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Close, sensitive, highly individualized academic advising is at the heart
of Honors education. All Honors students are assigned a University faculty
or Honors Program staff member to help guide and advise them. Assignments
are based on a student's major and course schedule, typically during
Delaworld 101 (new student orientation). Students who change majors
or seek a new advisor for any reason will be reassigned, usually by
the department of the student's major but in collaboration with the
Honors Program Office (831-1195).
Maintaining Active Status in the Honors Program
Honors Program Students in the Class of 2013 or after . . .
. . . must maintain a GPA of 3.00 in the first year to take Honors courses and remain in the Honors Program. After the second year and in subsequent years, Honors Program students must maintain a minimum of a 3.20 overall GPA. First semester freshmen who fall below a 3.00 will be placed on probation and will be notified about their probationary status. They will not be allowed to take Honors courses while their GPAs remain below 3.00. If their GPAs remain below a 3.00 at the end of their first year, they will be contacted and removed from the Honors Program.
All Honors Program students will be reviewed yearly. Any Honors students falling below a 3.20 GPA at the end of any year of study will be contacted and removed from the Honors Program.
Important note for first-semester Honors Program students: Honors Program students who are in their first semester will enroll in the next semester's courses before grades for the first semester are posted. Students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.00 after grades are posted will lose their enrollment in any Honors courses.
Former Honors Program students may apply for readmission once their GPA's improve to a 3.40 or higher. Please contact the Honors Program office for more information about readmission.
Honors Program Students in the Class of 2012 . . .
...must maintain a GPA of 3.00 to remain in the Honors Program. First semester freshmen who fall below a 3.00 will be placed on probation and will be notified about their probationary status. They will not be allowed to take Honors courses while their GPAs remain below 3.00. If their GPAs remain below a 3.00 at the end of their first year, they will be contacted and removed from the Honors Program.
All Honors Program students will be reviewed yearly. Any Honors students falling below a 3.00 GPA at the end of any year of study will be contacted and removed from the Honors Program.
Important note for first-semester Honors Program students: Honors Program students who are in their first semester will enroll in the next semester's courses before grades for the first semester are posted. Students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.00 after grades are posted will lose their enrollment in any Honors courses.
Former Honors Program students may apply for readmission once their GPA's improve to a 3.40 or higher. Please contact the Honors Program office for more information about readmission.
Honors Program Students enrolled prior to the Class of 2012...
...must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA to remain active in the Honors Program and to take Honors courses. If your overall GPA drops below a 3.0, you will be moved to inactive status and will be ineligible to take any Honors courses. Once your GPA improves to a 3.0 overall, you are back in active status and can resume taking Honors courses.
Poor grades can lead not only to inactive status in the Honors Program, but also to a loss of scholarships. The terms and conditions of retaining monetary awards may vary from scholarship to scholarship, but most scholarships require that the student maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative average.
Types of Honors Classes
Two varieties: Most Honors classes
are Honors sections of regular University courses. They meet the same
general education, departmental, and University requirements that their
specific non-Honors counterparts do. They occur in two forms:
- "free-standing" Honors sections. Enrollment in these classes is
kept small (usually 20 students).
- "add-on" Honors sections. Students participate in the activities
of a correlative regular section but also have the enrichment experiences
associated with the instructor and a somewhat different pattern
of assignments and expectations.
Courses unique to the Honors Program include the following:
First-Year Interdisciplinary Honors Colloquia
These three-credit writing-intensive interdisciplinary first-year seminars
are broadly conceived, generally going beyond conventional disciplinary
boundaries and focusing on topics of enduring significance. Colloquia
are intellectually rigorous without requiring more than a high-school
background in a field. They are elementary not in the sense of preparing
students for further study in a discipline, but rather in the sense
of preparing them for further skilled reflection on issues and ideas
of interest to all educated people.
Intensive reading, thoughtful analysis, and good writing are expected
of colloquia participants. Informed discussions, rather than lectures,
and attention to primary sources typify Honors colloquia. All
first-year Honors students, regardless of their intended college or
major, are required to take one Honors colloquium to be eligible for
a General Honors Award. Approximately
ten colloquia are offered each semester; these courses satisfy college
general education requirements.
Honors Forum Classes
Special one-credit courses are offered each semester for the Distinguished Scholars. These courses feature cultural activities both on and off campus and proactive readings and discussions.
Honors Tutorials
Patterned after the method of instruction in the British university
system, tutorials consist of no more than five to six students and a faculty
member who meet to discuss "Great Books" -- those lasting
works that are part of the common cultural heritage of educated people.
An Honors tutorial meets the Arts and Science Group A and Second Writing
requirements. It also satisfies the senior capstone course requirement
for the Honors Degree and the Honors Degree with Distinction
if taken in one of the final two semesters of a student's undergraduate
degree. Tutorials are open to any qualified junior or senior in the
Honors Program, but priority is given to senior Honors Degree candidates.
