Advisor Resources
Advisors are critical to student success at the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥. We sincerely appreciate the support you provide honors Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and are grateful for the opportunity to work together on their behalf. The information below is designed to help you access information about the honors experience at UM as well as DHC requirements, procedures, and opportunities.
DHC Requirements
Honors requirements are designed to provide Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ with enriched opportunities inside and outside the classroom. Our curriculum is flexible, personalized, and can complement any academic program. There are often opportunities for overlap between degree requirements and honors requirements.
The Academics and Student Life section of the DHC website offers detailed information about DHC Requirements.
Honors Advising
The DHC advising team is more than happy to collaborate on academic planning to best align Ñý¼§Ö±²¥’ degree requirements with honors requirements. The DHC’s Director of Student Engagement leads the charge on honors advising, but all DHC staff are happy to advise and mentor Ñý¼§Ö±²¥.
More information about Honors Advising can be found in the Academics and Student Life section of the DHC website.
Honors Course Offerings
The DHC offers over 50 honors courses each semester. Comprehensive lists of honors course offerings are posted on the DHC website in the Course Offerings section in advance of academic advising intervals.
Honors Capstone
Honors capstone projects provide honors Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ with the opportunity to showcase their academic journey at UM with original scholarship. Every semester, honors capstone projects inspire and delight us. The work of advising and mentoring honors capstones is multi-faceted and can begin relatively early in a student’s academic career.
Please refer to the Honors Capstone section of the DHC website for comprehensive information and guidance on honors capstone projects.
Graduation with University Scholar Distinction
Graduating from the DHC with University Scholar Distinction represents dedication, intellectual curiosity, and tenacity. Students who choose this path have demonstrated a commitment to a rigorous and expansive academic journey.
We have provided a Graduation Checklist as well as information about the DHC Graduation Application on the DHC website. Please refer honors Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ to these resources when discussing graduation with them.
DHC Scholarships
One benefit of honors at the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ is access to additional scholarship funding. Prospective Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ as well as current Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ can apply to the Davidson Honors College for scholarships and receive mentorship for external scholarships through the Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships (housed in the DHC, but available to all UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥).
Please refer to the Scholarships section of the DHC website for comprehensive information about scholarship opportunities available to DHC Ñý¼§Ö±²¥.
Why Honors?
The benefits of honors include both pragmatic elements—think: smaller classes, priority registration, scholarship opportunities, career preparation—as well as subjective elements that serve to enrich a student’s experience of their education—things like: a personalized approach to teaching and learning, a diverse & tight-knit community of peers and mentors, opportunities for leadership, and a focus on interdisciplinary, experiential curriculum.
If you are counseling a student on whether or not the honors college is a good fit for them, please feel free to direct them to our DHC advising team as well as the Why Honors? section of our website.
Opportunities, Traditions, News and Events, oh my!
Between opportunities for leadership like the Honors Student Association and the Dean’s Student Advisory Council and cherished DHC traditions like Friday hikes with Dean Nichols and Donuts in the DHC, there’s something for everyone who wants to get involved in the DHC community. We post it all on the DHC Calendar, along with news and the Dean’s newsletter.
It would be helpful if you could share the Opportunities and Traditions section of our website as well as the New and Events section with honors Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ if they are curious about how to get engaged. If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to sign up for Tim’s weekly newsletter, the Bear Necessities!
DHC Application Process
Incoming freshmen, current UM Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ (with at least 4 semesters left), and transfer Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ are all welcome to apply to the DHC.
Our website has a comprehensive Admissions section with loads of additional information.
Withdrawing from the DHC
We understand that honors doesn’t always end up working out or fitting into a student’s experience at UM. We will never pressure a student to stay in honors. Rather, we appreciate the opportunity to ensure Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ have a comprehensive understanding of their options in honors before making a final decision.
If you have a student who indicates that they would like to withdraw from the DHC, please encourage them to reach out to the DHC’s Director of Student Engagement and fill out the .
Honors Pathways Project
If you’re curious about how Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ in your majors/minors/certificates can overlap their honors requirements with degree requirements, please reach out to DHC Director of Student Engagement, Bethany Applegate.
We are working on a comprehensive list of honors pathways through each academic program. Please stay tuned—it will be posted here when it’s complete!