Honors Seminars

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Honors Seminars engage students with:

• Interdisciplinary topics
• Outstanding students
• Terrific instructors
• no more than 20 students in the class

You bring your ideas, your passion, and your interests to the courses you decide to take. We make sure you are given complex problems to think about, significant writing assignments with meaningful feedback, chances to practice presentation skills in formal settings, and a network of friends from every major in every college.

Departmental Honors Programs

Benefits of Departmental Honors

List of Departmental Honors Contacts

Departmental Honors programs usually involve working closely with a faculty mentor on an independent research project lasting at least 3 semesters and culminating in an honors thesis. Departmental Honors research is a powerful way for a student to experience the thrill of innovative research and discovery in his/her field of interest. In a few Colleges, such as Business, students may choose a thesis option, but there is also a non-thesis option involving upper level coursework and enriching experiences appropriate to the discipline.

Admission to Departmental Honors programs varies by College / Department, but there is typically a minimum GPA requirement, upper level course requirements, and an in-depth research / scholarly endeavor culminating with a thesis [check specific details of individual programs through the web links and contact information below]. Students may do Departmental Honors in addition to any of the Honors College Living-Learning programs. Some Departmental Honors programs are open to first year students, although most students begin Departmental Honors at the end of their second or beginning of their third year on campus. Again, check individual programs for options; be aware that some (such as Business) have firm application dates.

Benefits of Departmental Honors:

Students admitted to a departmental or college honors program on campus are also considered members of the Honors College, whether or not they were Honors students when they entered Maryland. For more information, please visit: http://www.provost.umd.edu/PCC_DOCUMENTS/DesignVI_Honors.htm.

Honors (HONR) Seminars & H-Versions

All Honors College students, including departmental/college honors students have access to Honors (HONR) seminars offered by the University Honors Program and H-version courses offered by academic departments across campus. If you are a departmental/college honors student who is blocked from registering for an honors course you wish to take, please contact Assistant Director of the Honors College, Dean Hebert, for assistance.

Ice Cream

All Honors College students are welcome to participate in Honors College events, including our famous ice cream socials! Please watch the Honors College Event Calendar (http://www.honors.umd.edu/events.php) and the Honors College listserv for upcoming events.

Honors Research Grants

Departmental/College honors program students may apply for a one-time, need-based Honors Research Grant of $500 to help support research for an individual senior thesis or travel to a professional conference related to the thesis. Selection of recipients is based on academic merit, quality of supporting materials, and financial need. More information about the Honors Research Grants is available at http://www.honors.umd.edu/research_grant.php.

Honors Option Courses

If a student in a Department or College Honors Program is not able to take a departmental honors course that is required to meet your honors degree requirements, that student may develop an “Honors Option Course” with the permission of his/her Honors program advisor and the Honors College. An Honors Option student enrolls in a non-Honors course and creates an honors-quality addendum to the syllabus. More information about the Honors Option Courses can be found at http://www.honors.umd.edu/honors_option.php.

Links & Directors:

African-American Studies

African-American Studies
Ms. Valencia Skeeter
1119 Taliaferro Hall
01-405-1170
vskeeter@umd.edu

Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Ray Sedwick
3146 Glenn L. Martin Hall
301-405-0111
sedwick@umd.edu

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Agriculture & Natural Resources
Dr. Evelyn Cooper
0109 Symons Hall
301-405-0744
ecooper@umd.edu

American Studies

American Studies
Dr. Jo Paoletti
4117 Susquehanna Hall
301-405-6646
jpaol@umd.edu

Anthropology

Anthropology
Dr. Bill Stuart
0106 Woods Hall
301-405-1435
wmstuart@umd.edu

Art

Art
Shannon Collis
1M326 Art-Sociology Building
1 443 955 0306
scollis@umd.edu

Art History & Archeology

Art History & Archeology
Dr. Yui Suzuki
4220 Art-Sociology Bldg.
301-405-1488
ysuzuki@umd.edu

Astronomy

http://www.astro.umd.edu/undergrad/major.html
Dr. Melissa Hayes-Gehrke
1245 Computer & Space Science Bldg.
301-405-5099
mhayesge@umd.edu

Fischell Department of Bioengineering

http://www.bioe.umd.edu/undergraduate/honors
Dr. Helim Aranda
3138 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building
301-405-8250
helim@umd.edu

