Established in 1935, the University of Maine Honors College is one of the nation’s oldest continuously-running honors programs. A welcoming home for those of all backgrounds, majors, and interests, the Honors College empowers students to develop their whole selves as learners and as people. The college fosters an inclusive, collaborative community that helps students become creative problem-solvers, intellectual risk-takers, and compassionate, engaged citizens.
A community of approximately seven hundred students within the University of Maine, the Honors College is available to students in any major and includes faculty from all areas of the university. The college offers small, interdisciplinary classes where students and faculty members interact closely, sharing ideas and insights developed through critical exploration of important texts, ideas, and issues.
Students in the Honors College complete an academic major in one of the university’s five degree-granting colleges while completing most of their general education requirements and a culminating senior project in the Honors College. The Honors curriculum expands students’ perspectives by exploring areas of thought beyond their major fields while also providing them opportunities to delve more deeply in their major area of study.
Admission
Entering first-year students are invited to join the Honors College on the basis of their admission records; no separate application is required. To be eligible, students should have a strong academic record and show curiosity and initiative in both academic work and extracurricular activities. Incoming first-year students, current UMaine students, and transfer students may also request an application for admission by contacting the Honors College office (honors@maine.edu). Prior to admission, current and transfer students will consult with the associate dean to discuss previous coursework and an appropriate program of study in Honors.
Honors Project and Degree Designation
In the course of their Honors experience, students will build a personal portfolio of their work and reflections from across their four years, culminating in an Honors thesis or project where students put their learning into practice through independent scholarship or creative and community-engaged projects. An Honors student’s portfolio of work is evaluated after the completion of their thesis/project. Graduation with Honors will be assigned based on successful review of students’ complete portfolios. The honors designation appears on both the student’s diploma and on the transcript; the thesis/project title also appears on the transcript. More information on the Honors thesis/project can be found at honors.umaine.edu.
College and University Requirements
Successful completion of the 22-credit curriculum outlined below satisfies all of the undergraduate General Education Human Values and Social Context requirements as well as one writing intensive requirement. Students in many programs will also satisfy their capstone and writing intensive within major requirements through the Honors College*. In practice, this means that students who complete the Honors sequence have satisfied all of the university’s general education requirements with the exception of ENG 101 (College Composition) and Quantitative and Scientific Literacy requirements.
*In many majors, the Honors project will satisfy the “capstone” general education requirement. Some departments also allow HON 402 to satisfy the requirement for a writing intensive course in the major or to serve as a technical elective. For specific information, students should contact their department chair or consult with their major advisor.
A C or better is required in all Honors courses to satisfy the requirements of the Honors College. These courses may be repeated once for credit. In addition to successfully completing all the required Honors College courses, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 is required to graduate with Honors.
The Honors College monitors the GPAs of its students. Those who fall below a 3.30 GPA are cautioned based upon a set of GPA thresholds for each cohort (first-year through senior). The caution ranges are based on the credits remaining to graduation that can reasonably be used to restore a student’s GPA back to the 3.30 GPA required for graduation in Honors: 2.7 to 3.0 at end of first year; 3.0 to 3.15 at end of second year; 3.15 to 3.30 at end of third year. Students in each cohort who fall below the lower threshold will be separated from the Honors College, but have the option to appeal for reinstatement.
Further information about the Honors College can be found at honors.maine.edu. The Honors College can be reached by email at honors@maine.edu; by phone at (207) 581-3263; or by mail at The Honors College, University of Maine, 5716 Colvin Hall, Orono ME, 04469-5716..
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