Honors Degree Seminars
These advanced interdisciplinary courses, open to qualified Honors juniors
and seniors, address topics of common interest to students from different
majors. An Honors Degree seminar satisfies the senior capstone course
requirement for the Honors Degree and the Honors Degree with Distinction
if taken in one of the final two semesters of a student's
undergraduate career. Not all "seminar" courses count for
this purpose--only those marked as such in the "Honors Degree Seminar"
section of the Honors course book each term will be accepted for the
Honors Degree or Honors Degree with Distinction.
Individual Honors Contracts
A student or small group of students enrolled in a non-Honors section of an appropriate course can, with the instructor's consent, arrange to receive Honors credit for the course. Students must review the guidelines for an Individual Honors Contract and complete an application (see below). The application must include the instructor’s description of the enrichment features that will distinguish the requirements for Honors credit from those of the non-Honors section. The instructor must also explain how the Honors work will be incorporated into the final grade. Please note that the application requires the signature of the student, the instructor, and director of the Honors Program. Applications are due to the director by 5:00 p.m. one week from the first day of classes of the fall or spring semester. For winter and summer sessions, Individual Honors Contracts are due before the first day of classes. For Study Abroad courses the contracts must be completed and submitted BEFORE leaving campus for the overseas program. For more information, call 831-1195.
Guidelines and Application for creating an Individual Honors Contract Independent Study
With the consent of a faculty sponsor and the Honors Program, a student may enroll for Honors credit in an independent study course. An application (see below) must be submitted to the director by 5:00 p.m. one week from the first day of classes. For more information, call 831-1195.
Guidelines and Application for Independent StudyStudy Abroad
Qualified students may be able to receive Honors credit for courses
offered abroad in some of the programs sponsored by the University.
Brochures and applications for study-abroad programs can be obtained
from the Office of International Programs and Special Sessions. The
Honors Program recommends inquiring about Honors Credit before registering
for a particular course and program (call Honors at 831-2734 or
Marion Bernard-Amos in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures,
831-6458).
Semester Course Listings
Semester Course Listings are viewable only using Adobe Acrobat
Reader; a download is available at www.adobe.com.
To search for a particular class, select the binoculars icon on the
top toolbar and follow online instructions.
Past Semesters:
General Education Group Approvals
for Colloquia
General Education Group Approvals for Colloquia are viewable only using
Adobe Acrobat Reader; a download is available at www.adobe.com.
Note: Dashes in the charts mean that you should see your
college Dean's Office for clarification.
Fall 2009
Past Semesters:
Approved Capstone Courses
At the end of their course of study, UD students integrate
their previous work in a culminating experience such as a senior seminar,
group project, or similar activity. Please consult the Capstone
course list for courses that have been approved for the Honors Degree
and Honors Degree with Distinction.
Senior Thesis
A requirement for the Honors Degree with Distinction and the Degree
with Distinction, the senior thesis is the culmination of a yearlong
major independent research or creative project. It addresses important
unanswered questions and makes an original and valuable contribution
to the scholarly, scientific, or artistic community. Its format and
length depend on the discipline involved.
Students should explore topics of interest as early as the sophomore
year so they can select courses for the junior and senior years that
are related to their research needs. An appointment with an advisor
in the Undergraduate Research Office (not the Honors Program) is required
early in the junior year to discuss program requirements and receive
application materials. During the junior year the student will find
a faculty member to direct the thesis and develop a topic.
In the second semester of the junior year, the student will find a
second faculty reader and write a preliminary proposal, due May 15 of
that year. In the senior year the student will take 6 credits of UNIV
401 and 402, the Senior Thesis course, in successive semesters. A special
feature of the thesis program at UD, this course reserves a weekly time
slot for a series of required meetings that are designed to assist senior
thesis candidates by enabling them to share research work in-progress
with their peers. The course concludes with the Undergraduate Research
Symposium, an important part of Honors Weekend in early May. At this
half-day conference, many senior thesis candidates present their research
to an audience of peers, faculty, and family members. Each thesis candidate
also prepares an individual thesis defense for his or her committee
in May.
Enrichment Opportunities
Honors Program Opportunities
Alison Scholars
The Alison Scholars Program is available by invitation only to ten
to fifteen Honors Program students who have demonstrated a special aptitude
for humanistic studies. The program is named after Dr. Francis Alison,
a colonial scholar and founder (in 1743) of the New London Academy,
regarded as the forerunner of the University of Delaware.
Benefits of the program include Alison Scholar Seminars, which expose
students to major issues in literature and the arts, science, politics,
and world affairs; faculty mentors to help the Scholars devise their
courses of study; early introduction to enrichment activities; and the
opportunity to substitute upper-division coursework for general education
requirements.
