Requirements For Transfer Students

Thank you, transfer student, for your interest in the CHP! Our program admits transfer students in two ways:

• "The Guarantee" program. This pilot program through UCI’s Office of Admissions has already selected students for the 2009-2010 academic year. No further application is necessary if you have been selected for this program.
• All other transfer students are invited to apply to the CHP prior to matriculation or after they have completed at least one quarter at UCI. To apply, you must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.5. (Please note that students who are admitted to the CHP often have GPAs higher than the minimum required for consideration.) See information on the application process below.

There are two possible course tracks for transfer students, depending on whether you have successfully completed an Honors program at your community college with a 3.5 GPA or better.

A. If you have completed an Honors program at your community college with a 3.5 or better, the curricular requirement for successful completion of the CHP is two quarters of research and an approved honors thesis or creative project.

B. If you have not completed an Honors program at your community college with a 3.5 or better, you will be required to take at least one of the CHP core course sequences, and complete two quarters of research and an approved honors thesis or creative project. The exact requirement will be determined by the Honors Director as part of the review of your application.

You may obtain the application form by contacting the Honors Office or you may download one from this website.

As you answer the questions on the application, keep in mind that we are looking for a demonstrated passion for learning, a willingness to explore and take risks, and academic excellence in a broad range of disciplines, not just in the area of your major.

Complete the entire application and hand-deliver/mail to us with your community college/university transcript(s). The first question has two parts, the second of which asks which of the Honors Core Courses you propose to take. The CHP core courses available to upper classmen are Social Science Core and the Idiom and Practice of Science (see below for course descriptions).

The CHP core course sequences are interdisciplinary in nature and often team-taught. They are designed to challenge students by exposing them to some of UCI’s best and most exciting faculty, while introducing important topics, issues and methods of inquiry across disciplines.

The honors course sequences available to upper division students are:

• Honors Social Science Core (Critical Issues in the Social Sciences).
  Offered as Social Sciences H1G-H1F-H1E. This year-long sequence is team-taught by professors from the Schools of Social Science and Social Ecology. The topics presented in this sequence are studied from the perspectives of various social science disciplines, including anthropology, cognitive sciences, economics, international studies, linguistics, political science, psychology, social ecology, and sociology. Sample topics have included authority, (dis)obedience and human society; decisions, compromises, and their rewards and penalties; human vision/perception, learning and memory; human language - how do we learn it and what is its effect on our acquisition of knowledge; and exotic societies (including our own). This core course is offered for 6 units each quarter.
• Honors Science Core (The Idiom and Practice of Science).
  Offered as Biology, Chemistry, Earth System Sciences, or Physics H90. (Students must complete three of the four courses.) This year-long sequence for non-science majors gives students an understanding of the role science plays in addressing socially significant problems. Students develop the ability to understand scientific models and to judge the content, merit, and limitations of many issues of science in the modern world. Emphasis is placed upon the development of analytical and writing skills. Topics have included ozone depletion/global warming, earthquakes, biodiversity/conservation, genetic plant engineering, calculus and partial differential equations, evolution/aging, radiation/diseases, the mathematics of power, and the physics of music. This core course is offered for 4 units each quarter.

CHP students participate in a minimum of two quarters of research. This experience culminates in the production of an honors thesis, creative project, or publication-quality paper. Most students actually end up spending 3 or more quarters on their research/thesis experience. How much will depend upon the discipline in which a student elects to do their research, the arrangements they make with their faculty mentors, and often, the nature of the project itself. Click here to view the CHP Research/Thesis and Senior Year Handbook.