Biology

http://biology.umd.edu/honors.html
Dr. Marjorie Reaka
4202 Bio-Psych Bldg.
301-405-6944
mlreaka@umd.edu

Business & Management

http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/programs/undergraduate-programs/academics/fellows-special-programs/business-honors
Dr. Charles E. Olson
3419 Van Munching Hall
301-405-8666
colson@rhsmith.umd.edu

Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics

http://www.life.umd.edu/CBMG/undergrad/honors.html
Dr. Louisa Wu
5128 Plant Sciences Building
301-405-5151
lwu1@umd.edu

Chemistry and Biochemistry

http://www.chem.umd.edu/undergraduateprogram/currentstudents/chemistryhonorsprogram/
Dr. Mike Montague-Smith
1206 Chemistry Building
301-405-1791
mpms@umd.edu

Communication

http://www.comm.umd.edu/undergraduate/honors
Dr. Leah Waks
Skinner 2101B
301-405-6529
leahwaks@wam.umd.edu

Computer Science

http://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/departmental-honors
Dr. Rich Gerber
4135 A.V. Williams Building
301-405-8010
rich@cs.umd.edu

Dr. Dave Levin
3122 A.V. Williams Building
301-405-2776
dml@cs.umd.edu

Dr. Vibha Sazawal
4401 A.V. Williams Building
301-405-1719
vibha@umiacs.umd.edu

Criminology & Criminal Justice

http://www.ccjs.umd.edu/content/departmental-honors-program-0
Dr. David Maimon
2220 LeFrak Hall
301-405-4716
dmaimon@umd.edu

Economics

http://www.econ.umd.edu/undergraduate/honors

Dr. Nuno Limao
4118K Tydings Hall
301-405-7842
limao@econ.umd.edu

Education

http://www.education.umd.edu/index.html
Dr. Christy T. Corbin
1117H Benjamin Bldg.
301-405-7793
ctc@umd.edu

Electrical & Computer Engineering

http://www.ece.umd.edu/node/199
Dr. Romel Gomez
Electrical and Computer Engineering Office of Undergraduate Studies
2313 A.V. Williams Building
301-405-7755
rdgomez@umd.edu

Engineering Honors Program

http://www.eng.umd.edu/current/honors-program
Dr. Richard H. McCuen
Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering
1170 Glenn L. Martin Hall
301-405-1949
rhmccuen@umd.edu

English

http://www.english.umd.edu/academics/undergraduate/honors
Dr. Randy Ontiveros
3123 Tawes Hall
301-405-3833
rjo@umd.edu

Entomology

http://entomology.umd.edu/academics/undergraduate/honorsprogram
Dr. William Lamp
4112 Plant Sciences Bldg.
301-405-9290
lamp@umd.edu

Environmental Science and Policy

http://www.ensp.umd.edu/Honors.html
Dr. Bruce James, Director
0220 Symons Hall
301-405-8573
brjames@umd.edu

Dr. Wendy Whittemore
0220 Symons Hall
301-405-8573
wwhitte@umd.edu

Family Sciences

http://sph.umd.edu/fmsc/ugrad/honors.html
Dr. Mia Smith Bynum
1124W School of Public Health
301-405-0229
msbynum@umd.edu

French

https://sllc.umd.edu/french/undergraduate/honors
Dr. Valerie Orlando
3106G Jimenez Hall
301-405-6386
vorlando@umd.edu

Geographical Sciences

http://geog.umd.edu/content/honors-geography
Dr. Martha E. Geores
2181 Lefrak Hall
301-405-4064
mgeores@umd.edu

Geology

http://www.geol.umd.edu/undergraduates/ugdhonors.htm
Dr. John Merck
1218 Centreville Hall
301-405-2808
jmerck@umd.edu

Germanic Studies

http://sllc.umd.edu/german/undergraduate/honors
Dr. Regina Ianozi
4106 Jimenez Hall
301-405-4091
ianozi@umd.edu

Government & Politics

http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/honors/
Dr. David Cunningham
3140 Tydings Hall
301-405-8364
dacunnin@umd.edu

Hearing & Speech Sciences

http://www.hesp.umd.edu/content/honors
Dr. Yasmeen Faroqi Shah
0141F Lefrak Hall
301-405-4229
yfshah@umd.edu

History

http://history.umd.edu/undergraduate/programs/honors
Dr. Holly Brewer
2133 Francis Scott Key
301-405-9442
hbrewer@umd.edu

