are not met, the student will be advised accordingly on how to undertake remedial actions. Students will not be allowed to continue in the Honors Program for:

  1. Violation of the Code of Academic Integrity;
  2. Any grade of less than “C” in core courses and less than “B” in the honors course and/or Honors Compact.

Honors in the Major in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design: Honors Capstone Thesis

Honors Level Enrichment

Honors level enrichment is provided in the form of extensive mentoring in practical research by departmental faculty or approved department-affiliated faculty culminating in production of a thesis.

Three credits are achieved through an Honors Compact with the mentoring faculty in a regularly taught course where the student will have the opportunity to participate in honors-level enrichment activities, prepare for individual research and demonstrate academic excellence. Students must complete the Honors Compact Proposal and Approval Form and submit it to the department chair (or the director of the honors program to which the course will be applied) no later than the "last day to drop/add courses without consequences," according to FAU's Academic Calendar, for the term in which the Honors Compact will be completed. Guidelines for completing an Honors Compact and the form may be found here .

A student who successfully completes an Honors Capstone Thesis in the BURP or BUD program will receive the degree with departmental honors, to be noted on the student’s transcript, along with the title of the Honors Capstone Thesis. The Honors Capstone Thesis will be preserved in a separate collection in the FAU Wimberly Library.

Honors Capstone Thesis Experience

BURP students must complete URP 4978, RI: Honors Planning Capstone (3 credits) in lieu of URP 4979, RI: Planning Capstone, with a grade of "B" or higher. BUD students must complete URP 4924, RI: Honors Urban Design Capstone (3 credits) in lieu of URP 4923, Urban Design Capstone, with a grade of "B" or higher. In case a student fails to complete URP 4978 or URP 4924, with a grade of “B” or higher, the credits earned may count toward her/his bachelor’s degree without the honors designation, as long as the student meets the requirements for successful completion of the capstone course in the BURP or BUD program.

The honors thesis will be supervised by a thesis committee of at least two faculty with a terminal degree in the discipline and affiliation with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. The committee will review the thesis and if the student’s work is judged to meet the standards for an honors thesis, the student will be allowed to proceed with the oral defense.

If the committee determines that the student’s work on the thesis does not meet the minimal standard required for successful completion of an honors-level course, the following steps will be undertaken: The faculty supervisor will discuss with the student the specific nature of the issues that need to be addressed AND the committee will request that the student make substantive changes to the thesis within a specified period of time (typically prior to the graduation date).

If the requirements are still not met, the student will receive a grade for the course that will count toward her/his degree in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design, but will not receive the honors designation, as long as the student meets the requirements for a successful completion of the capstone course in BURP or BUD.

Students will be encouraged to seek topics that can be incorporated in service learning, interdisciplinary research and inquiry, creativity, civic engagement and collaboration with South Florida communities.

Students will be encouraged to seek opportunities for publication/presentation such as participation in the Undergraduate Research Symposium, Distinction through Discovery competitions, FAU Undergraduate Research Journal, and National Collegiate Honors Society conference, among others.

Honors in the Major in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design: Honors Capstone Research

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning offers an Honors Research program that recognizes outstanding research accomplishments of undergraduate students. Eligible students must meet the requirements for eligibility, admission and the maintenance of eligibility as noted above. Students usually begin, then conduct independent supervised research in their junior and senior years. Presentation of a poster session or seminar at a local, regional, national or international research conference/symposium describing the results of students’ research is required.

Honors Level Enrichment

Honors level enrichment is provided in the form of extensive mentoring in practical research by departmental faculty or approved departmental-affiliated faculty culminating in one or more of the following: production of a report for an external agency or internal use, a journal article, or a grant application. The research results will be disseminated via a research poster session or a conference/symposium presentation.

Honors Capstone Research Experience

The Honors Capstone Research Experience consists of two options:

Option 1: At least two semesters of URP 4910, Directed Independent Research, with a confirmed faculty mentor, which may be taken in the junior or senior year.

Option 2: At least one semester of a designated research-intensive (RI) course with a grade of “B” or higher and at least one semester of URP 4910, Directed Independent Research, with a confirmed faculty mentor, which may be taken in the junior or senior year.

In order to qualify for Honors Designation, the credits mentioned in Options 1 and 2 must be achieved through an Honors Compact with the mentoring faculty as explained above. Note that students choosing the Honors Capstone Research option must complete either URP 4979, RI: Planning Capstone or URP 4923, Urban Design Capstone with an Honors Compact.

Honors Capstone Research Outcomes

  1. Production of a high-quality report for an external agency or internal use, a research grant application, conference paper or journal article.
  2. Dissemination of research results via a presentation or poster session at a local, regional, national or international research conference/symposium.

If the requirements are not met, the student will receive a grade for the course that will count toward her/his degree in Urban and Regional Planning or Urban Design, but will not receive the honors designation, as long as the student meets the requirements for a successful completion of the capstone course in BURP or BUD.

Students will be encouraged to seek topics that can be incorporated in service learning, interdisciplinary research and inquiry, creativity, civic engagement and collaboration with South Florida communities.

Students will be encouraged to seek opportunities for publication/presentation such as participation in the Undergraduate Research Symposium, Distinction through Discovery competitions, FAU Undergraduate Research Journal, and National Collegiate Honors Society conference, among others.

Questions about the Honors Program may be directed to Dr. Diana Mitsova at dmitsova@fau.edu.