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The request to revise the CCI Honors Program

Memo Date: 
Monday, April 11, 2016
To: 
College of Computing & Informatics
From: 
Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: March 29, 2016
Approved by: Undergraduate Course and Curriculum Committee
Implementation Date: Spring 2017

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs.  Insertions are underlined.

Catalog Copy

CCI Honors Program Leadership + Distinction + Access

 

Overview

Purpose/Goals: The goal of the Honors Program in Computing and Informatics Honors Program (CCI Honors) provides leadership mentoring to our high-achieving students to better prepare them for post-graduate success. Personalized to individual interests, CCI Honors students receive valuable 1-on-1 mentoring by professional leaders from a wide variety of areas, including entrepreneurship, research, and industry. Further, CCI honors students complete a tailored experiential learning curriculum that provides hands-on training that is not typically provided in the classroom. is to identify creative, imaginative, and exceptional undergraduate CCI students and develop their potential through encouragement, opportunity, and recognition. By providing such students with the benefits of smaller classes and a more challenging curriculum, CCI hopes to impact retention of majors, entry into our graduate programs, and have talented undergraduate students contribute to and participate in faculty research.

 

Admission

Consideration for admission to the Honors Program may be initiated by the student or by any faculty member in the College of Computing and Informatics. A student is eligible to begin participation in the Honors Program in his/her Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior year of study. To qualify, students must have an overall GPA of 3.20 and a GPA of 3.50 in CCI courses. Incoming freshman students will be reviewed for admission based on their SAT course, GPA, PGI, and IB and AP coursework. Students entering the Honors program must fill out an application, necessary transcripts and essay for consideration and review by the CCI Honors committee. Applications must be received by Dec. 1 for Spring admission and May 1 for Fall admission. Honors program applications from beginning freshman will be processed on the first day of classes for that semester. The Honors Committee in Computing and Informatics will review the materials of all eligible student applicants and admit students into the Program.

 

Required Courses

Students in the CCI Honors Program must take ITSC 2700 (CCI Honors Seminar), an honors section of ITCS 3610 (Computing Leaders Seminar), ITSC 3700 (Professionalism and Communication in Technology) and 6 credit hours of Honors Capstone Experience in ITCS 4155, 4232, 4238, 4650/4651, 4990, 4991 or BINF 4650 as per their degree requirements. The Capstone Experience is research based and includes oral and written components. Depending on student interest, the written component could include a professional portfolio, business plan, or research report.

 

Honors Recognition: To graduate with Honors in Computing and Informatics students must complete the required honors courses, maintain the GPA requirements for admission to the CCI Honors Program, obtain a GPA of 3.5 in CCI Honors Courses and successful completion the written and oral component of the Capstone Experience with a grade of “A” for those 6 credit hours. Upon completing the requirements of the Honors program, receiving the recommendation of the College of Computing and Informatics Honors Committee and the Department Chair, and upon certification by the Honors College, the honors candidate shall be graduated with Honors in Computing and Informatics. Recognition of such distinction shall be noted on the student's permanent record. The phrase, Honors in Computing and Informatics, shall be inscribed on the student's diploma.

 

Requirements

To qualify for graduation with departmental honors recognition, the student must:

  • Be admitted formally to honors candidacy by the CCI Honors Committee and the University Honors Council at least two semesters before the student’s graduation.
  • Have an overall GPA of 3.50 in the Computing and Informatics major.
  • Have an overall GPA of 3.20 for all courses outside the Computing and Informatics major, including non-Honors courses.
  • Complete at least six (6) credits of CCI designated Honors coursework (not including the thesis) and obtain an overall GPA of 3.50 for these courses.
  • Complete 6 credits of Honors Thesis coursework that may be constituted from undergraduate thesis, capstone course or other research related coursework.
  • Select a three-person Committee (at least two persons must be from Computing and Informatics) to serve as the student’s Honors Thesis Committee
  • Successfully complete an Honors Thesis, orally defend the Honors Thesis in front of the student’s Thesis Committee, and obtain a grade of “A” for the thesis (all 6 credits of thesis coursework)

 

What constitutes a CCI honors course:

A course may be designated as an honors course as follows: The course is specifically designed for honors students.

  • Honors by Contract: In this case, student and instructor make a contract in a regular course to identify the additional work that will be performed by the student; this agreement must be approved by the CCI Honors committee.

 

Admissions

Admission to the Honors Program:

(NB: The above criteria are minimum expectations. The College of Computing and Informatics reserves the right to set restrictions on the number of students admitted into the Program for any given year, consistent with the demands on the overall College.)

 

Further inquiries: cci-honors-program@listserv.uncc.edu

 

  • Consideration for admission to the Honors Program may be initiated by the student or by any faculty member in the College of Computing and Informatics. A student may be removed from the Honors Program at any time upon her/his own request or upon failure to meet the program requirements. There shall be no penalty for removal from the Honors Program.
  • A student is eligible to begin participation in the Honors Program in his/her Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior year of study.
  • A student must have an overall GPA of 3.20 and a GPA of 3.50 in the Computing and Informatics major. Incoming freshman students will be reviewed for admission based on their SAT course, GPA, PGI, and IB and AP coursework.
  • Students entering the Honors program must fill out an application form and relevant materials for consideration and review by the CCI Honors committee. Applications must be received by Dec. 1 for Spring admission and May 1 for Fall admission. Honors program applications from beginning freshman will be processed on the first day of classes for that semester.
  • The Honors Committee in Computing and Informatics will review the materials of all eligible student applicants and recommend to the respective department Chair those individuals who should be admitted into the Program.