Italian

http://www.languages.umd.edu
Dr. Joseph Falvo
3103 Jimenez Hall
301-405-4031
gfalvo@umd.edu

Kinesiology

http://sph.umd.edu/department/knes/honors-program
Dr. Carson Smith
2351 SPH Building
301-405-2450
carson@umd.edu

Linguistics

http://ling.umd.edu/undergraduate/honors/
Dr. Tonia Bleam
1401 Marie Mount Hall
301-405-4930
tbleam@umd.edu

Mathematics

http://www-math.umd.edu/undergraduate/opportunities.html?id=101
Dr. Larry Washington
1106 Mathematics Building
301-405-5059
lcw@math.umd.edu

Philosophy

http://www.philosophy.umd.edu/undergraduate/honors
Dr. Allen Stairs
1126 Skinner Bldg.
301-405-5695
stairs@umd.edu

Physics

http://umdphysics.umd.edu/academics/undergraduate/currentstudents/497-physhonors.html
Dr. Steven Anlage
1363 John S. Toll Physics Bldg
301-405-7321
anlage@umd.edu

Psychology

http://psychology.umd.edu/ugrad/honors.html
Dr. Jack Blanchard
1147A Bio-Psychology Bldg.
301-405-8438
jblancha@umd.edu

Sociology

http://www.socy.umd.edu/undergraduate/honors-program
Dr. Linda Moghadam
2108 Art-Sociology Bldg.
301-405-6389
moghadam@umd.edu

Spanish & Portuguese

http://sllc.umd.edu/spanish/undergraduate/honors
Dr. Ana Patricia Rodriguez
2215E Jiménez Hall
(301) 405-2020
aprodrig@umd.edu

Women's Studies

http://www.womensstudies.umd.edu/current/undergraduate/honors.html
Dr. Else Barkley Brown
2101 Woods Hall
301-405-6877
barkleyb@umd.edu

Academic Policies

Statement on Academic Integrity
GPA and Academic Requirements
Repeat Policy
LLP Transfer and Removal

Honors College Statement on Academic Integrity

The Honors College is an intellectual community that engages high-achieving undergraduates to pursue knowledge in an atmosphere of honesty and trust. We support the University’s commitment to academic honesty and responsibility. Students found responsible for a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity by the Student Honor Council, receiving an “XF” or worse, will be removed from the Honors College, including the living and learning program. For more information on the University’s Code of Academic Integrity, please visit the Office of Student Conduct.

Honors College GPA and Academic Requirements

The minimum GPA for students to remain in good standing in the Honors College is a 3.0 cumulative. Students who fall below a 3.0 GPA minimum will receive communication from the Honors College executive director alerting them to their probationary status in the Honors College. The 3.0 GPA minimum is a consistent standard across the College; no LLP may set a lower or higher minimum GPA for its students. Students falling below a 3.0 are considered to be on Honors College probation until the GPA is raised back to a 3.0.

A minimum 3.2 GPA is required to earn the Honors College citation.

It is important to note that individual programs have at least the minimum expectations above but may also maintain additional program-specific expectations. Students are encouraged to consult with their LLPs to ensure full knowledge of academic standards and expectations.

Students will be required to meet with the appropriate representative of the LLP staff if their GPAs fall below the 3.0 minimum.

Denied Access to Honors Courses

Students who fall below a 3.0 and are therefore on HC probation will be denied registration access to Honors seminars and LLP courses until the GPA is at a 3.0. It is possible for a LLP to grant registration overrides for a respective LLP course on a case-by-case basis, allowing the student to remain on track with sequenced course requirements.

*University Honors program requires a 3.0 GPA minimum for access to UH seminars and has the right to administratively remove students who are registered for these courses who do not meet this requirement. Students will be notified with sufficient time to alter their schedules in order to maintain financial aid or other services that are credit-laden. After such date, students will be removed from the Honors seminar.

Removal of Students from LLPs

In addition to the Honors College policy, an LLP may have further expectations for their students. For example, an LLP may stipulate no grades below a “C” in LLP course work or the successful completion of an internship requirement.

Students who have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA but are removed from their LLP due to failure to maintain academic expectations may be allowed to continue their Honors College experience in the University Honors program, after appropriate review.

For more information on University retention policy, please visit the online Schedule of Classes section on Academic Probation and Dismissal.

