Guide to Honors Seminars

Guide and FAQs for creating one-unit courses numbered 89 and 189 for honors seminars and advanced honors seminars.

Honors Seminars

Course numbers 89 and 189 are reserved for honors seminars and advanced honors seminars. The seminars are one-unit adjuncts to primary lecture courses at the lower- and upper-division levels. By using standard course enrollment procedures, faculty and students receive appropriate workload credit.

The one-unit honors seminars are designed to provide students enrolled in a lecture course an opportunity to meet separately with a faculty member in a small-group setting. The seminars explore content beyond that provided in the lecture course and discussion section. Adjunct honors seminars may be created in advance of the first day of class, or they may be added after the lecture begins in response to requests from interested students who want to participate in an adjunct honors seminar. In all cases, the seminars must be established by the end of the second week of the term.

How are 89 and 189 adjunct honors seminars organized?

1. Seminars numbered 89 are adjuncts to lower-division lecture courses while seminars numbered 189 are adjuncts to upper-division lecture courses.
2. Seminars are not permitted in basic skills courses such as elementary language classes, basic writing and composition classes, and basic math classes.
3. Seminars are taken concurrently with a lecture course and are limited to 20 students with a minimum enrollment of 8 students.
4. Seminars do not replace the discussion section associated with the lecture course; they must be in addition to all the requirements for the lecture course.
5. In-class instruction must be for a minimum of ten hours per quarter, meeting on either a weekly or biweekly basis. Seminars must be offered by the instructor of record for the lecture course.
6. The grading basis for the seminars is P/NP or letter grade at the option of the student. The seminars follow the same deadlines as all courses for changing grading basis through MyUCLA. College Honors students must take both the adjunct seminar and lecture course for a letter grade in order to be eligible for College Honors credit; similar rules may be applied to students working towards departmental honors.

How do departments set up an adjunct honors seminar (89 and 189)?

1. To establish a seminar, faculty or staff designee must use CIMS, an online course request application. There is a customized form specifically for honors seminars that routes directly to the Registrar’s Office CIMS application.
2. The proposal must be reviewed and approved by the faculty instructor of the lecture course and the department or program chair.
3. CIMS forms must be submitted by Friday of second week of the term.
4. Faculty must inform departmental schedulers of a seminar offering so schedulers can book a room.

What information is required on the form to propose a seminar?

1. Course Description: Prepare a brief course description for the Schedule of Classes.
2. Program of Study: Similar to a syllabus. Briefly describe the course of study indicating assignments, readings, written work, field experiences, or other planned enrichment activities beyond those in the primary course or discussion section.
3. Grading Structure: State on what basis the final grade will be assigned, and indicate the weight of each assignment or activity.

How do students enroll?

1. Enrollment is by consent of instructor using PTEs through Friday of second week without a fee.
2. Add/drop policies and changing grading basis deadlines are the same as for any non-impacted course.

What kind of honors credit can students receive?

1. The 89 and 189 seminars automatically carry an honors notation on the transcript.
2. Students must receive a grade of B or better in both the lecture and the adjunct seminar to be eligible for College Honors Program credit.
3. Students should check with their department to see whether the seminar can be applied toward departmental honors.