Honors Curriculum Overview
for students who start in Honors before Fall 2025
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Curriculum Overview
The Honors Curriculum is a 25-28 credit program.
**Please note that HON 170 and HON 180 will have their final offering in Winter Term 2026-2027 as online, asynchronous courses.**
Credits: 4 per course
The four courses constituting Civilizations: Past, Present, and Future follow a chronological trajectory from earliest recorded times through the present, examining philosophy, history, literature, the arts, and natural, physical, and social sciences. In particular, by incorporating primary sources, small group discussions, and multiple perspectives, these courses explore the way in which civilizations and cultures have been developed and have interacted with others.
The Civilizations Sequence (years 1 and 2) must be completed with a “C” or better in each course.
Credits: 1
An opportunity for students to develop and enhance their awareness and understanding of events throughout the region, the country, and the world as well as to improve dialogue about these. In doing so, students will employ up-to-date information sources to explore issues including, but not limited to cultural conflicts; the roles of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations (IGOs and NGOs); the three branches of American government; the economy; the environment; and political debates of global, regional, and local concern. May be repeated once for credit.
Satisfies the General Education Social Contexts and Institutions Requirement, in conjunction with completion of the Civilizations Sequence.
*The last time this course will be offered is Winter Term 2026-2027 as an online, asynchronous course.
Credits: 1
An opportunity for students to extend their cultural education in the context of opportunities available at the University of Maine and in the surrounding area. Various arts events including dance, music, theatre, poetry, and visual art will be explored and analyzed. May be repeated once for credit. Required for all students in the Honors College.
Satisfies the General Education Artistic and Creative Expression Requirement in conjunction with completion of the Civilizations Sequence.
*The last time this course will be offered is Winter Term 2026-2027 as an online, asynchronous course.
Honors tutorials are small enrollment (up to 12), 3-credit classes that offer an in-depth look at a specific topic or theme. These courses are proposed by faculty from across campus, and the tutorials offered change each semester. Students also have the option of completing the Tutorial Alternative in place of taking a traditional Honors Tutorial course. Examples of typically approved Tutorial Alternatives include study abroad, internships, and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs).
The Tutorial Alternative
**This HON 349 course description and requirement information is only for students who start Honors before Fall 2025.**
Qualifications
In some cases the tutorial requirement may be substituted with a Tutorial Alternative, which is defined as:
An academic or experiential learning opportunity involving small group interaction that is not available at the University of Maine and that is pre-approved by the Dean of the Honors College.
Tutorial Alternative opportunities should include some if not all of the following:
Because the alternative is in lieu of a 3-credit course, only proposals that indicate the student will spend a comparable amount of time (approximately 80 hours, which can include preparation time for the experience as well as the experience itself) will be approved.
Such opportunities include, but are not limited to, study abroad experiences, engineering cooperatives, congressional internships, participation in Semester By the Sea, cultural/language immersions, recognized summer REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates).
Special Course Substitutions: The following UMaine courses for students studying Nursing, Education, Child Development and Family Relations, or Kinesiology and Physical Education can be substituted as Honors Tutorial Alternatives. These course substitutions should help make it much more possible to graduate from the Honors College with these degrees.
You will still need to submit the application, enroll in HON 349, and complete the requirements* for the course, as described below.
*We understand that there can be legal restrictions on photographs during these courses due to patient or student confidentiality, etc. In these circumstances, we are able to grant an exemption for the requirement of 6 photos. If this applies to you, please simply reach out to the course coordinators when you are enrolled in HON 349 to let them know.
Instructions
Honors College students wishing to substitute an academic or experiential learning opportunity not available at the University of Maine in lieu of the third-year tutorial must:
If you have any questions about the Tutorial Alternative or HON 349, please reach out to melissa.ladenheim@maine.edu.
Credits: 1
Prerequisite to thesis courses HON 498 and HON 499; typically taken in the 3rd year
This course provides prospective Honors thesis writers with the background, resources, and understanding necessary to produce quality independent work. Students will engage in: investigating previous theses written in the Honors College, identifying a thesis advisor, developing an individual thesis topic, increasing information literacy, and research skills.
The Honors thesis is an opportunity for students to work closely with a member of the faculty who serves as their Honors thesis advisor on an independent research or creative endeavor that brings their undergraduate academic experience to a conclusion. In many cases, the Honors thesis will satisfy the “capstone” general education requirement.
HON 150: Phage Genome Discovery I (Fall, 4 credits)
HON 155: Genome Discovery II: From DNA to Genes (Spring, 4 credits)
HON 350: The Molecular Mechanisms of Human Disease (Spring, 3 credits)
The Civilizations sequence ( HON 111, 112, 211, 212) satisfies the University’s Human Values and Social Contexts (HVSC) general education requirements (GERs) for 16 out of the 18 required credits.
Taking two of the following 3 classes, HON 170, HON 175, and HON 180, will provide the two additional required credits for 18 out of the 18 required credits.
Students who have completed HON 111, 112, 211, 212, and 2 of the 3 of HON 170, 175, and 180 will still need to fulfill the mathematics, science, and capstone requirements.
In many majors, the Honors thesis will satisfy the “capstone” general education requirement. Some departments also allow HON 499 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.
Academic Standing Policy
The Honors College is pledged to helping you succeed both academically and personally here at UMaine, and to providing guidance to ensure that you are staying on track as you progress through the Honors curriculum. To that end, at the end of each semester we review the GPA and Honors progress of all students in the college.
Graduation from the Honors College requires completion of all curricular requirements, a cumulative GPA of 3.30, and a grade of C or better in all Honors courses. These courses may be repeated once for credit.
Students who fall below a 3.30 GPA are subject to academic action based upon a set of GPA thresholds for each cohort (determined by date of admission to UMaine).