Fall 2026 Honors Project Proposal Application

Congratulations on being invited to participate in the Honors Program at Northwestern Michigan College. We are proud to offer a program that will academically challenge you above and beyond your course work, allowing you to develop skills that will carry you through your educational journey and into your career.

Student Application Instructions: 

1. Schedule a meeting with your instructor (Zoom or in-person) to discuss your honors project and complete the form together. 
2. Fill out form using the computer. Do not fill this form out on your phone, please use a computer to avoid missing sections. 
3. Form must be completed with your instructor. Forms not completed with instructor approval will be subject to refusal. 
4. Use professional language and be sure to check spelling and grammar. Creating an intentionally developed proposal is a valuable skill and showcases your honors level skills. To learn more about writing using professional language, reach out to your instructor and the research librarians. 
5. Click submit when complete. You will receive a copy of your submission. 
6. Do not start work on your Honors Project until you have received approval from the Honors Committee (see below).

Review Process: 

1. The Honors Committee will review all contract submissions for honors level quality. 
2. The committee might request the student make edits to their contract to be approved by the committee. These will be sent out after review in an email to you and your instructor.  
3. Approvals will also be sent out via email to you and your instructor; you may now start your project!

Student Review Process & Project:

1. If you have received a Request for Edits, please carefully review the instructions and submit the requested changes by the deadline outlined in the email. 
2. If you have received an Approval email, you may now work with your instructor to begin your project!

Grading:

1. Instructors please grade your student’s overall work in class and on the project to determine if honors credit has been earned and submit their final grade accordingly.
2. The student must have a 3.33 or higher in the overall class and must have earned at least a 3.33 or higher on their project in order to receive an Honors Credit “H” next to their grade. Honors grades are entered by the instructor at the same time as the class grade. 

For any questions regarding this process, please contact LDickinson@nmc.edu 

Honors Project Introduction

Provide a detailed description of your project below in 2-3 paragraphs (200-400 words), including: 

1. The subject and purpose of the project and why it matters
2. The issues, problems or questions addressed in the project
3. What you hope to accomplish with this project

Honors Project Significance

Explain the importance of your project below in 1-2 paragraphs (100-200 words), including: 

1. The original contributions you plan to explore beyond the course content
2. What skills will this project require, how it will challenge you as a learner
   1. i.e. this project will require analyzing data and developing a method for reviewing and presenting this data
3. How does this project relate to the research already being conducted
4. The impact your project will have on your major or future career

Note: projects must be above and beyond the syllabus course requirements. An Honors Project is intended to provide additional learning opportunities through independent research and project management. The skills learned will strengthen a student's ability to communicate ideas and creative work, compose cohesive proposals, and develop critical problem solving skills. 

Honors Project Methodology

Explain how you will complete your project and what form it will take below in 1-2 paragraphs (100-200 words), including:

1. The form(s) of the final project
   
   1. i.e. Printed Issue, Art Piece, Research Paper, Slideshow, Display, Designed Product, Digital Model, Webpage, Mock Presentation, etc.
2. What tools and resources will be used to accomplish the project
   1. How will information be collected and from what sources
   2. The Library offers support with research projects - click here>
3. How your results will be evaluated and interpreted
4. Set measured and achievable goals
5. Human Participants: if project methods include Human Participants, please complete this form - click here>
6. Hazardous Materials: if project methods include hazardous chemicals, microorganisms, etc., please complete this form - click here>

Honors Project Reflection

Explain what you have learned

Creating a proposal for your project application is a critical skill in many career fields, reflecting on what you have learned during the Honors Project process is a valuable exercise to gague your durable and technical skill growth.

• All Honors Projects must include a reflection of what you learned by completing this project. Please select the appropriate relflect type from the options below: 
  • Option A: If you completed a Non-Written Project (i.e. Art, Slideshow, Display, etc.) - complete a 1,000 word reflection
  • Option B: If you completed an Essay Project (i.e. Research Paper) - include a reflection in your essay

Instructor Evaluation

Have your instructor explain their evaluation criteria below in 1 paragraph (50-100 words), including:

1. The anticipated deliverables or activity that will be assessed and graded
2. What standards and metrics will the deliverables be evaluated against
3. The anticipated durable and technical skills learned 

Instructors may create rubrics to assist in the grading process, rubrics do not need to be submitted to the committee

Application Review

The Honors Committee will review your application based on the following criteria:

1. Writing Skills: use formal language and proofread your work
2. Description: explain your project in a straightforward manner, avoid acronyms and jargon
3. Intention: define the purpose of your project; who, what, when, where, and why
4. Expansion of Learning: the project is clearly separate from the rest of your course material
5. Clear Goals: the committe can see that you have set measured and achieveable goals
6. No AI Use: application has been completed without use of AI
7. Instructor Signature: applications must be reviewed and approved by your instructor before submission