The short answer is six: HNUH 100 in your first semester, four 3-credit courses in your first and second year, and a 2-credit Vantage Point Seminar in your fourth or fifth semester. The four 3-credit courses can be either two courses from two different Thematic Clusters, or they can be two courses from a Cluster and two courses from a Theory & Practice Track. This totals the 15 credits of UH coursework that is required to earn the Honors Citation.
University Honors courses are different than regular courses. Our smaller seminars, for instance, prioritize discussions and group work that can be more difficult to achieve in large lectures. And UH courses are “enriched” with visiting speakers, field trips, curricular programming, etc. Also, in all of our courses, writing assignments are more typical than multiple choice exams. The overall goal, though, is not to give you extra work, but for the work to be interesting and engaging, with enhanced academic resources, in a setting where you have more individual attention than larger classes provide.
UH’s curriculum unfolds in three phases. Our Gateway Seminar is Phase I, and its number is HNUH 100. Thematic Clusters and Theory & Practice Tracks are Phase II, and these are 200-level courses. The Vantage Point Seminar is Phase III, and its number is HNUH 300.
Phase II course numbers are grouped by cluster or by track. For example, HNUH 228A, 228X, 228Y, and 228Z are the courses in one cluster, while HNUH 238A, 238X, 238Y, and 238Z are a second cluster. The course number ending in “A” is the required I-series course, while the small seminars in each cluster typically end with “W,” “X,” “Y,” or “Z.” Theory & Practice track course numbers will end in “T” (Theory course) or “P” (Practice course).
No, UH students are not required to take an H-version course. All Honors students are able to take these courses, which are often smaller in size. However, no H-version courses are required for completing your citation in UH, and these courses do not count toward the completion of your citation.
A Thematic Cluster is completed when you successfully complete two of its courses, with one of the two courses being the required I-Series course (whose number ends in ‘A’). The two cluster courses do not need to be taken in any particular order. They can be taken in different semesters or together in the same semester.
A Track is completed when you successfully complete its two courses: the Theory Seminar and the Practice Seminar. Both are required. For most Tracks, its courses need not be taken in any particular order. They can be taken in different semesters or together in the same semester.
Clusters are offered for two years, starting in Fall semester. For example, a Cluster that begins in Fall 2021 will be offered through Spring 2023; clusters offered for the first time in Fall 2022 will be offered through Spring 2024. Typically, the required I-series course and at least two of the small seminars that comprise a Cluster are offered in every semester in which the the Cluster runs. Eight clusters are offered at any given time. Each year, one set of four phases out, while another set of four phases in.
Tracks do not have a predetermined lifecycle. Most will be offered for at least two academic years.
More detailed information regarding the timeline of UH course offerings is available on each Cluster and Track page.
The courses under the “HONR” prefix are reserved for students who matriculated into University Honors prior to Fall 2020.
Your primary academic advising comes from your major, which is in one of the academic colleges and schools that make up the University. Many colleges and schools have a general advising office in your first year or two, and typically assign you a staff or faculty advisor in your junior and senior years. If you are a double major, you’ll pick one of them to be your primary major, which will provide your main academic advising. Further information about academic advising at Maryland is available here.
In University Honors, Dario Middleton (Assistant Director for Academic Life) serves as an extra advising resource for UH students. Please feel free to consult him directly with questions concerning UH course offerings.