Honors Contract Proposals Submissions Page

    FALL 2025 HONORS CONTRACT PROPOSAL DEADLINE:  FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH.

    BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR PROPOSAL, CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE FROM DR. BICAK & DR. WALSH:

    Greetings, Honors Students! We are excited to see that you are challenging yourself by pursuing an Honors Contract project in one of your courses. 

    An Honors Contract provides students the opportunity to take an active role in their education by supplementing the usual requirements of a course by designing and completing their own research or creative project under the direction of a faculty mentor. Honors students work as independent researchers and are challenged in a manner that is not always possible in a regular class setting. 

    When students approach a professor about working together, they may already have a well-developed idea for a project, or they may need to ask the faculty member to offer some guidance in arriving at a workable proposal. In either case, remember that faculty members are not required to work with students on Honors Option projects. In reality, faculty mentors are going above and beyond (and taking on extra work) in agreeing to mentor Honors students, so please be courteous, respectful, and grateful when requesting this additional time and work from them.  

    If a faculty member agrees to serve as a mentor for an Honors Option Contract project, students must do the following:
    • decide with the faculty member what the project will entail;
    • determine how frequently meetings to discuss the project will take place over the course of the semester;
    • agree upon whether the project will only be for Honors credit or if will comprise part of the student's course grade;
    • provide the professor with a copy of the project description via email
    • submit all of the requested information on the form below.

    Finally, before submitting a proposal, note of the following three important points:

    1. Students must receive approval from their instructor before submitting an Honors Option Contract proposal on this page. Do not submit a proposal if you haven't received instructor approval.
    2. The project described in this proposal must be completed by the end of the current semester. Students are highly discouraged from withdrawing from Honors Contracts. Deadline for withdrawal from an option is the same date as the last day to withdraw from classes. 
    3. Note that the Honors Option designation will not be added to the student's registration (including their transcript and degree audit) until the END of the semester. The Honors credit for this Honors Option project will not appear earlier in Rockweb, but that does not mean that the student will not earn the Honors credit for the course. 

    If you have any questions, please contact:
    Dr. Pete Bicak and Dr. Maureen Walsh, Honors Program Co-Directors
    pete.bicak@rockhurst.edu, Arrupe Hall 242;
    maureen.walsh@rockhurst.edu, Arrupe Hall 207
    STUDENT INFORMATION
    Birthdate
    Birthdate
    COURSE INFORMATION
    THE STUDENT WILL FULFILL THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS
    Using complete sentences, please give enough detail to offer a picture of the project.  You might include the process of exploration, the goals of the project, the format of the finished product (e.g., class presentation, research paper, PowerPoint, sculpture, blog), the subject of the project, the frequency of meetings, the outside readings, etc.

    Have you received approval from your instructor to pursue this Honors Contract project?

    If not, you must do so before completing this application or your Honors Contract proposal will be rejected by the director of the Honors Program.

    Have you received approval from your instructor to pursue this Honors Contract project?

    If not, you must do so before completing this application or your Honors Contract proposal will be rejected by the director of the Honors Program.

    INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
    By entering your signature below, you are affirming that
    • the information entered on this form is accurate 
    • you understand the terms of this Honors Contract listed above in the introductory message from the Honors Program directors
    • you will work to the best of your ability to complete the project as described above by the end of the semester.