Excellence is not an abstract value or virtue, but someting very concrete. It is what happens when talented individuals choose to do excellent things. It requires both expecting the best from yourself and others, and being ambitious without being competitive.
In a community, you belong to a group that comes together to encourage, support, inspire and enjoy one another in the pursuit of excellence. On a very practical level, it means entering a group of advanced peers already succeeding and expanding the possibilities for you.
Opportunity means siezing the present time at hand to create an overall educational experience (through special classes, research positions, internships, study abroad, service projects, mentors, leadership training, et cetera) that matches your individual abilities and ambitions.
Program Overview
Our main goal in crafting an Engineering Honors Program was to create an educational experience for our very best students that not only included the classroom, but significantly transcended the classroom. To do this, we are building an educational culture whose core values are excellence, community and opportunity.
EHP is now comprised of over 300 students, actively contributing to each others educational experience and excelling in their unique goals. The following video will introduce you to what we're about at EHP.
A More Detailed Look at EHP
Beginning your freshman year, you will be an integral part of a residential community of diversely talented students from all four years-- students who are about something and are intentional in its pursuit. (Living in Andrews Hall is required for all first year students; residence is optional after your first year). EHP's director, Professor Scot Douglass, lives in Andrews Hall with his wife, Kathleen, and two daughters, Hannah and Thaili, and will be available to you as an in-residence faculty mentor.
All first year EHP students take Critical Encounters 1 with the Director, Professor Scot Douglass. The class explores critical, literary and philosophical approaches to the following related problems: 1) how we organize knowledge and construct meaning, and 2) how we locate a sense of self as both individuals and members of various groups amidst the resources and demands of competing interpretations, traditions challenges and circumstances. Each recitation group is led by an upper-classmen EHP student, so you will have the opportunity to connect to a peer mentor. During your senior year, you'll have the option of taking Critical Encounters 2.
Other special honors courses are regularly offered in Andrews Hall, including Calculus for Engineers 1-3, Professor Anne Dougherty's Calculus Co-Seminar (a class well-beloved by many EHP alumni), and Dimensions of Leadership, a special class for women in EHP, taught by instructor Kathleen Douglass.
Unique Opportunities
Being involved in EHP also means having the opportunity to:
- Serve in leadership positions as an upperclassmen (as a residential assistant, community assistant, recitation leader,
special interest initator, Andrews Hall Council member, et cetera.) - Be exposed to industry leaders who visit during the Andrews Hall Industry Night
- Participate in various service and outreach projects (such as T.E.A.M.S. or Engineers Without Borders)
- Do advanced research
- Participate in advanced design projects and/or the Andrews Hall Robotics Initiative
- Experience various cultural events and hear from various guest speakers
- Participate in events that are just for fun, such as Open Mic-Night, Friday Night Hoops,
Andrews Hall Quiddich Games, Art Night, and more - Grow, make friends, and learn in a supportive environment with other talented students
Requirements for Participation & Graduation With Honors
In all of this, it is important to note that we are committed to making the Honors experience a qualitative, and not a quantitative, addition to the normal curriculum. We work hard to integrate our requirements with the existing requirements.
All EHP students are required to:
- Live in Andrews Hall for their freshman year
- Complete Critical Encounters 1
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to participate in the program
Students wishing to graduate with honors are required to:
- Graduate with a GPA of 3.3 or higher, and
- Complete a Senior Honors Thesis or an Honors Portfolio