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Global Honors

UChicago College students are deeply engaged in activities that require the use of foreign languages and that connect them with individuals and cultures on or beyond our campus. Those activities range from taking courses to gaining certification of proficiency, to studying or interning abroad, to engaging with different cultural groups in the US and abroad, and completing language majors and minors.

Global Honors provides students with a way to assemble all of these many-faceted experiences and be recognized for exceptional global engagement. It is distinct from Academic Honors, because it is earned through a large variety of different – and often real-world – experiences.

Below are examples of the types of activities students can engage in to be eligible for the Global Honors distinction:

  • Participate in a Language Across the Curriculum (LxC) course, a Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) course, a Reading and Research course, an academic year intensive language course at UChicago, or a Summer intensive language course at UChicago or elsewhere, or a course or workshop for teaching language or ESL
  • Earn language proficiency certifications from the Office of Language Assessment, or a language proficiency rating from a government agency, or earn a minor or major in a program where foreign language plays a key role
  • Teach as a language assistant (LA) or teaching assistant (TA), or work as a research assistant with faculty when using foreign language resources
  • Engage in volunteer work with international groups or individuals, or in a community-based project with a target language group, or as a leader for an RSO or in publishing a language-focused journal or other publication
  • Participate in study abroad or in an internship abroad, or with a company or agency here in the US where you use a foreign language
  • Complete the application process for nationally competitive fellowships

As students demonstrate completion of each component, they earn points toward Global Honors. Once they qualify, they will receive the Global Honors designation on their transcript and be recognized during Convocation ceremonies at graduation. Click the link below for a comprehensive list of components.

Full list of Global Honors components

How to Apply

Interested in applying for Global Honors? For the 2022 academic year, you must be a current third- or fourth-year student in the College. These students can self-enroll in the Canvas course by following these instructions. Contact globalhonors@uchicago.edu with any questions.

If you are graduating in Spring 2023, materials must be uploaded to Canvas by May 8, 2023 so they can be verified in time for Global Honors recipients’ names to be added to the Convocation Program. You can upload materials showing a given component is currently in progress, if necessary.