The Honors Collegium courses, which are developed and offered specifically for honors students through the Honors Programs unit, are a central and longstanding feature of our undergraduate program. Collegium seminars emphasize interdisciplinary learning and offer rigorous educational experiences that are designed to hone your abilities to think critically and creatively, engage you in applying knowledge, and enhance your communication skills. Most of these seminar-style courses enroll no more than 15-20 students, which allows you to get to know your peers and your professors.

Some courses that are offered regularly within academic departments (primarily upper division offerings) also fulfill College Scholars elective requirements. Honors Master List courses are designated as such based on their rigor; a design that promotes interaction between students and faculty; and extensive writing, reading, and/or critical analysis. Departmental honors courses and some upper division research courses are also included.

Honors Contracts are intended to enrich your learning experience by allowing you to pursue individual study beyond what is required of other students in a particular course. With faculty endorsement, you can enroll in a one-unit 89HC (lower-division) or 189HC (upper-division) adjunct to a main course with an agreed-upon (between you and the professor) scope of work.

Honors Seminars are one-unit adjuncts to primary lecture courses at lower and upper division levels. Course number 89 is reserved for lower division courses, and course number 189 is designated for upper division courses. These one-unit (non-“HC”) honors seminars are designed to provide students who are enrolled in a lecture course with opportunity to convene separately with a faculty member in a small-group setting. Seminars explore content beyond that which is addressed in the regular lecture course and discussion section.

Honors credit is offered for completing independent study coursework that engages you in working with faculty on research or other creative projects (i.e., courses numbered 197 through 199). Identify a faculty member you want to work with and inquire whether they are interested and available to supervise your work on a topic of particular interest. If they are, establish an approved research contract that will enable you to enroll in the designated independent study course by (a) concurring with the professor on a meeting schedule throughout the quarter and (b) preparing a summary of the project you will complete.

With approval from the Honors Programs unit, selected internship engagements in supervised community agency or business settings can also be used to fulfill College Scholars requirements. Individual contracts are required for these courses (numbered 95 or 195). Students meet on a regular basis with a faculty member and provide periodic reports of their experience. To earn Honors internship credit, the seminar/tutorial experience must satisfy selected requirements, including a final paper or project.

Need ideas for internship possibilities? In addition to options for students in specific majors, check upper division internship courses offered through the Center for Community Learning. The Career Center’s Handshake platform enables you to search for potential internship (and other employment-related) possibilities. Interested in politics and state or national public policy? Check out UC Center Sacramento and UCLA CAPPP Quarter in Washington D.C. 

The PLATO Society of Los Angeles is a community of retired and semi-retired professionals dedicated to lifelong learning. Members meet weekly to explore topics in philosophy, literature, science, politics, and more, with each discussion led by a PLATO member.

Since 1986, the PLATO Society has invited one UCLA College Honors student per group to participate, offering a unique chance to engage in deep discussions with experienced professionals. While PLATO credit does not appear on transcripts or count toward degree requirements, it may fulfill College Honors/Scholars elective coursework.

Learn more about the PLATO Study Discussion Groups

CUTF seminars, which are sponsored through the Teacher and Learning Center are taught by advanced doctoral students who have considerable teaching experience, who have received excellent prior teaching assistant evaluations, and who are preparing for academic careers. Based on these students’ dissertation research, the roughly 19 CUTF seminars offered annually (enrolling roughly 25 students per seminar) enable undergraduates to learn about new research on a broad range of topics within a dialogue- focused learning environment. Many of these five-unit seminars, which are posted for reference on the Coursework Options page of the Honors Programs site, also satisfy selected General Education requirements.

UCLA offers more than 200 Fiat Lux Freshman Seminars annually as a cornerstone of the undergraduate curriculum. Since the seminars illuminate the many paths of discovery explored by UCLA faculty, the seminars take their name from the motto of the University of California: Fiat Lux — Let There be Light! These one-unit (pass/no pass) seminars, which span the rich array of fields studied at UCLA, provide students and faculty small group settings (average course size is 15 students) to engage in meaningful dialogue on a wide range of topics. A special series of 2020-2021 Centennial Fiat Lux Seminars showcases the university’s signature accomplishments and societal contributions. A max of 2-units may count towards Honors Progress.

USIE offers upper division students the opportunity to develop and facilitate a one-unit (pass/no pass) lower division seminar. Application and selection processes take place each spring quarter. During fall and winter quarters of the following academic year, students who are selected to serve as facilitators work closely with their faculty mentors in two one-unit independent study courses (one each quarter) focused on the content area of the student’s proposed seminar. To help prepare them for leading their spring quarter seminars, student facilitators also enroll in two one-unit pedagogy seminars (one each quarter) in which facilitation techniques are discussed.