Completion of Honors
Although students do not graduate from the Honors Program with a major or minor, completing all 24 credit hours of the Program entitles the student to a special distinction of University Honors on their transcripts and diploma from the University of New Mexico. All UHP students must participate in a cross-cultural or multicultural experience in order to be considered for graduation with a University Honors Program designation. These courses or experiences need not be taken in Honors, but must be clearly specified and described in the Senior Exit Packet prior to graduation. Students may fulfill this requirement by majoring or minoring in a foreign language, participating in Conexiones or other foreign exchange study programs, or completing a course that explores other world views and traditions, such as the Far or Middle East, Africa, Latin America, etc.
Senior Exit Packets
Seniors are responsible for notifying the UHP office of their intention to graduate at the beginning of their last semester at UNM. If graduating in May stop by the office February 1st; and if graduating in December visit our office no later than September 1st. At that time, seniors should begin a Senior Exit Packet. Packets are available on-line as "fill-able" Word documents which students can save to their home computers, laptops, or thumb-drives. Photocopied packets are also available in the Honors office and can be filled out by hand. The packets come with a detailed check-list and a crucial deadline. Our deadlines are set in order to comply with the UNM Graduation Office which ensures that seniors' names and distinctions in University Honors are included on UNM's main commencement program, as well as printed on official transcripts and diplomas.
Packets are normally due before semester break (Fall Break or Spring Break) and specific dates for the coming semester can always be found on the Upcoming Events page or by contacting the Honors office. At the end of the fall and spring semesters the UHP hosts a Recognition Ceremony where graduating seniors, family and friends can celebrate.
Exit Interviews
An essential component of the Senior Exit process is the Exit Interview. This is conducted between a graduating senior and a Continuing Faculty Member in the Honors Program. Once the Senior Exit Packet has been completed, seniors will receive the name and contact information of the Faculty Member with whom they will interview. Seniors are responsible for contacting their interviewer and arranging the time, date, and location of this meeting. Prior to the interview Faculty members will review the senior's file along with all of the documents and evaluations from other Honors instructors. The Exit Packet strongly encourages students to review and prepare their own files in advance by signing off of on all evaluations (or providing written rebuttals if they disagree with any comments), and providing copies of any certificates, awards, and/or publications. The Exit Interview is a unique conversation wherein students will be asked to assimilate their good and bad experiences in Honors and the University as a whole.
Levels of Honors
The University Honors Faculty meet at the end of each semester to review the records of each graduating senior. Levels of honors are awarded on the basis of GPA, success in UHP seminars, instructor evaluations, risks taken in UHP seminars, breadth of all academic course work, outside activities, and contributions to both the University and community. Levels of honors are cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude.
