About the Honors Program
Celebrating 40 Years of Academic Excellence
Degrees with Honors at the University of Denver
Honor designations for baccalaureate degrees are cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude. Cum laude is awarded to a degree candidate who has completed at least 90 quarter hours at the University with a minimum GPA of 3.75 in all course work taken at DU. For candidates with fewer than 90 quarter hours, cum laude is awarded if the student achieved a minimum GPA of 3.75 at the University, a minimum GPA of 3.75 overall and receives a recommendation from the major department.
Magna cum laude is awarded to a degree candidate who has completed at least 90 quarter hours at the University with a minimum GPA of 3.85 in all course work taken at DU. For candidates with fewer than 90 quarter hours, magna cum laude is awarded if the student achieved a minimum GPA of 3.85 at the University, a minimum GPA of 3.85 overall and receives a recommendation from the major department.
Summa cum laude is awarded to a degree candidate who has earned a minimum of 135 quarter hours at the University with a minimum GPA of 3.95. A candidate for this honor must present a thesis or comparable evidence of creative work in the major field to his/her major department.
The University Honors Program
The University Honors Program brings talented students and faculty from across the University into a community of lively and challenging dialogue. As a mid-sized, nationally ranked research university, which evenly balances undergraduate and graduate populations, the University of Denver offers rich learning opportunities across a wide-range of disciplines, both traditional and professional. In recently revising its Honors Program, the University has reaffirmed its commitment to integrating an advanced liberal education with an in-depth research (or creative and applied) experience in the major. The Honors Program combines the kind of individual attention usually only available in small liberal arts colleges with the wide range of academic and creative opportunities that are found in research universities.
Honors students have the chance to integrate work in innovative majors into the larger context of liberal learning. They are encouraged to see the big picture, to make subtle and informed judgments based on interdisciplinary learning, to engage major issues that shape the politics of everyday life, from science to economics to the arts. They learn to analyze and argue effectively and to see how connections between the disciplines generate knowledge that is essential for dealing with the complex issues of our time. We believe that the most successful Honors Programs are not simply those that allow students to become experts in one area of knowledge, but develop a well-rounded and persuasive world view, shaped by an understanding of the past as well as the present.
Near the end of the 2006-7 academic year, recommendations concerning the Honors Program were made by an all-University faculty review committee. These were then passed by the Undergraduate Council and approved by the Provost. The recommendations change the nature and scope of the current Honors program, but not its mission. The intent is that they result in a more flexible but predictable, a better integrated and enriched program of study for our students. However, the changes will not be in place till Fall of 2008 and many need to be worked out by academic departments and by a new Honors Council (with faculty and student representatives) during the coming academic year. In the meantime, students may use the existing University Honors Program Handbook from 2006-7 and should reference this web-site and contact the Honors Office if they have any questions. 2007-8 is a transition year, but almost all of the details in the 2006-7 Handbook will remain the same for this year. As changes are made, they will be posted on this web-site.
Why join the University Honors Program?
- An Honors-only curriculum to fulfill University Requirements. In their first two years Honors students agree to take between 20-24 hours of honors-only foundational classes in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to fulfill their University requirements. In their last two years, optional interdisciplinary seminars and courses will still be available to honors students as they pursue, with help from departmental honors advisors, a special plan for distinction in the major.
- Joint degree programs and the allowance of AP and IB credit allow students to graduate with the baccalaureate degree in a shorter-than-usual time and continue on to a Masters degree, often completing both in four or five years.
- Liberal education and in-depth study. The Honors Program offers students the chance to integrate the two most important aspects of their undergraduate studies: a broad liberal education and in-depth study in a major, which includes creative activity and professional applications.
- Interdisciplinary studies.Our students are drawn from all our major undergraduate units: creative and performing arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering, international studies, and business. The disciplinary mix of students, along with faculty from all the units, allows for genuinely creative dialogue across departmental boundaries as we attempt to address major issues that can only be explored intelligently through interdisciplinary and internationalized perspectives.
- Research partnerships with distinguished faculty. In addition to the University’s Partners in Scholarship Program, the Honors Program provides additional support for thesis work and research.
- A community rich with conversation. Through the Honors House Living and Learning Community, the Voltaire Society (a student-run discussion group), book groups, and informal and formal opportunities to attend cultural events or join in round-table discussions with visiting speakers, the Honors Program encourages the building of a community of people who enjoy conversation and the exchange of ideas. The Honors Program helps fund student attendance at major cultural events in Denver as well as organizing its own events.
- Special Study Abroad advising with designated Honors-recommended sites. DU students with a GPA of 3.0 or above qualify for the generously subsidized Cherrington Global Scholars Program. Honors students in addition will have the advantage of special advising from the Honors office to fit their majors, along with a list of recommended sites, many of which are first-rate international universities located all over the world.
- Special Mentoring for External Scholarships. Todd Breyfogle (tbreyfog@du.edu) is the new Advisor for External Scholarships and a Lecturer at the University. He has wide experience and great success advising DU students for prestigious scholarships abroad, such as the Rhodes, Marshall, and Fulbright. In recent years, a number of students in the Honors Program have gained such awards.
Admission Process
Students admitted to the University of Denver are invited to apply to the University Honors program. Applications are sent directly to the student shortly after the University extends an offer for admission. Students may also be in contact with the Director, Professor Eric Gould, egould@du.edu. Further details at admissions process.
Student Profile
Students admitted to the program typically have a 3.95 high school grade point average, are in the top 10% of their graduating class, have scores of at least 1320 (SAT) or 30 (ACT), and exhibit unusual curiosity and a sustained passion for interdisciplinary learning. The Fall 2007 entering class had average scores of 1355 (SAT) and/or 31 (ACT). Test scores for the middle 50% of entering Honors Students were 1320-1400 (SAT) and 30-32 (ACT).
CONTACT
Eric Gould (Director), University Honors Program.