Honors College Repeat Policy

The Honors College Policy applies to all courses across the Honors College living and learning programs (LLP). An LLP director may grant an exception allowing a course to be repeated within the respective LLP in rare, extenuating circumstances after consultation with the Honors College executive director.

University Honors seminars, which are open to all Honors College students, are not repeatable. These courses are seat limited, one-time offerings or offered for a limited time and therefore are often not available for re-enrollment.
Other LLP courses are regularly offered, however are cohort-specific and are not designed for reenrollment as they are sequential, building on previous courses. In rare circumstances, a student may be allowed to repeat a course with the next cohort. In this case, the University Repeat Policy regarding how both final grades will be calculated in to the GPA will prevail. There are guidelines regarding GPA calculations based upon when the original course was taken and within how many credits. Students are advised to consult the undergraduate catalog for their matriculation year or meet with an academic advisor for more information. Course catalogs can be accessed on-line via the Office of the Registrar and clicking on Catalog-Undergraduate.

Internal LLP Transfer and Removal Policy

Student LLP Withdrawal

Honors students, who have matriculated to the University and wish to switch out of their LLP are discouraged from doing so until the end of their first semester unless there are extenuating circumstances. Generally, the Honors College policy requires students to meet with their Program’s director or associate director for advising and consultation and to wait until the end of the fall semester.

If the student still wishes to switch at the end of the fall semester, they may do so by completing the exit survey provided by their LLP representative.

Generally, students may only switch into the University Honors (UH) program.* It should also be noted that while most students in good academic standing (GPA 3.0 or above) will be allowed to move into UH, students with below a 3.0 cumulative GPA may be placed on Honors College probation and not be allowed transfer to UH until the 3.0 cumulative is achieved. Additionally, student conduct/behavioral or other concerns may prevent approval of transfer to UH.
*A small, select group of students may switch to ILS when invited.

Program Removal of a Student

It is the position of the Associate Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Studies that the Honors College and the Living and Learning Programs (LLP) within are additional campus resources affording a subset of eligible students an enriching academic experience. Students entitled to the Honors College resources are those whose competitive academic records are deemed so by the Honors College staff and who continue to prove themselves responsible to both academic and community expectations. Students who either fall below the stated GPA minimum (3.0) and other LLP academic expectations or who are found responsible for academic dishonesty and receive an XF or worse by the Office of Student Conduct may be removed from the Honors College and/or their assigned LLP. Additionally, any student who is considered a disruptive and/or unproductive member of the community, regardless of their academic record, may be removed from the Honors College and/or their assigned LLP. Either action can impact a student’s ability to earn the Honors College citation or graduation cords.

Honors Research Grant

Application Deadlines

Fall: October 1 Spring: February 26

A limited number of grants of up to $500.00 (each) are available to Honors students each semester. Selection is based on academic merit, quality of supporting materials, and financial need.

Background and Rationale

The Honors Research Grant Program has been established to support the research efforts of students in the departmental and college Honors programs. Students may apply for grants up to $500.00 for any legitimate purpose that would enhance their research efforts. For example, grant money could be used toward travel to conferences or special research collections or for the purchase of equipment unique to the student’s project not covered by a mentor’s grant. Generally, grant money is not awarded for the purchase of common laboratory equipment. A student may receive the award once.

Eligibility

1. 1. Students must be admitted to a college or departmental Honors program.

2. 2. Students must be actively engaged in a research project that will lead to the writing of an individual Honors thesis.

3. 3. Students must have a FAFSA on file for the current academic year that demonstrates financial need. If a student’s expected family contribution for college expenses is less than the total cost of attendance, there is an excellent chance the student will meet the financial need criteria. A student may inquire about his/her financial eligibility prior to applying by emailing sfa-scholarships@umd.edu.

Application Process:

1. 1. This Application Form (submit 2nd page only)

2. 2. Narrative Description of your Honors thesis project

3. Detailed Budget

4. Transcript (unofficial transcript is fine)

5. 5. Confidential letters of support from Faculty Mentor. (An additional letter of support from your college or department Honors director is optional.)

Submit completed application materials (electronic) to: tdula@umd.edu (with the subject line 'Research Grant' and your last name). Questions: 301-405-1221.

*Students who are awarded the Honors College Research Grant must agree to submit a final copy of their thesis to the Honors College and to have their name, thesis title, and abstract posted on the Awards website.

Study Abroad

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