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Honors Program Overview
The University Honors Program is an essential component of the University
of Delaware's commitment to educate all of its students to the highest
levels of their individual capacities. Preparing students to make valuable
contributions to society by virtue of their individual interests and
abilities, the University aspires to develop in all of its students
skillful and informed thinking (both cognitive and creative), clear
speaking and writing, sound judgment, and the ability to work collaboratively.
The Honors Program's goal of nurturing a community of scholars who value
and are committed to intellectual pursuit involves both challenging
classroom experiences and enriching out-of-the-classroom activities
organized through the Honors residence halls.
The Honors Program is not for all students who have excelled in high school,
but it is for students who want to stretch themselves academically. The Honors
Program enrolls approximately 400 freshman each year. In
Honors courses students are expected to be active in their own learning
and to be far-reaching and demanding of themselves in their efforts.
Honors faculty have higher expectations of Honors students as they
interact closely and individually with the students. Honors instruction
emphasizes writing, interdisciplinary study, and original analysis. It involves
wrestling with primary texts and data sets, doing advanced laboratory work, meeting
difficult challenges, welcoming the unfamiliar, taking intellectual
risks, examining one's own intellectual presuppositions, participating
in lively and thoughtful discussion, and thinking and writing clearly.
The students themselves, with their ability and their dedication to
learning and the resulting personal interactions, are the heart of the
program.
Honors Program Distinguising Characteristics:
- Higher academic expectations
- Intensity of intellectual experience through small classes
- Special interdisciplinary courses with a strong writing component
- A living/learning environment with residential peer mentors
- Participation in an active community of scholars with opportunities to exercise intellectual curiosity
- Honors forms of recognition including a General Honors Award, Honors Degree, and Honors
Degree with Distinction.
How to Apply
Freshman Admissions
The application for the University Honors Program is included in
Delaware's application and on Delaware's Supplement to The Common
Application. To be considered for admission, students must complete
the Honors application and required essay. If you are not admitted into
Honors, your application will be automatically reviewed for general
admission to the University. All Honors students are selected by the University of Delaware
Admissions Office, not the Honors Program, so please call that office with
admissions questions (302-831-8123). For further information, please
see the Admissions
Office web site.
Admission Information for Current University of Delaware Students
Students who did not apply or who were not admitted to Honors as incoming
freshmen may participate later on. Full-time matriculated University of Delaware
students who have attained a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher in at
least 12 credits at the University of Delaware are eligible to take
Honors courses on a space-available basis. Students who wish to apply
to the University Honors Program must be full-time matriculated University
of Delaware students and have a minimum 3.40 cumulative GPA at
the University. They must also have completed a minimum of two Honors
courses (6 credits) with grades of B or better and submit an application,
along with two letters of recommendation from Honors faculty members.
The committee reviews applications twice a year; the deadlines for submitting
applications are October 15 and March 15. For more information,
call the Honors Program Office, (302) 831-1195 or 831-2734.
Upon acceptance to the program, students are eligible to work toward
the Honors Degree or Honors Degree with Distinction, where available.
They may also participate in the extracurricular activities and benefits
available to all students in the Honors Program.
Transfer students with outstanding academic records from another institution apply for
Honors through the University's application for admission. For more information,
call the Admissions Office at (302) 831-8125.
Visiting Campus
The University Admissions Office holds information sessions and tours
of campus that leave from the Visitors' Center at 196 South College
Avenue. At the information sessions, the admissions staff will answer
questions about the Honors Program. Please see the Admissions
Office web site for more information.
Current Freshman Class Profile
To see this year's profile of incoming University of Delaware Honors Program
students, click here.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to
view this file.
Merit Scholarships
Students who gain admission into the Honors Program are competitive for
University merit scholarships. All students whose admission applications
are complete by the date set by the Admissions Office each year are automatically
reviewed for academic scholarships. Our most prestigious awards are our
Distinguished Scholar Awards, which provide substantial grant money. Recipients
include our Eugene duPont Scholars (who receive full scholarships), Alumni Scholars,
Alison Scholars, 1743 Scholars, and Stark Scholars. The University is also a
sponsor of National Merit and National Achievement Scholars. See
http://www.admissions.udel.edu/finance/scholandfinaid.shtml#merit for more information about merit scholarships. Questions
about merit scholarships should be directed to the Admissions Office (302-831-8125).
