Frequently Asked Questions

The University Honors Program provides outstanding undergraduate students the opportunity for academic challenge through the completion of specialized courses, seminars and projects under the direction of faculty mentors.

No, the University Honors Program is different from "graduation with honors". Graduation with honors is determined strictly on a GPA basis, and no additional coursework is required. See the University Catalog for description.

University Honors Students in good standing gain early registration for most university classes, attend educational and social events with other Honors Students,  and are considered for periodic awards and scholarships. University Honors Students also develop close professional relationships with their faculty mentors, receive recognition on their official transcripts and diplomas, and enjoy special acknowledgement at both the Honors Convocation and Graduation ceremonies.

Eligible students should complete an  to participate in this program. Only students who have been admitted to the University Honors Program may take courses for honors credit.

Once accepted into the University Honors Program, students must remain in good standing in the program by:

  • Progress towards program requirements by completing contracts with a letter grade of “B” or better.
  • Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 for all CSUEB coursework taken subsequent to acceptance into the University Honors Program. Students who fail to meet the eligibility requirements for two consecutive semesters will be disqualified from the program.
  • Attend one or more learning, professional development, or events at CSUEB each semester in which they are enrolled in the University Honors Program. 

University Honors Students will receive special recognition at the Honors Convocation and/or at Commencement. University Honors Students will receive recognition on their transcripts and their diplomas, as well as a certificate of recognition from the program.

Students can choose any course that is at least 3 units from their schedule of classes for honors credit. The course cannot be a Credit/No Credit course. Refer to these  to identify courses in which to complete an Honors Course Contract. 

To obtain approval for Honors-designation for a course, students must work with their professor to decide what his or her research or creative project will be. This special project is called a contract. Then, the student must complete a University Honors Course Contract approval form to propose the research or creative project to their instructor and to the University Honors Program Director. A contract form must be completed for each Honors-designated course. The UHP Director and instructor must approve the project proposal. At the end of the course, the UHP office will contact each instructor to confirm that the student completed the honors work or project satisfactorily with a grade of B or better.

The honors work or project is to be graded on a pass/not pass basis. The honors coursework should not be considered extra credit or count towards the course grade-it is something beyond the typical course material that only University Honors Students work on to fulfil their UHP requirements. 

Each course completed successfully will be so designated on your transcript. It will say "Transcript Note: Honors Credit" under the course you did your project in. Remember, though, you must have at least a “B” as a regular grade to be eligible for honors in the class.

No. This program is designed to enrich a student's experience at Cal State East Bay, not to create added stress. If you find you cannot or do not want to complete the honors work or project, simply notify the instructor and the University Honors Program.

No designation whatsoever shows up on your record. Remember, this is not a program intended to raise your stress level.

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 for all CSUEB coursework taken subsequent to acceptance into the University Honors Program. If a student in the program has a cumulative GPA that drops below 3.25 once grades are posted for a given semester, the following semester will be a probationary semester for the student. The student will have this one semester to raise his or her cum GPA to or above 3.25 again. After grades are posted for this probationary semester, if the student has not raised their cumulative GPA back above the 3.25 threshold, they will be advised to withdraw from the University Honors Program. The ultimate goal of the UHP program is to support students in successfully completing program requirements and graduate, not to add additional stress to the student. 

Yes. Students should complete their honors project and submit the contract verifying the completion of their work in the semester that the course is offered.

Yes, you can drop out and reenter at a later date. Courses you took prior to dropping out will continue to be counted towards your University Honors Program completion.