The Frederick Honors Curriculum is not the stereotypical “harder” Honors class. What makes Frederick different is our focus on pedagogy rooted in intellectual depth, experiential discovery and student agency. Our curriculum is student-centered and student-generated, with interdisciplinary inquiry that makes the Frederick Honors experience unique. Students select their own pathway to critically engage with material, create original artifacts and conduct specialized research around global themes.
Pitt Frederick students across pathways (Honors Distinction, Honors Degree and the Bachelor of Philosophy) are able to personalize their education through Frederick Honors Curriculum.
Unique Frederick Honors Curriculum Experiences
A few signature Frederick course experiences are detailed below. Please note, not all of these opportunities are available to all students, but rather represent a small selection of the unique curricular offerings designed and hosted within FHC.
Catalyst Communities are specialized cohorts of first-year students. Catalyst students participate in a themed, 1-credit course in the fall and a 3-credit course in the spring. Students can apply before the start of their first semester at Pitt. Courses are meant to bring together interdisciplinary majors to consider different angles of a theme (such as Global Health) and work together on a community engagement project with first-year enrichment activities.
This interdisciplinary course is offered in fall and spring for first-year students interested in research, no matter their intended area of study. Topics in this course range from identifying faculty mentors and funding to developing research questions. Students will also learn about foundational concepts of research that are applicable to any discipline.
Awarded by the David C. Frederick Honors College, the Rees-Chancellor's Scholars Program is an selected cohort of outstanding incoming undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievements and leadership potential. Rees-Chancellor's Scholars participate in a year-long experience including coursework and activities.
The Frederick Honors College supports undergraduate students conducting independent creative, community-based, public service and research projects. Students can enroll in fellowship courses based on their fellowship experiences offered in fall, spring and summer.
The Frederick Honors College supports undergraduate students conducting community-based, public service and professional internships. Students can enroll in internship courses based on their experiences offered in fall, spring and summer.
Scholar communities are designed to explore a community, social, or political issue as it relates to community engagement and service learning. Communities are meant to provide co-curricular value for students reinforcing social responsibility and learning through community engagement. Students may self-select into a Scholar Community and can enroll in a fall or spring course that provides unique opportunities for FHC students to engage around an issue and work towards positive change.
Our Signature Global Programs allow students to dive into unique academic experiences that use the world as their classroom. Students can participate in semester or year-long opportunities, offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer. These programs provide partnerships with world-class institutions and Frederick-specific experiences.
Within the Frederick curriculum, students can select elective courses in the fall and spring semesters. These courses provide unique learning opportunities and experiential engagement with select faculty and small classes.
Course Registration, Contracts and Special Opportunities
See below for step-by-step instructions on how to register for Honors courses through the PeopleSoft platform, how to pursue the process of completing Honors course enhancement contracts, and information on the opportunity to enroll in graduate-level courses for Honors credit through the School of Public and International Affairs.
Use PeopleSoft/Campus Experience (CX) to find the list of all Honors courses being offered. On the Class Search page, select Frederick Honors Course in the Course Attribute pull-down menu to get the list.
If you do not meet the enrollment requirements for an Honors course, you must contact the professor teaching the course to obtain their permission to enroll in it. When you email the professor, explain why you're interested in taking the course and offer details about any skills/experiences you will bring to the course.
If the professor is willing to waive the enrollment requirements to allow you to enroll in the course, the professor can direct you to someone in their department who can issue you a permission number, or the professor can send an email message to David Hornyak (hornyak@pitt.edu) with the following information:
- The course department and number (e.g., HIST 1234)
- Your name
- Your email address
- Your PeopleSoft ID number
You will be emailed a permission number in return.
Honors course enhancement contracts allow David C. Frederick Honors College students the opportunity to earn course credit for Honors Degree or Honors Distinction program requirements in an undergraduate course that does not already fulfill an FHC requirement.
Examples of courses approved for FHC requirements that cannot have a course enhancement include:
- Courses with the Frederick Honors Course attribute
- Courses with the High Impact Attribute Values of Undergraduate Research, Undergraduate Internship and Capstone Course
- Courses with the Civic Learning and Civic Learning + Engagement attributes
- Courses used to fulfill honors-approved certificates/programs
- Courses that have an honors version of it available (e.g., introductory biology, chemistry, physics, etc.)
Additionally, undergraduate courses with the writing intensive course (w-course) attribute cannot have an honors course enhancement contract associated with them.
Instructors are not obligated to agree to a request from a student to create an honors course enhancement contract for their class.
The experience and subsequent product(s) must engage the student beyond a more passive requirement, such as adding one additional paper for the class, although a paper may be one component of the deliverable.
Instructors and students are encouraged to be creative in their approach by considering:
- Presentations
- Individual research projects or assistance with instructor research
- Using innovative technologies
- Producing creative works
- Community engagement or service-learning projects
- Preparing and presenting class lectures or designing and testing lab projects
- Reflections on intellectual development opportunities related to the course
An honors course enhancement may be designed for an individual student, or several students may work together under one contract.
A contract form (PDF) is submitted to David Hornyak no later than the end of the add/drop period of the semester in which the course is being taught. If several students are working on the same enhancement project together, separate contract forms must be completed for each student, although the details about the enhancement project can be the same for all students involved.
At the end of the semester, David Hornyak will provide the instructor with an evaluation form through Qualtrics to assess the student’s performance and success in meeting the requirements of the contract. The evaluation is due when course grades are submitted.
The evaluation of the honors course enhancement contract is separate from the grading for the course. Failure to complete the contract’s requirements will have no impact on the grade the student receives for the course.
For questions or assistance in developing an honors course enhancement contract, students and instructors are encouraged to discuss possible ideas with the Frederick Honors College by contacting Assistant Dean David Hornyak at hornyak@pitt.edu.
Are you interested in public service and learning how our world works? Do you want to challenge yourself by taking a graduate-level course? Any Honors College student is welcome to cross-register and take a course from the Graduate School of Public & International Affairs.
To request a permission code that will allow you to register, please email rkidney@pitt.edu and specify which course you would like to take. You will receive a reply within 2-3 business days.
Course examples include:
- PIA 0601 Ideas to Impact: Persuasive Communication for Public Policy
- PIA 0602 Ethics & Equity in Public Policy
- PIA 1103 Multinational Corporations & Global Policy Challenges
- PIA 1107 Workers Without Borders
- PIA 1108 Global Sustainability Policy
- PIA 2096 Capstone: Non-Profit Clinic
- PIA 2473 Strategies of Global Inquiry
- PIA 2502 Environmental Policy: Local & Global
- PIA 2210 Race, Gender, Law & Policy