Freshman Housing
Freshmen admitted to the Honors Program are housed in Russell, Lane or Thompson,
the residence halls that comprise the Russell
Complex. These halls are situated in East Campus, a popular location that is a short walk from the University's Morris Library. East Campus is also home to the Perkins Student Center, the Harrington Fitness Center,
the Russell Dining Hall, and the Harrington Computer Site (which includes both IBM-compatible and Macintosh computers.) Living in
the first-year Honors housing is a requirement of the freshman year in Honors, although it is possible to get a waiver of this requirement if you plan to live at home with a parent or guardian and commute to campus.
The Honors freshman community is enhanced by Russell Fellows, upperclass Honors peer mentors who choose to continue living with the freshmen. They serve
as a resource to help with the adjustment to college life and to plan programs and community building activities both inside and outside the residence halls.
Private Music Study
A large number of Honors students are accomplished musicians. Typically nearly 30% of the entering class will indicate proficiency in either vocal or instrumental music. Most of these students do not intend to major in music or pursue a musical career. Nevertheless, they are quite serious about their music study. The Honors Private Music Study option is designed to assist them.
Individual instruction in either voice or an instrument is available to incoming Honors freshmen who are not Music majors or minors and who pass an audition administered by the Music Department. Please bear in mind that these lessons are for first-year Honors freshmen who are already proficient in music. In other words, this is not a program for beginners. Space is limited in some studios.
Students must complete an audition request form the summer before they enter the University. Auditions are held at the start of the fall semester. Look for information about Private Music Study at Delaworld 101 or stop by the Music Department as soon as you arrive on campus in the fall to sign up for an audition.
Honors Private Music Study is a one-credit Honors course that must be taken for a standard letter grade. The course requires a weekly private lesson, weekly repertory class, and enrollment in a departmental ensemble. Students who take Honors Private Music Study in the fall semester of the first year may be able to continue private lessons into the spring semester, but there is no guarantee of Honors Private Study in the spring. A limited number of Music Merit Awards are available to allow exceptionally talented students to continue their music instruction beyond the freshman year.
The Department of Music at Delaware offers instruction in the string instruments, brass and woodwinds, keyboard instruments, percussion, and voice. All students on campus may audition to participate in one of the department's many choral and instrumental ensembles, including the Marching Band.
Advisement
The Honors Staff works with departmental faculty advisors to ensure that students take full advantage of
as many enrichment opportunities as possible at the University. Honors Program students in declared majors
are assigned to a faculty advisor in their major department(s). Honors students who are University
Studies-undeclared are assigned to a professional staff member in the Honors Program until they declare a
major. The Honors Program staff also provides advisement for UHP students pursuing ambitious combinations
of majors and minors, double degrees, and the Dean’s Scholar Program.
Frequently Asked
Questions--and Answers
What are the advantages
of being in Honors?
Challenging coursework, terrific teaching, more writing opportunities, Honors forms of recognition, Honors housing, Honors leadership positions, advising for students pursuing unique combination majors, cutting-edge undergraduate research opportunities, and participation in a community with many of the brightest, most highly motivated students on our campus.
How are Honors courses different?
Honors courses involve enriched learning experiences that are more challenging than non-honors classes. Honors classes are small in size (20-25 students), are more discussion-based, and involve more faculty-student interaction. Faculty expectations are higher in Honors courses, and many Honors courses are more writing-intensive.
How much of my coursework will be Honors?
Freshmen take at least half of their coursework in Honors. Students will meet with their faculty advisors to decide which courses should be taken Honors. In the freshman year, one of these Honors courses will be an interdisciplinary, writing-intensive colloquium. Upperclassmen are expected to continue taking Honors coursework to meet the requirements for the General Honors Award, Honors Degree, or Honors Degree with Distinction.
