UAA Honors College

  • University Honors College

    Apply to the UAA's University Honors College, where you will have the opportunity to design your own pathway uniquely fitted to your personal and academic interests and goals. Next Admission Review Deadline: December 15th for Spring 2025.

    Apply Now

UHC News and Events

Honors Courses

Honors Academic Board

Major Scholarships

Mountains in front of a sunrise with the text "Honors is for you"

The Dean's Welcome

Ray Ball

Ray Ball, Ph.D.
Interim Dean of the Honors College
Schedule an Appointment

Welcome to the University Honors College! We are glad you’re here. 

Membership in the UAA Honors College allows you to creatively craft and personalize your journey at UAA. It will also help you to make sure your impact counts for credit. Have you been involved in student clubs at UAA, and found yourself in a leadership role? Do you want to study abroad and immerse yourself in other cultures? What about conducting research with a faculty member or performing an original creative work on stage? Are you already active in your communities by serving local, regional, or national organizations outside of school? If you work to help support yourself through college, your professional experiences may also contribute to completing Honors. Come learn how your experiences can earn you an Honors Scholar designation upon completing your degree at UAA.

UAA students, whether in an Associate’s or a Bachelor’s Degree Program, who have a 3.0 GPA or higher are eligible to apply. Once admitted, you have the opportunity to choose one of four tracks. Within your chosen track, you get personal mentorship from Honors faculty members as you discover how your passions, goals, and needs can help you thrive and have an impact. The Honors College will challenge you to think deeply, to collaborate with others, and to pursue what excites and fascinates you. Prior to graduation, you will complete and present a portfolio that distinctly reflects your journey. Ultimately, your experiences as an Honors Scholar will help distinguish you as you enter the job market, work towards a new career, or seek postgraduate education.

The University Honors College is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council. It also serves as the home of Major Scholarships.  

 

Choose your Pathway

Students planting a tree in a sunny field

Students will demonstrate the skills, disposition, and knowledge necessary to engage with community issues through an informed, participatory lens.

Community Engagement
Model UN display of international flags

Students will reflect and act upon the global interdependencies between self, others, and community.

Global & Multicultural Studies
Student stands in front of rally speaking into a microphone

Students will demonstrate the ability to develop and execute a vision that involves others to work collaboratively towards a shared goal.

Leadership
Student conducting research on a laptop in a snowy field

Students will demonstrate the ability to work through a research or a creative process.

Research & Creative Activity

 

Announcements:

Honors College Spring Orientation

All newly admitted Honors College students are expected to attend one spring orientation session:

 
In-Person Session
Wednesday, Jan. 15th, at 4PM
Location: ADM 142 

49th State Fellows

Students

The 49th State Fellows Program is designed to recognize students and faculty at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) who exhibit stellar academic achievement and the highest-degree of intellectual curiosity.

University Honors College students who are pursuing Bachelor’s degrees related to Alaska Native cultures; Indigenous leadership; or Alaska and/or Arctic history, literature, policy, or science and/or those who are applying experiential and co-curricular activities related to those areas are eligible to apply. This program provides a scholarship for at least two UAA Honors College Students each academic year.                                                                                                                       

Application deadline: January 5th

Student Application

 

 

Faculty

Full-time UAA Faculty who conduct research or creative activity directly relevant to Alaska and/or who teach courses related to Alaska Native cultures; Indigenous leadership; and/or Alaska (and/or Arctic) history, literature, policy, or science are invited to apply to be the 2024-2025 Faculty Fellow.

The Fellow will provide a presentation to Honors College faculty and students in the spring semester of their fellowship year and receive a $500 professional development stipend.

Application deadine: January 31st

Faculty Application

 

Honors Housing Scholarship Available!

UAA is pleased to offer students in the University Honors College a $1,500 per year housing scholarship. The Academic Honors Housing Scholarship is open to students in the University Honors College and recipients of the UA Scholars award. The Academic Honors Housing Scholarship is applied each fall and spring semester as a $750 discount off the cost of housing and food. The scholarship will be automatically applied; no additional application is needed!

For additional details, visit our UHC News and Events page at the top.

Applications Open for the McNair Scholars Program

The McNair Scholars Program has opened applications and is holding information sessions! The program is geared towards upper-division students, but lower-division students are also encouraged to take a look at the program's offerings if they are interested. All majors can apply.

Visit the McNair Scholars Program webpage for more information, or reach out to Sunny Mall (sunny@alaska.edu) with your questions or to make an appointment.

Major Grant and Scholarship Deadlines for Spring 2025

Please take note of the following UAA Campus deadlines for three of the major national/international scholarships whose applications the University Honors College facilitates. All of these require a campus interview process and an institutional endorsement.

UAA CAMPUS DEADLINES--Spring 2025:

Complete applications, including all letters of recommendation, are required by the UAA Campus Deadlines indicated above.

If you are interested in one of these awards and have not already contacted our Major Scholarships Coordinator Dr. Mychal Machado (mmachado2@alaska.edu), please do so as soon as possible, so arrangements can be made to schedule campus interviews on your behalf. These interviews can take place in person or on Zoom depending on the students’ needs.

 

 

 

Contact the Honors College

Honors College Administration:

  • Joseph Bruner, M.A. - Director of Student Success Initiatives, Strategy & Assessment
    Phone: 907.786.1473
    Email: jcbruner@alaska.edu
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  • Leslie Olberding - Honors Advisor
    Phone: 907.786.1357
    Email: lkolberding@alaska.edu