Curriculum Overview
The Honors College is excited to announce that we have a new curriculum for incoming first-year students starting in the fall of 2025.
Honors Curriculum for students who started in Honors before fall 2025
The Honors Curriculum is a 24-27 credit program.
To graduate with Honors students must have a 3.30 GPA at the time of graduation and complete:
- Civilizations (HON 111, 112, 211, and 212 ) with a “C” or better in each course and an overall GPA of 3.00; 4 credits/course, typically taken over the first four semesters and fulfills University GenEd requirements except for math and science.
- The following courses:
- HON 170: Currents & Contexts; 1 credit, any year
- HON 180: A Cultural Odyssey; 1 credit, any year
- HON 3XX: The Honors Tutorial or Tutorial Alternative; 0-3 credits, typically in the third year
- HON 391: Introduction to Thesis Research; 1 credit, typically in the third-year, as a pre-requisite to HON498 (required for Class of 2022 and beyond)
- HON 498 & HON 499: The Honors Thesis; 3 credits/course, typically in the fourth year
For more information on Honors GPA requirements, click here.
General Education Requirements
- The Civilizations sequence satisfies the University’s Human Values and Social Contexts (HVSC) general education requirement for 16 out of the 18 required credits.
- The following classes, HON 170 and HON 180, will provide the two additional required credits.
- Successful (“C” or better) completion of HON 111 and HON 112 waives the college composition (ENG 101) requirement.
- HON 211 and HON 212 each satisfy the writing intensive (outside the major) requirement.
- Students who have completed HON 111, 112, 211, 212, HON 170, and 180 will still need to fulfill the mathematics, science, and capstone requirements.
The Honors College Curriculum: Empowering Students to Develop their Whole Selves
**for first-year students who start Honors in fall 2025 and after**
A hub for inter- and cross-disciplinary inquiry and creative teaching and learning, the UMaine Honors College helps students become curious and creative problem-solvers, intellectual risk-takers, and compassionate, engaged individuals. Our four-year developmental “curriculum for inquiry” fosters academic skills and habits of mind that are valuable across all majors and degree programs and prepares students to take the next steps in their personal, intellectual, and professional journeys. The curriculum consists of 19-22 credits and satisfies a large portion of UMaine’s General Education requirements, as described in detail below.
Honors credentials are indicated on final transcripts as well as the University of Maine diploma. Honors graduates are recognized at the University of Maine commencement ceremony and are distinguished by the Honors medallion they receive upon completion of requirements.
Note: the curriculum described below applies to first-year students who matriculate at the University of Maine beginning in the Fall of 2025.
The Honors curriculum is divided into two parts:
I: Cultivating Inquiry and Creative Practice (Semesters 1-4; 12 total credit hours)
From their first Honors class, students will begin building foundational skills in inquiry in small seminars led by world-class faculty members on the cutting edge of knowledge creation, scholarship, and practice. In this 4-course sequence, students will develop and practice increasingly advanced academic and research skills on diverse topics such as rebellious women, the history of plagues, urban landscapes, and biomedical ethics. Learning outcomes will be consistent across all sections, while course themes will vary according to faculty interest and expertise. Classes are typically between 12-15 students.
II: Translating Learning into Real-World Impact (Semesters 5-8; 7-10 total credit hours)
In their fifth semester, Honors students will consider how their skills can be applied beyond the classroom, practicing writing for the public in a Calderwood Seminar, studying abroad, or participating in an internship, for example. Then, students will apply their skills to a problem or project of their choosing. Students will work with a faculty advisor or in teams to create something meaningful in the world, from conducting research or developing a plan for a new non-profit organization to choreographing a dance, writing a book of poems, or designing tools that help us advance our knowledge of climate change. Students will execute their project and then integrate their experiences into an Honors portfolio. Begun in the first semester in Honors, the finished portfolio demonstrates the skills they have gained and the academic, personal, and professional growth they have achieved while at UMaine.
When they complete the curriculum, Honors students will possess a well-curated toolbox of academic and interpersonal skills, along with a polished portfolio that they can utilize in their life after UMaine – whether applying to graduate or professional school, engaging in volunteer work, or entering the workforce.