Writing Fellows Program
The Writing Fellows Program trains advanced undergraduates from all majors to work
one-on-one with student writers in a number of different academic settings.
The program rests on two assumptions: (1) Writing is an extended process
that generally involves pre-writing, drafting, editing, and revising;
and (2) instruction works best when it is individualized. Writing Fellows
are advanced undergraduates selected through a competitive and rigorous
process to assist faculty members in writing-intensive courses, including
(but not limited to) first-year interdisciplinary Honors Colloquia and in selected sections of Honors E110.
Writing Fellows are tutors, not teaching assistants: They work with
students on such matters as theses, coherence, evidence, organization,
paragraphing, transitions, and grammar, but they do not assign grades
or comment on the paper's content.
In addition to its obvious benefit to students being tutored in writing,
the Writing Fellows Program has proved to be of equal benefit to the
sophomores and juniors who take a three-credit training course (ENGL
316, Peer Tutoring and Advanced Composition) the semester before they
begin tutoring. Writing Fellows work closely with both the Coordinator
of the Writing Fellows Program and faculty teaching the courses to which
they have been assigned. Many Writing Fellows report significant improvement
in their own writing and decide to go on to write Honors theses. They
have also reported that the Fellowship is a central focus of their graduate
and law school interviews. Each year some Writing Fellows enter professional
careers in publishing and advertising, as well as science and technology
writing.
For more information, please contact
Ray Peters, Coordinator of the Writing Fellows Program, at 831-8567.
The Writing
Fellows Program page features a mission statement and resources
for students, faculty, and Writing Fellows.
University-wide Opportunities
Dean's Scholars
The Dean's Scholar Program serves the needs of students whose clearly
defined educational goals cannot be effectively achieved by pursuing
the standard curricula for existing majors, minors, and interdepartmental
majors sponsored by the University. Driven by an overarching passion
or curiosity that transcends typical disciplinary bounds and curricula,
a Dean's Scholar's intellectual interests may lead to broad interdisciplinary
explorations of an issue or to more intense, in-depth studies in a single
field at a level akin to graduate work.
Working with a team of faculty advisors, Dean's Scholars design an
individualized program to meet their educational goals and are offered
some flexibility in meeting degree requirements. The program is available
in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Arts and Science,
Business and Economics, Health and Nursing Sciences, and Human Services,
Education, and Public Policy. Dean's Scholars in Arts and Science and
in Agriculture and Natural Resources may qualify for Honors Degrees.
Information and the application procedures for the
Dean's Scholars Program
may be found at http://www.udel.edu/deansscholar/.
Medical Scholars
The Medical Scholars Program is a cooperative venture between the
University of Delaware and Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia
that integrates liberal arts, science, and professional studies for
premedical students. Medical scholars follow an undergraduate curriculum
that includes traditional studies in the life and health sciences as
well as courses in the humanities, ethics, social sciences, economics,
political sciences, and health policy. Students receive a Bachelor of
Arts in Liberal Studies degree, and as early as the end of the sophomore
year, conditional acceptance to Jefferson Medical College. For more
information, contact the director, Dr.
Roger Wagner, 831-8195, or consult the Medical
Scholars web site.
Undergraduate Research Program
This program provides exceptionally capable and highly motivated undergraduates,
while they are still beginners, to participate in what is happening
on the frontiers of knowledge today by serving as assistants or junior
members of research teams. Through hands-on experience, students learn
to formulate significant questions, develop investigative procedures,
gather and examine evidence, follow hunches, detect loopholes, and evaluate
and report results.
For more information, contact the Undergraduate Research Program office
by e-mail at undergradresearch@udel.edu
, by telephone at 831-8995, or by visiting the
Undergraduate Research Program
web site.
Honors Study Abroad
The University of Delaware offers students in any college a variety
of opportunities to participate in one or more study-abroad programs
in the fall and spring semesters and during the winter and summer sessions.
In non-English-speaking countries the language of instruction varies,
depending on the program selected; some are offered in English, some
in the language of the host country. Some programs are coordinated by
a University faculty member who accompanies the students abroad and
teaches in the program. The Center
for International Studies (4 Kent Way) provides overall coordination.
All study-abroad courses carry University of Delaware credit; Honors
credit can sometimes be arranged.
Study-abroad semester programs are currently held in several European
countries. The most recent
offerings and preliminary schedule are maintained on the Study Abroad
web site. The countries in which winter and summer session study-abroad
courses are offered vary from year to year. Recent programs have been
held in Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Martinique, Mexico, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania,
and other countries. For information on participation requirements,
costs, financial assistance, and a brochure describing the programs
available, visit the Center for International Studies at 4 Kent Way,
call at (302) 831-2852, or send an e-mail to Study Abroad at studyabroad@udel.edu.
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