The Honors Program is a university-wide undergraduate program designed to offer highly motivated and advanced students the opportunity to enhance their intellectual and personal growth within a community of learners by engaging them in rigorous honors-designated coursework, interdisciplinary seminars, professional development opportunities, extended research and creative projects, and community service.

The program will offer courses that are small in size and that develop the intellectual potential of students through activities that:

• develop communication skills
• incorporate interdisciplinary focus
• prompt analysis of their own and others’ assumptions
• enhance research skills
• develop critical reading, writing, speaking, problem solving, and thinking skills that incorporate information literacy, and an appreciation of audience
• include greater breadth than non-Honors course sections
• incorporate enrichment opportunities for students and faculty
• include innovative pedagogy and utilize flexible approaches that accommodate different learning styles

Most students entering the Honors Program will do so upon admission to the university (Track A). Students are admitted to the Honors Program based on screenings by the admissions office and the Honors Program committee that include consideration of high school GPA, application essays, activities, and rigor of high school curriculum. See additional details about admission to the Honors Program in the section of the Catalog explaining about Admission to Special Programs.

Space permitting, others may apply for acceptance after matriculation, during their first year (Track B). Note that this application process is competitive and applicants must have a 3.2 overall UMW GPA or higher; an application with essay; a record of community service, campus involvement, or leadership; and one letter of recommendation from UMW faculty.

Completion of the Honors Program requirements will be recognized at graduation and indicated on the transcript as “University Honors.” Note that departmental Honors will continue to be distinct from the Honors Program. Honors in each discipline will still be administered by academic departments based on requirements they determine (see individual departments for details).

Student Learning Outcomes for the University Honors Program

Upon the completion of the Honors Program at Mary Washington, in addition to earning the appropriate credits for their degrees, students will be able to:

• evaluate carefully the relevance of disciplinary contexts when presenting a position using a methodology specific to the discipline of study
• apply interdisciplinary approaches to research demonstrating multiple disciplinary contexts to articulate the value of such study
• actively pursue independent educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom.
• articulate an appreciation of ethical behavior and the values of good citizenship and service.

Honors Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
HONR 101	Honors City as Text	1
HN-designated coursework (could include HN-FSEM 100)		12
HONR 201	Honors Service Learning	1
Honors Capstone Project 1		3
Total Credits		17

¹

Course approved by Honors Program Committee.

Additionally each student will be required to:

• complete the HONR 005 Honors Capstone Preparation at least one semester prior to the capstone project,
• complete the Honors Program leadership requirement, HONR 002 Honors Leadership,
• maintain an Honors portfolio, HONR 004 Honors Portfolio,
• complete one co-curricular event summary per semester at UMW, HONR 003 Honors-Co-curricular Events, and
• maintain the required GPA.

Honors Program

Kelli M. Slunt, Program Director and Professor of Chemistry
Mara Scanlon, Associate Director and Professor of English

The Honors Program thrives on the exemplary teaching of UMW’s fine faculty. The following faculty members have offered Honors-designated courses or sections:

College of Arts and Sciences

Biological Sciences Department

Swati Agrawal
Dianne M. Baker
Theresa M. Grana
Alan B. Griffith
Lynn O. Lewis
Ginny R. Morriss
April N. Wynn

Chemistry and Physics Department

Janet A. Asper
K. Nicole Crowder 
Leanna C. Giancarlo 
E. Davis Oldham 
Randall D. Reif 
Kelli M. Slunt 

Classics, Philosophy, and Religion Department

Jennifer A. Barry
Mary Beth Mathews
Jason P. Matzke
Angela L. Pitts

Communication and Digital Studies Department

Emily D. Crosby
P. Anand Rao
Zachary N. Whalen

Computer Sciences Department

Karen M. Anewalt
Stephen C. Davies
Ian Finlayson 
Jennifer A. Polack
Jessica Zeitz Self

Earth and Environmental Sciences Department

Grant R. Woodwell

Economics Department

Amrita Dhar
Robert S. Rycroft

English and Linguistics Department

Antonio Barrenechea
Shumona Dasgupta
Mary Katherine Haffey 
Teresa A. Kennedy
Janie Lee
Maya Mathur
Marie E. McAllister
Colin T. Rafferty
Gary N. Richards
Mara N. Scanlon

Geography Department

Dawn S. Bowen

Historic Preservation Department

Christine R. Henry
Andréa D. Livi Smith
Michael G. Spencer  
Cristina Turdean

History and American Studies Department

Nabil S. Al-Tikriti
Susan R. Fernsebner
Will B. Mackinstosh
Jeffrey W. McClurken
Krystyn R. Moon

Mathematics Department

Melody B. Denhere
Julius N. Esunge
Randall D. Helmstutler
Debra L. Hydorn
Janusz Konieczny
J. Larry Lehman
Jennifer M. Magee
Keith E. Mellinger
Suzanne Sumner

Modern Languages and Literatures Department

Maria Laura Bocaz-Leiva
Ana Garcia Chichester
Antonia L. Delgado-Poust
Marisa Isabel Martinez-Mira
Martha Patricia Orozco 

Music Department

James Brooks Kuykendall
Christopher O. Ryder

Political Science and International Affairs Department

Stephen J. Farnsworth
Surupa Gupta
Emile J. Lester

Psychological Science Department

Mindy J. Erchull
Miriam N. Liss
Christine A. McBride
Hilary E. Stebbins

Sociology and Anthropology Department

E. Eric Gable
Jason C. James
Kristin L. Marsh
Laura H. Mentore

Theatre and Dance Department

Gregg Stull
Kevin J. McCluskey
Michael G. Benson
Bridgette Dennett
Marc A. Williams

College of Business

David L. Henderson, III
Kashef A. Majid

College of Education

Janine Schank Davis
Melissa S. Wells

 

Agreement with The George Washington University Medical School

This agreement allows UMW Honors Scholars to apply for conditional acceptance to the medical school during the second year of college. Individuals with competitive SAT or ACT scores, who are in good standing in the UMW Honors Program, have at least a 3.5 UMW GPA, have completed at least two semesters of chemistry and two semesters of biology or physics, as well as a social/behavioral science course with no science grade below a B-, and have participated in some patient related health care are invited to apply in March of their sophomore year at UMW.  Early acceptance candidates must pursue a major or minor in a humanities area and complete all required pre-medical coursework. 

Note: the application process is competitive and not all students who meet the criteria will be selected.  All decisions of The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences are final and there is no appeal process.