The Honors Curriculum: A Semester-by-Semester guide
The following is based on a student earning their undergraduate degree in 8 semesters and is a general guide only. The program of study may be different for students who complete internships off-campus, take summer coursework, are in credit-intensive majors, etc. Honors advisement throughout each student’s academic career will ensure that they are progressing in the curriculum.
The Honors College welcomes transfer students (both internal and external) and will work with transfer students individually to craft an appropriate path of study.
Year 1
HON 101: Asking Big Questions (Fall; 3 credits)
- Students gain foundational skills in active reading, critical inquiry/analysis, classroom discussion and engagement; topics vary.
- Satisfies Human Cultural Traditions General Education Requirement [GER]).
Honors Portfolio: students will create their portfolio and begin adding material to their portfolio, per HC guidelines.
HON 102: From Inquiry to Insight: Evidence and Argument (Spring; 3 credits)
- Students further develop skills established in 101 and begin to build their scholarship and research toolkit; topics vary.
- Satisfies Global Populations and writing intensive GER.
Honors Portfolio: students will continue adding material to their portfolio, per HC guidelines.
Year 2
HON 201: Designing Projects for Impact (Fall; 3 credits)
- Students develop skills in designing research, scholarly projects, or creative practices and working collaboratively under the guidance of faculty from across the university. Topics vary, but will center on the environment, sustainability, and how humans interact with the natural world.
- Satisfies Environment and Sustainability GER.
Honors Portfolio: students will continue adding material to their portfolio, per HC guidelines.
HON 202: Taking the Next Step: Putting Skills into Practice (Spring; 3 credits)
- In the final semester of the Honors core sequence, students will move from design to execution, taking the next step of conducting active research, inquiry, and/or creative practices with a faculty member in their area of expertise. In these classes, students will learn about core concepts of ethical theories, interpret ethical issues, and apply those concepts to their research and lives.
- Satisfies Ethics GER.
Honors Portfolio: students will continue adding material to their portfolio, per HC guidelines.
Year 3
HON 301: Public-Engagement Seminar (Fall; 3 credits) or HON 301 Alternative (0 credits)
- Students will put the skills and intellectual habits learned in the Honors core sequence into practice in a public-facing course (e.g. Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing, service-learning course, etc.) or a zero-credit public facing alternative (e.g. travel study, internship, summer research experience for undergraduates, etc.).
- 3-credit course satisfies HVSC elective; 0 credit alternative does not satisfy HVSC elective).
Honors Portfolio: students will continue adding material to their portfolio, per HC guidelines.
HON 302 or HON 498: Honors Project Seminar I or Honors Thesis I (Spring; 3 credits)*
- Students begin designing and executing their Honors project or thesis, under the guidance of an Honors faculty member or their Honors thesis committee.
Honors Portfolio: students will continue adding material to their portfolio, per HC guidelines.
Year 4
HON 401 or HON 498: Honors Project Seminar II or Honors Thesis II (Fall; 3 credits)*
- Students complete their Honors project or thesis, under the guidance of an Honors faculty member or their Honors thesis advisor and committee.
Honors Portfolio: students will continue adding material to their portfolio, per HC guidelines.
HON 402 (1 credit): Honors Portfolio
- Students will integrate their Honors experiences into a portfolio that demonstrates the knowledge and skills they have gained and the academic, personal, and professional growth they have achieved throughout their college experience.
- Because the portfolio is built over multiple semesters, successful completion of the Portfolio course satisfies the Artistic and Creative Expression and the Civic Literacy and Engagement GERS.
Thesis Defense/Project Presentation
(required of all students; timeline determined by thesis or project advisor)
* Note: Some academic programs may allow the Honors project and/or thesis to satisfy their Capstone and Writing Intensive Within Major requirements. Students should consult with their academic program about whether and how their project interacts with capstone and writing intensive requirements in their program.
Additional note on General Education Requirements: The Honors curriculum does not satisfy the First Year Writing (ENG 101) and Quantitative and Scientific Literacy GERs.