Undergraduate Program

Degree Offered

Bachelor of Arts in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts (B.A.)

The faculty of the University of New Mexico Honors College offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts. This baccalaureate degree program provides the opportunity for students in the Honors College to develop a broad, interdisciplinary and experiential liberal arts education, similar to that offered by many small liberal arts colleges, but within the context of a flagship research institution. The Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts major provides students with a foundation in social and behavioral studies, physical and natural sciences, humanities, communications, mathematics, and fine arts; and allows students to focus on a specific area of interdisciplinary study.

Students majoring in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts have the opportunity to discover connections among disciplines and analyze and evaluate primary and complex texts across diverse genres and styles and from different historical periods. They perform research and produce original work that integrates ideas and methods from different disciplines and learn to adapt to new environments and developing technologies. Students are expected to have intercultural knowledge and competence and develop personal and social responsibility, including civic knowledge and engagement—local and global.

Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program

Students in the B.A. in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts program may seek admission to the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Latin American Studies under the Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program. See the "Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program" header on this page.

Bachelor of Arts in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts

Requirements

Students in the Honors College with a GPA of at least 3.5 may apply to major in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts. Applicants must submit a program of study to the Honors College Degree Committee for review and approval, usually in the spring of their second year, which details how they will establish competency in multiple disciplines.

Specifically, students accepted as majors in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts must maintain a GPA of at least 3.5 and complete:

1. A minor or second major in a field of study that complements or supports their capstone scholarship;

2. 9 credit hours in a field different from the minor or second major (at the 200-level or higher, with at least 3 credit hours at the 300-level or higher);*

3. 18 credit hours in courses numbered 300 and higher containing significant coursework involving: a) New environments and developing technologies; b) Intercultural knowledge and competence; and c) Personal and social responsibility, including civic knowledge and engagement.

4. Methodological training in research appropriate to support the interdisciplinary honors capstone;

5. At least 36 credit hours in UHON courses, including:
•  3 credit hours at each of the 100-, 200-, 300-, and 400-levels;
•  12 elective credit hours, at least 6 of which are at the 300-level or higher;
•  6 credit hours in an integrative block;
•  6 credit hours of coursework in one interdisciplinary capstone:
>  Thesis/project: UHON 490 and UHON 491, or
>  Senior Teaching: UHON 492 and UHON 493, or
>  Service Learning: UHON 495 and UHON 496;

6. At least 120 total credit hours;

7. At least 12 credit hours of a single non-English language or provide evidence of equivalent proficiency.**

8. All UNM Core requirements, some of which may be completed through UHON courses.

For more information about the major and how to assemble a program of study, visit the Honors College Web site or speak with an advisor in the Honors College.

Notes:
* Separate fields are generally defined as the seven Core Curriculum areas plus additional colleges or schools at UNM that offer undergraduate coursework.
** Information about language proficiency equivalence can be found through the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department.

Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program

The Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program offers students enrolled in the Honors College an accelerated route to earning in five years both a B.A. in Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Latin American Studies. Through this program, students can earn graduate credit during their undergraduate career, thereby reducing the time needed to complete both degrees.

The M.A. in Latin American Studies requires 36 credit hours of graduate coursework. Honors Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts students can take a maximum of 18 shared-credit hours in M.A. in Latin American Studies courses during their undergraduate program. Students design their 18 shared-credit hours in coordination with their academic advisors in both Honors College and Latin American Studies. With the highly harmonious academic requirements of both programs, this could be done, among other ways, through a combination of the following:

Honors College students can choose a double major or a minor that would also satisfy M.A. in Latin American Studies requirements. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the M.A. in Latin American Studies, this could be done in any of the concentrations within the M.A. degree. Students would choose courses that satisfy requirements for both the undergraduate double major or minor and for the M.A. in Latin American Studies.
Honors College students are required to take 18 credit hours of upper-division courses that enrich a student’s knowledge in: New environments and developing technologies; intercultural knowledge and competence; personal and social responsibility, including civic knowledge and engagement; and research fundamentals. Students could choose these courses so as to also satisfy M.A. in Latin American Studies requirements.
A minimum 12 credit hours in a non-English language is needed for the Honors degree, which could additionally fulfill the M.A. in Latin American Studies language requirement. M.A. in Latin American Studies students are required to take one upper-division course in a Latin American language.

To apply, students must be in good standing and nominated by the Honors College. The Interdisciplinary Committee for Latin American Studies (ICLAS) then reviews students’ applications. Students are required to meet regular M.A. in Latin American Studies admission requirements, with two exceptions: students applying through Honors College have the the GRE requirement waived, and only two letters of recommendation are needed.

Students who choose not to complete the graduate portion of the program are still awarded the undergraduate degree when all undergraduate requirements are met. Completed graduate-level courses may be applied to either an undergraduate major or minor, as per existing policy. Where Latin American Studies chooses not to advance a student to the graduate portion of the program, completed graduate-level courses may be applied to either an undergraduate major or minor, as per existing policy.

See the Latin American Studies: Graduate Program section of this Catalog for graduate degree and course information.

Minor Study

The undergraduate minor in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts is intended to complement, broaden and enhance a student's educational choices while at UNM. Students who complete the minor in Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts are expected to produce original work that integrates ideas and methods from different disciplines, to analyze and evaluate foundational and primary works, to gain knowledge of diverse cultures and to acquire civic knowledge and apply ethical reasoning.

Requirements

All candidates for the Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts minor must be admitted to the Honors College and maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA.

Successful candidates for the minor must complete 24 credit hours in UHON courses, or other approved courses, including:

3 credit hours at each of the 100-, 200-, 300-, and 400-levels.
12 additional credit hours, of which at least 6 must be upper-division (300- or 400-level).

At least 15 credit hours must be completed in UHON courses. Up to 9 credit hours in approved courses offered by other units may be used to satisfy minor requirements.

Honors College Designation

The Honors College designation is awarded to Honors College students who do not earn a major or minor in the Honors College, but who gain substantive Honors experience by completing a program of Honors course work.

Requirements

All candidates for the Honors College designation must be admitted to the Honors College and maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA.

Successful candidates for the designation must complete 15 credit hours of Honors College (UHON) or other approved courses, including:

3 credit hours minimum in UHON 100-level.
3 credit hours minimum in UHON 200-level.
6 credit hours minimum in UHON 300- or 400-level.
3 additional credit hours in UHON any level.

At least 9 credit hours must be completed in UHON courses. Up to 6 credit hours in approved courses offered by other units may be used to satisfy designation requirements.

Honors College Grading System

Courses offered in the Honors College under the UHON subject code use a unique grading system. Students receive grades of A, CR, NC, and I. This grading system is designed to encourage students to broaden their general education by challenging themselves and taking courses outside their areas of specialty. Under this system, students may be rewarded for superior performance (A) but not penalized for ordinary, satisfactory performance (CR) or for failure to complete the seminar or do poorly (NC). The program is designed to offer intellectual challenge, and students are expected to achieve at their highest levels; at the same time, competition for high grades is minimized. Taking Honors seminars under this grading system does not cancel the right of students to elect other University of New Mexico courses on a Credit/No Credit basis up to a maximum of 24 credit hours. In addition, Honors faculty provide individual written evaluations of each student in their seminars. These evaluations are kept in the student’s confidential, personal file. Students are encouraged to review their evaluations and write a response to an evaluation if they disagree.

Keys and Symbols Reference