About Honours+
Programme Components
In Honours+, you’ll work throughout the course of 6 months on a group challenge with an interdisciplinary team, under the guidance of a Supervisor.
The challenges you will be working on are based upon and linked to the Dutch National Research Agenda, and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and therefore also in line with UM’s core strategic programme.
What the definitive research question your team will be working on will be, depends on the team’s interpretation of the challenge and your plan for tackling the challenge. Honours+ challenges may be focused either on applied research or on theoretical research.
A true Honours+ challenge
- Is a challenging, academic and current case, issue or problem, with societal relevance;
- Is linked to UN’s SDG’s and the Dutch National Research Agenda;
- Pushes students outside their comfort zone;
- Calls for an innovative solution, exploration or approach;
- Allows and facilitates an interdisciplinary approach, with an equal input of the involved disciplines;
- Requires a time investment of 125 hours per student;
- Can be approached along the lines of the scientific method;
- Either calls for a solution (applied research), or aims to advance knowledge on the phenomenon (theoretical research).
Workshops and Masterclasses
Honours+ offers several workshops and master classes focused on optimal assignment execution as well as personal development. Offered workshop themes include “Creative Problem Solving”, “Finding your Way through the Methods Maze”, “Stress Management”, “Science of Wellbeing”, “Time Management”, “Speed Reading”, “Debating Skills” and “Presentation Skills”.
During Honours+, you are required to have attended at least two workshops.
Central Events
Polish up your networking and presentation skills at our various annual central events. Get to know your team members during the Honours+ Kick-Off, exchange knowledge, gain new insights from experts in the field during the Midterm Expert Discussion Evening, and meet with other Honours+ students and Supervisors during the Closing Event in May. Next to that, we organize a range of informal and fun events such as game night, movie night, escape room etc. aimed at connecting with your fellow honours students.
Become a part of the Honours+ (alumni) community and build bridges for the future.
Being an Honours+ students is not without obligations. Honours students are required to put in a lot of work on top of their regular curriculum. Besides this additional workload, Honours students in general are high performing students in many components of their life, whether that is study or personal life, and therefore put a lot of pressure onto themselves to perform. In Honours+, we understand that starting your 2nd BA year and an honours education can be somewhat overwhelming at times. That is why we offer our students a so-called “Honours+ Care Package”.
- Free sessions with a specialized well-being Coach;
- Workshop on “Science of Wellbeing”;
- Workshop on “Stress Management”;
- Workshop on “Time Management”;
- Group of Honours+ Walking Buddies, to clear your head during a walk in the woods with peers;
Honours+ Timeframe
When? Honours+ will take place from November until Mid-May. To be exact, the Honours+ programme will kick off on November 1st, after which you will start your team challenge and attending workshops, up until the Closing Event on May 10th.
Overall, Honours+ has been designed to require 140 hours (the equivalence of 5 ECTS) of your time, divided over time spent on assignment execution, attending workshops and masterclasses, and attending central events.
This is spread out over the course of approx. 6 months (November until Mid-May). In general you will find that you are required to dedicate 5 hours per week (exam weeks not included) to Honours+.
It is important to note that poor time management will most likely not only affect you, but your team members and your Supervisor as well. Be sure to manage your time well and securely schedule your activities.
!! It is important to know that the ECTS that stand for Honours+ do not come on top of your Faculty’s Honours programme. Honours+ is part of your Faculty’s Honours programme. Each faculty has cleared out 5 ECTS in their Honours programme to make room for Honours+.