Do Honors freshmen live together?
Yes. Honors students report living with other students who want an academically challenging education are more satisfied with their living environment than those who do not. However, although Honors students live on the same floor with other Honors students, they are not separated from other freshmen who are not in the Honors Program. While you have the support of fellow Honors students, you are still part of the broader University. Living in Russell, Lane, or Thompson residence halls is a requirement of the freshman year in Honors; however it is possible to get a waiver of this requirement if you plan to live at home with a parent or guardian. After freshman year, you can opt to live in upper-class Honors housing, elsewhere on campus, or off-campus.
Is the Honors Program open to all majors?
Yes. You may major in any department on campus. Honors Degrees are available in over 100 majors. Please see http://www.udcatalog.udel.edu/general/general/UGSynHon.pdf for a current list of Honors Degrees.
What grade point average must I maintain to remain in the Honors Program?
Students in the Honors Program 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 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.
If I am removed from the Honors Program, can I re-apply?
Former Honors Program students who wish to re-apply to the Honors Program may do so by fulfilling the requirements required of any other UD matriculated student:
- Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of a 3.40.
- After improving to a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00, must take two Honors courses (minimum of 6 credits) and earn a B or better in each.
- Must submit an application accompanied by 2 letters of recommendation from Honors faculty.
Will I have time for outside activities?
Yes. UD Honors students are a remarkably active group: they include former high school musicians, athletes, debaters, theatre buffs, newspaper and yearbook editors, peer tutors, quiz bowl and Model UN enthusiasts, class officers, and many participants in community service and other volunteer activities. We expect you to have a life outside the classroom. In fact, many of our Honors students are leaders on campus. For example, about one-quarter of UD’s Marching Band is comprised of students who entered the University through the Honors Program and about one-third of student organization presidents are Honors Program students.
How do I apply for admission to Honors? And if I am not admitted to Honors, will I still be considered for admission to the University?
The application for the University Honors Program is included in Delaware’s application and on Delaware’s supplement to The Common Application. To be considered for admission, students must complete the Honors application and required essay. If you are not admitted into Honors, your application will be automatically reviewed for general admission to the University. Contact the Office of Admissions to apply to the Honors Program.
Can I apply to Honors after the freshman year at UD?
Students who did not apply or who were not admitted to Honors as incoming freshmen can apply as full-time matriculated UD students. Students seeking admission to Honors must have a minimum 3.40 cumulative University of Delaware GPA, taken a minimum of 2 Honors courses (6 credits) with grades of B or better, and submit an application along with 2 letters of recommendation from Honors faculty members.
Is there an additional fee for being in the Honors Program?
No.
University of Delaware Admissions Office
See the University of Delaware Admissions Office web site
Sample of Upcoming Honors Events for Current Students & Alumni
See Honors Events and Programs page.
Summer College Program
for High School Sophomores and Juniors
One way to explore the University of Delaware and earn college credit
at the same time is through the University of Delaware Summer College
Program. For five weeks (early July through mid-August) rising high
school juniors and seniors take two or three freshman-level courses
(some offered with regularly matriculated college students), live on
campus, and participate in a variety of programs that help prepare them
for the transition from high school to college. Courses for Summer College,
taught by the University's faculty, are designed to encourage students
to expand their knowledge in new directions and to provide a supportive
environment where learning is valued for its own sake.
Many of the Summer College students decide to participate in the program
as a way to "try out" the University. That the program succeeds
in this goal is evident from the fact that two-thirds of Summer College
students enroll as Freshmen at UD, several each year in the Honors Program.
Summer College is administered through the Honors Program. For more
information, please consult the Summer
College web site or call (302) 831-6560.
Contact Information
Mailing address:
University Honors Program
Elliott Hall, 26 East Main Street
Newark, Delaware 19716-1256
Telephone: (302) 831-1195
Fax: (302) 831-4194
E-mail: honorsprogram@udel.edu
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