Academic Year 2026-2027
The UAB Honors College is dedicated to offering its students innovative and challenging courses. There are multiple academic paths for Honors College students to pursue and hence multiple opportunities for UAB faculty to teach in the Honors College. Teaching a course in the UAB Honors College provides faculty with an opportunity to develop a unique three-credit honors course on a novel topic for a small group of highly motivated students. There are opportunities for seminars in both the fall and spring semesters.
Students in the Honors College pursue one of two pathways. The majority are in the Personalized Path, where students customize their courses of study by taking a First-Year Honors Seminar plus additional honors courses. The second option is to be part of a Specialized Program, of which there are three: Global and Community Leadership Honors, Science and Technology Honors, and University Honors. Additionally, students may apply and enroll in the Honors Leadership Academy to earn an undergraduate certificate in leadership development.
The Honors College is also interested in proposals for honors courses that incorporate a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) module to support and expand global learning and engagement involving institutions throughout the world. Resources and support are available through the UAB Center for Teaching and Learning. Please contact
All proposals for the Personalized Path, one of our three Specialized Programs, or the Honors Leadership Academy should be submitted to Dr. Mark Bevensee, Associate Dean, at
Personalized Path
Types of Courses: (all three credits)
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Honors First-Year Seminars
These are innovative and engaging seminars not commonly offered that are designed to stimulate the intellectual curiosity of our students while building real community for our first-year honors students. These are accessible to all majors, and all of them fit into the new Blazer Core. Recent courses include We the People: Law in American Literature, Representations of the South in Film and Discovering Your Why.
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Special Topics Seminars
These unique courses are open to all honors students of all majors, taught in the fall and spring. These are 200- or 300-level, and several of the 200-level courses fit into the new Blazer Core. Examples include Fundamentals of Leadership, Immunity and Public Health, and The Mindful Student.
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Honors Sections of Departmental Courses
All Honors sections are limited to 25 students. These do not require a proposal to be submitted. Please discuss options with your department chair and obtain approval from your Dean. Your associate dean or department chair will then discuss offering your Honors course with the Honors College Dean’s Office.
LEARN MORE at the Teaching in Honors Workshop
Note that Honors Hall is not Spencer Honors House! It is located at the corner of 14th and 10th (in the old Snoozy’s building, for those who remember it). You will hear from Honors College leadership, as well as a panel of our honors educators. There will be time for Q & A regarding seminars, the proposal process, and more. See more on the UAB Campus Calendar.
Friday, September 26, 11am-noon in Honors Hall, room 102
Specialized Programs
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Global and Community Leadership Honors Program
Types of Courses
There are two specific courses offered each spring: Burning Issues and Stoking the Fire: Leadership in Action. These courses have been taught by a variety of professors from various fields.
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Science and Technology Honors Program
Types of Courses
Proposals are welcomed for seminars focused on (a) how multiple disciplines contribute to understanding complex scientific problems, (b) a translational science perspective, and (c) discussion of big ideas in science and innovation. Faculty can also work with SciTech students in seminars focused on preparation of the thesis/capstone proposal, as well as the honors thesis manuscript or capstone project report.
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University Honors Program
Types of Courses
UHP offers 3-credit hour Honors Seminars. These UHP seminars should be accessible to non-majors and focus on issues of major interest to the faculty member’s discipline but with implications beyond that interest. UHP also offers a 9-credit hour team-taught Interdisciplinary Seminar for first and second year UHP students. If interested, contact
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Honors Leadership Academy
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Overview
Types of Courses
Proposals are welcomed for seminars that explore (a) foundational and emerging leadership theories across disciplines, (b) practical strategies for leading change and fostering collaboration in diverse environments, and (c) ethical decision-making and personal leadership development. Faculty may also design courses that integrate experiential learning, case studies, and mentorship to prepare students for leadership roles in their academic, professional, and community endeavors.
What makes a course “Honors”?
Honors seminars typically do several of the following:
- Provide students with a high level of engagement and critical thinking
- Place an emphasis on discussion, interaction, active learning, critical thinking
- Exhibit a commitment to curricular innovation
- Create a supportive learning environment, serving students from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines
- Place an emphasis on oral and written communication
- Explore connections across traditional disciplinary boundaries
- Involve experiential learning (research, service learning, community building, study abroad, etc.)
- Offer a deep dive into a given topic, with the understanding these are elective courses
- Assignments and exercises explore important issues and synthesize different perspectives
- Assessment includes project-based learning, essays, group work, or experience-based learning
- Rigorous, but balancing depth of study with reasonable homework expectations
You as the faculty member decide what makes the course “Honors.” The course does not necessarily have to be harder but must be qualitatively different from non-honors versions of similar courses. This is achieved not by assigning more work or covering more material at a faster pace, but rather by approaching material in deeper, more interactive and engaged ways. There is a great deal of leeway for creativity.
Download Honors Course Proposal Form
Proposal submission deadline is October 1, 2025