HONORS FAQs

What is the University Honors Program at Maryland?
The Honors Program is Maryland’s long established program for students with exceptional academic talents. Honors is designed to help expand your understanding of what education is all about, plug you in from the start with other top students and faculty, and challenge you to think about your place in our complex, and fast-changing world.

What is so special about Honors?
The students. The faculty. The courses. Honors students are intellectually energetic, full of diverse perspectives, and from all majors and involved in just about everything on campus. Faculty teach courses created just for Honors students on exciting, often interdisciplinary, topics. This is a dynamite formula for an exceptionally powerful and inspiring learning environment.

Please also check out The Best of the Best Elements of the University Honors Program.

What are Honors Seminars and H-Versions?
Honors Seminars are 3-credit courses with enrollments limited to 20 students. Approximately 70 Honors Seminars are offered each semester (see www.honors.umd.edu for listings). The professors who teach these seminars are among the University’s finest teachers. H-version classes are offered by some academic departments as Honors versions of introductory courses. They are designed for and are open only to Honors students. H-versions typically have lower enrollments, more sophisticated material, and proceed at a faster pace than corresponding standard courses.

Are Honors courses much harder than other courses?
You will work hard in Honors, but within a small class and with lots of attention from the professor. You will analyze ideas and discuss diverse perspectives with the faculty, not memorize factoids to be thrown back on a test. Busy work is prohibited. Honors Seminars fulfill many of the CORE (general education) courses required for all students at the University of Maryland.

Will the Honors Program constrain my other academic options?
No. Honors is a very flexible program. If you take 5 Honors courses and maintain a GPA of at least 3.2, you will earn your University Honors Citation (which most students complete within 5 semesters, although you remain part of the Honors Program your entire time on campus). The Honors Citation academic distinction appears on your transcript, and at graduation you wear an elegant set of red and gold cords. Honors courses punctuate your course work; they do not dominate it. You may do University Honors and also double major or do research or get an internship. Personal choice takes priority in how you design and balance your education.

What are Gemstone and Honors Humanities?
Gemstone and Honors Humanities are programs within University Honors, thus all students in Gemstone and Honors Humanities are also Honors students. Gemstone is a 4 year interdisciplinary undergraduate team research program, with projects focusing on the interface of science, technology, and society. Team research projects begin in the sophomore year and culminate with a team thesis at the end of senior year. Honors Humanities is a small, 2 year program sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanities. Its curriculum explores how the humanities and arts work to generate knowledge and as venues for significant public action.

What are the options for Honors Housing?
Honors is a living/learning program, so most Honors students live in Honors housing. The majority of first year students live in Denton Hall, directly across from the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and very near the football stadium. Gemstone students live in the same neighborhood, in Ellicott Hall. Some Honors students live in Anne Arundel Hall (location of the University Honors Offices) and Queen Anne Hall; neighboring Wicomico Hall is the home of Honors Humanities. Many junior and senior Honors students live in the South Campus Commons apartments. A few students decide that they do not want Honors housing on campus or that they prefer to live off campus. It’s your choice.

What is academic advising like in Honors?
University Honors has 2 full time advisors dedicated to helping Honors students with academic advising, planning, scheduling, and support. They are terrific and extremely personable – great to talk to, helpful when making academic decisions, and amazing at troubleshooting any problems that may arise regarding arranging class schedules.

Are Honors students a bunch of nerds?
NO WAY! At the end of freshman summer Orientation one of the most common comments is “I was so incredibly relieved to find out that the other Honors students are normal and fun!” One of the great things about the structure of Honors at Maryland is that Honors students are not isolated from everyone else: most of your classes and extracurriculars will be full of wonderful students from all over campus. Honors students blend in seamlessly, but they also form a community – one that shares enjoyment of intellectual challenges, a love of learning, and a desire to contribute to our complicated world. Being an Honors student is a pleasure and a privilege, but it’s also loads of fun. Just ask one!

How am I considered for admission to the University Honors Program?
University Honors does not have a separate admissions application. Submit your complete University of Maryland application [Parts I and II] to the Admissions Office by December 1 st [please make an effort to submit Part I before December 1 st ]. Honors reviews applications of academically talented students individually, looking at the transcript, test scores, extracurriculars, recommendations, essay, etc. All elements are important and enter into our decision process. The same letter that informs you about admission to the University will also include notification of invitation to University Honors.