Honors College

Overview

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Honors College, which is part of the statewide Commonwealth Honors Program, is open to qualified undergraduate students from every college and academic department in the University. The mission of the University Honors College is to provide a flexible curriculum, scholarly activities across diverse fields, and close mentoring, which promote curiosity, imagination, engagement, and academic excellence within a supportive and inclusive community. The Honors College empowers high-achieving undergraduate students to expand beyond the classroom to face the challenges of today and the future. Students who fulfill the requirements of the Honors College graduate as Commonwealth Scholars, a statewide recognition of exceptional academic achievement. The Commonwealth Scholar honor is bestowed at the annual Honors Convocation ceremony in April, and is noted on the student’s diploma and transcript.

Requirements

For students entering the Honors College in Fall 2020 and thereafter*, the minimum requirements for graduation as a Commonwealth Scholar are:

Complete a minimum of 24 credits, including:
- 21 credits of honors coursework with a grade of B or better, including HON 301: Research Across the Disciplines

At least 3 credits of APEX work (Academic Project or Experience), under UMassD faculty supervision, culminating in a written paper and public presentation. The APEX is an independent project usually completed in the senior year for which students typically receive 3 to 6 credits.

Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher and receive a grade of “B” or higher in each Honors course undertaken.

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 (a maximum of two courses) with individual instructors to enrich non-Honors courses for Honors credit.

Benefits

Joining the University Honors College has many perks beyond the obvious academic benefits, including:

Early registration for all classes, honors and non-honors
Small classes
Honors housing
Option to live in upper-class housing as sophomores
Leadership opportunities on the Student Council
A wide variety of extracurricular activities, including free museum admission, event tickets, and more
Presentation of scholarly work at on-campus and off-campus conferences
A built-in social network of like-minded peers
The chance to develop professional relationships with faculty and other experts

Students in the University Honors College may also participate in departmental honors programs and societies, if available. With the approval of the thesis/project evaluation committee, a single thesis or project may satisfy the requirements for both departmental honors and graduation as a Commonwealth Scholar.

Joining the Honors College

First-year applicants to UMass Dartmouth are invited to join the Honors College on the basis of standardized test scores (if available) and high school records that predict university performance at the Honors level (including a minimum GPA of 3.5). There is no separate application process. Transfer students who successfully participated in the Commonwealth Honors Program (CHP) at other colleges and universities in the Massachusetts public system of higher education are automatically eligible for membership in the UMass Dartmouth Honors College. The University Honors College accepts up to 12 honors transfer credits from other institutions participating in the Commonwealth Honors Program. Transfer students who did not previously participate in a Commonwealth Honors Program may also apply to join the UMass Dartmouth Honors College. Admission into the Honors College is normally limited to students who have 60 or fewer university credits, including advanced placement test credits. The 60-credit limit does not apply to transfer students who successfully participated in the Commonwealth Honors Program at other Massachusetts institutions of public higher education.

Students already studying at UMass Dartmouth may apply to join on the basis of their academic performance at UMass Dartmouth. Admission into the Honors College is normally limited to those students who have 60 or fewer university credits, including transfer and advanced placement test credits.

*For students who entered the Honors College prior to Fall 2020:

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;
The 15 credits include completion of Honors 301: 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; and
A cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher