about this guide
Honors credit can be obtained in three ways. First, a course can be designated in the Course Catalog as an honors course, and all offerings of this course are automatically assigned the corresponding honors course attributes. Secondly, a department may choose to create an honors section of a non-honors course by assigning class attributes and requirement groups when setting up the class section in UAccess. Finally, students may request to receive honors credit for a non-honors section of a course through the Honors Contract agreement as outlined on the W. A. Franke Honors College website. This guide provides guidance on the three ways honors credit can be obtained.
Ideally, class setup takes place during Open Scheduling, but if changes to class setup are needed outside of Open Scheduling, then Closed Scheduling Section Request processes should be followed.
New Update: Department schedulers have extended access to update the Class Attribute, Requirement Designation, and Requirement Group fields. These fields can be updated prior to student enrollment in the section. Any changes to these fields following enrollment in the class are processed in collaboration with the RCS team via RCS Section Forms.
Honors Section set-up at the catalog level
If an honors designation is applied at the catalog level, the appropriate Honors Codes will automatically populate at the section level—no further action is required.
Some honors courses are identified by the catalog by their house numbered catalog number or subject (HNRS).
To verify this information, go to the Course Catalog and review the Catalog Data tab. In the Additional Course Information section, review the field for Requirement Designation. Just below that, the Course Attributes section will indicate the assigned Course Attribute and Description, and the Course Attribute Value and Description. Please note that a course may have additional course attributes and attribute values as well as additional requirement designations. To be designated as an honors course, honors must be included.
UAccess Honors section set up, if requested by department
A department can create an honors section of a non-honors course by assigning class attributes and requirement groups when setting up the class section in UAccess.
Step 1: Navigate to Maintain Schedule of Classes > Basic Data > Class Attributes> Course Attribute = HNRS Course Attribute Value = HCRS
Step 2: Adjust Class Associations >
Class Components > Class Association Components Requirement Designation = HONR
Step 3: Adjust Class Associations > Class Requisites
Within the Class Association Requisites box use the maginfying glass to select the Requrement Group number.
'Do Not Save' message
Note: If incorrect action is taken, a logic-based rule will activate and prevent the changes from saving. A pop-up warning message (below) will then provide directions for the next steps to resolve the issue.
Honors contract, as requested by the student
Honors contracts allow students to make individualized arrangements with instructors to earn honors credit in non-honors courses. Students may initiate the contract request by following the steps and deadlines outlined in the Honors Contract agreement. For additional information on honors contracts, refer to the frequently asked questions and Honors Contract policies webpages shared by the Honors College. Faculty and department schedulers can reference this Honors College resource page to learn more about developing an honors contract.
For non-honors sections, honors contracts are initiated by students and managed at the department level; therefore, Class Attributes are not assigned at the section level.
Related processes and additional resources
Open Scheduling period is the time when department schedulers complete class section set-up. Below are links to other resource guides that may be helpful to this process, and other class section set-up data entry.
More information on system updates can be found at RCS Reimagine: Updates to Managing the Schedule of Classes
Need Help? Contact Us!
For additional questions, you can reach the RCS team via email: rcshelp@arizona.edu or phone: 520-621-3313.
created 6/2025