Category Archives: Honors

Thinking of Taking A Five College Class?

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As course registration nears, it is time to start thinking about what classes you want to take next semester!

One of the advantages of UMass belonging to the Five College system is that as Five College students, we are able to take classes at the other four schools–Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith.

How to Sign Up for 5 College Classes

How to Sign Up for 5 College Classes

This is a great way to take a class that might

not be offered at UMass, a class that is offered at a better time for your schedule, or if you just feel like experiencing the academics at another school.

If you are interested in signing up for a 5 College class, you should go to Enrollment and then Five College Enrollment on your Spire account, for more information on how to sign up. If you have any questions about Five College Interchange, go to the UMass-5 College Interchange office in 613 Goodell

Undergraduate Research Conference

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Curious about what your fellow students have been up to? Interested in presenting your own research?

Check out the eighteenth annual Massachusetts Statewide Undergraduate Research Conference! Students will be presenting their research from all academic disciplines.

The event is being held Friday, April 27, 2012 in the Lincoln Campus Center from 8am-5pm.

For more information, go to www.honors.umass.edu/conference

 

Brand New Departmental Honors Program

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Do you have a 3.4 GPA or better?  Are you interested in applying for our

Brand New Departmental Honors Program,

For Departmental honors in Sociology, students must take TWO Sociology honors classes, at least one of them at the 300-level, and complete a senior year honors project-with-thesis, either by taking a sociology honors capstone class or by doing an independent, faculty-sponsored senior research or service project. That’s all.

The program is open to current or rising sophomores and juniors (if you are a rising senior, it is still possible to complete the requirements, just harder).

Application Details:

Applying will be a two-stage process-

*First, you will submit your essay to Dr. Barbara Tomaskovic-Devey, the Sociology Honors Coordinator, by August 1 (as soon as possible is encouraged!).  Your transcript and essay will be reviewed and you will be informed if you have been accepted into our departmental program.

*Then, if you have been accepted, you will submit your official application (along with the same essay) to Commonwealth College, which will officially clear you for registering for honors classes, and will formally admit you into the departmental program on behalf of the honors college (although you will become a member of Commonwealth College, there will NOT be any additional honors requirements for you to fulfill).

*This departmental honors program is the principal way UMass students will earn honors credit as juniors and seniors. Commonwealth College has a different honors program for freshmen and sophomores. Students may EITHER do that program, OR do ONLY departmental honors, OR may do the freshman-sophomore program and THEN do departmental honors.

Application Essay:
To be emailed to, Dr. Barbara Tomaskovic-Devey at batomask@soc.umass.edu as soon as possible, no later than August 1.

Commonwealth Honors College with Departmental Honors (DH) Personal Statement:

Please write a carefully crafted, one-page, single-spaced Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should address the following to the best of your ability at this point in your undergraduate career:
1.       Your major and/or other relevant academic interests, goals and plans
2.       Academic experiences you have found to be intellectually stimulating, e.g., meaningful courses, workshops, lectures, films, or books, especially those related to your major
3.       Extra-curricular activities in which you may have participated (e.g., international travel) and in which you may have demonstrated leadership (e.g., community service, teaching/tutoring)
4.       Examples of topics that you are curious about and might like to research one day?topics that you might develop in an honors thesis or honors project
5.       Special skills you may have developed or experiences that you may have had that are relevant to completing an honors thesis or project in your major
6.       Current thoughts about your future career

Note: Occasionally, students with two majors complete all the DH requirements for both DH tracks. If you have such intentions, please be specific about these plans in your personal statement.