The departmental Honors Program offers outstanding students an opportunity to add distinction to their academic records by undertaking an independent research project in an area of particular interest.
The program is intended to allow students preparing for graduate study or a professional career to apply and further develop their research, analytic, and writing skills in an independent project of their own design, in consultation with a faculty mentor. Students are encouraged to make use of the rich resources of the Washington-Baltimore area, including major research institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives.
Students in the Honors Program take two honors-designated courses and two semesters of AMST 388 Honors Thesis. Students enrolled in Honors are excused from AMST 450 Senior Seminar. The requirements for the Honors Program fit within the 42 hours required to complete the major; participation in Honors does not require additional course work beyond the 42 hours required for the major.
Eligibility: Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA at the time of entry into the program, and must maintain a 3.0 GPA overall to remain in good standing. To graduate with Honors in American Studies, students must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA and a GPA of 3.2 or higher in their major course work.
Application: Students wishing to pursue Honors work should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies to discuss the program and application procedures:
Dr. R. Gordon Kelly
Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies
1105 Holzapfel Hall
301-405-1354
rgkelly@umd.edu
