ECE Honors Program

Gain knowledge and engineering experience beyond the B.S. degree requirements by participating in the ECE Honors Program. For high-achieving undergraduate students, this program will prepare you for advanced paths like graduate school or other prestigious post-graduation pursuits.

While the main benefit of participating in the ECE Honors program is participation itself, students can obtain specific distinctions upon completion of the program: (i) Earn the title of ECE Honors Candidate which can be listed in a resume/CV; (ii) receive a "Department Honors" citation on their transcript.

Benefits of Program

The ECE Honors program offers students the chance to take specific ECE Honors courses (H-level) and engage in experiential learning, which may involve service learning. By enrolling in H-level junior courses, there are several advantages:

• Smaller class size
• Face challenges alongside other motivated students
• Exposure to advanced concepts for better preparation for graduate school or higher positions in industry/government
• Enhanced interaction with the instructor, fostering opportunities for strong letters of recommendation for internships, fellowships, or graduate school applications

Two Tracks to Completing the ECE Honors Program

To complete the program and achieve the distinctions, you need to earn a qualifying set of four ECE Honors participation points by graduation. Both tracks involve academic and experiential learning components:

Path 1 - Additional Undergraduate Research

1. Two (2) honor-versions of the junior-level ENEE courses. Students may substitute up to two (2) H-level courses with graduate-level ENEE courses.
2. Senior Honors Project- ENEE499/L (3 credits) with a written report (undergraduate thesis) and oral presentation.
3. Participate in an additional 3 credits of ENEE499H. Please note that one thesis would summarize the work of all 6 credits

Path 2 - Service-Learning

1. Two (2) honor-versions of the junior-level ENEE courses. Students may substitute up to two (2) H-level courses with graduate-level ENEE courses.
2. Senior Honors Project- ENEE499H (3 credits) with a written report (undergraduate thesis) and oral presentation.
3. ENEE396 (3 credits) (Service-learning/leadership course) Students must have completed or are simultaneiously participating in one of the service-learning opportunities listed in (d.) below. ENEE396 can count as a GenTech requirement.
4. Participation in a service-learning opportunity (75 Hours total): 
   1. Serving as a UTF (Undergraduate Teaching Fellow) or LTF (Laboratory TF)
   2. Tutoring fellow students via the ECE Department’s Tutoring program and/or being a Peer Mentor in the ECE Peer Mentoring Program
   3. Serving in a leadership position such as an elected officer for the UMD Chapter of an Engineering Society for a full year [including IEEE, Society of Women Engineers (SWE), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Tau Beta Pi, or Eta Kappa Nu (HKN)]
   4. Being an active member of Engineers Without Borders and participating in one international service project

Senior Honors Project (ENEE499/L and ENEE499H)

All ECE honors students must complete a Senior Honors Project under the supervision of a faculty member. This is satisfied through successful completion of ENEE 499/H/L: "Senior Projects in Electrical and Computer Engineering." ENEE499/H/L can also be used to satisfy an upper-level elective requirement. 

Completing the ECE Honors Program

1. Opt into the ECE honors program by following the link in the next section.
2. Students must have a UMD grade point average of a 3.5 or above.
3. Students must complete all required Honors program courses listed above with a minimum grade of a "B-".

When students apply for graduation and complete their senior audit, their record will be checked against both sets of Honors requirements. A citation of Departmental Honors will appear on their transcript if either path is satisfied.

Opt in to the ECE Honors Program

• You must have a 3.5 UMD GPA to opt into the program.
• Please follow this link to opt into the ECE Honors Program: https://ter.ps/ECEHonorsOpt