Honors Program

Honors Program

II.  Interdisciplinary Programs

University Honors Program 

The University Honors Program is part of the statewide Commonwealth Honors Program. The Honors Program is open to qualified undergraduate students from every college and academic department. It is not a separate college, major, or minor. 

The mission of the University Honors Program is to promote a lifetime love of learning and creative activity; to encourage the spirit of community responsibility; and to enable students to undertake original research or creative work in their chosen field, so that they will be well prepared for graduate study and/or professional employment. Students who fulfill the requirements of the Honors Program graduate as Commonwealth Scholars, a statewide recognition of exceptional academic achievement. The Commonwealth Scholar honor is inscribed on the student’s diploma and transcript.

 The minimum requirements for graduation as a Commonwealth Scholar are: 

• A minimum of 15 credits of Honors coursework completed with a grade of B or better, in addition to the Honors thesis or project
• Completion of Honors 301 Honors Research Across the Disciplines
• An independent Honors research thesis or creative project, usually completed in the senior year, for which students typically receive 3 to 6 credits
• A cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher.

Honors courses are offered in a wide variety of departments. Courses taken for Honors credit may be applied to university, college, and/or departmental requirements, as appropriate, just like non-Honors courses. Students may also contract with individual instructors to enrich non-Honors courses for Honors credit. 

Additional benefits of membership in the University Honors Program include: 

• Honors housing
• early registration for all classes, Honors and non-Honors
• a wide variety of extracurricular activities
• presentation of student work at conferences on and off campus

Freshman applicants to UMass Dartmouth as are invited to join the Honors Program on the basis of standardized test scores and high school records that predict university performance at the Honors level. There is no separate application process. 

Transfer students who have participated successfully in the Commonwealth Honors Program at other colleges and universities in the Massachusetts public system of higher education are automatically eligible for membership in the UMass Dartmouth Honors Program. The University Honors Program accepts up to 12 Honors transfer credits from other institutions participating in the Commonwealth Honors Program. 

Transfer students who have not previously participated in the Commonwealth Honors Program may apply to join the UMass Dartmouth Honors Program. Admission into the Honors Program is normally limited to those students who have completed 40 or fewer university credits. This limit does not apply to participants in the Commonwealth Honors Program at other Massachusetts institutions of public higher education. 

Students who have already begun their studies at UMass Dartmouth may apply to join on the basis of their academic performance at UMass Dartmouth. Admission into the Honors Program is normally limited to those students who have completed 40 or fewer university credits, including transfer and advanced placement test credits. 

Students in the University Honors Program may also participate in departmental honors programs and societies, where these are available. With the approval of the thesis/project evaluation committee, a thesis or project used to satisfy a departmental Honors or capstone requirement may also be used to satisfy the Commonwealth Scholar requirement. 

Honors students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher at all times. Students must also remain on track to graduate as Commonwealth Scholars in order to remain in the Honors Program. Adjustments and exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Honors Director. 

For students who enter the Honors Program as first-semester freshmen, the minimum requirements are as follows: 

Transfer students and students who apply after beginning their studies at UMass Dartmouth must present a written schedule for coming into compliance with these requirements. This schedule must be approved by the Honors Director. Failure to adhere to the approved schedule will result in dismissal from the program. Adjustments and exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Honors Director. 

For further information about the University Honors or departmental honors programs, consult the Academic Regulations and Procedures chapter of this Catalogue and the various departmental sections.

Director of the Honors Program

Avery Plaw, Political Science

 Associate Director of the Honors Program

Robin Robinson, Sociology

Communications Director of the Honors Program

Brian Ayotte, Psychology