Honors Program

There are four levels or types of honors programs at UCSD.

Provost's Honors

Warren College students earn Provost's Honors on a quarterly basis. Eligibilty is determined by enrolling in a minimum of 12 units per quarter and earning a minimum 3.5 GPA. Provost's Honors are designated on your academic transcript.

Departmental Honors

Some academic departments at UCSD offer accomplished upper-division students the opportunity to conduct honors-level research or to enroll in an honors-level seminar. Eligibility to participate and recognition of honors achievment varies by department. For more information, contact your major department.

Latin Honors for Graduation

UCSD students are eligible to graduate with Latin honors by completing a minimum of 80 graded UCSD units and earning a minumum cumulative GPA. The GPA requirements may change each year. For 2007-2008, the GPA breakdown for Latin honors is as follows:

Summa cum laude: 3.908-4.000

Magna cum laude: 3.786-3.907

Cum laude: 3.633-3.785

Graduating seniors receive current information on Latin honors in the periodic Commencement announcements and on the Commencement website.

College Honors

Although there are academic eligibility requirements, the Warren College Honors Program is more than a designation of personal achievement. We are a community of thinkers and doers encouraging academic, cultural, and social exploration. We are committed to the pursuit of intellectual excellence, and we affirm our roles as contributing members of our local and global communities. Student-initiated and student-directed activities are offered monthly for Warren College honors students.

Events

Honors events range from informal interactions with distinguished faculty to off-campus cultural activities.

Past events for current students have included:

Annual dinner reception for first-year honors students

The La Jolla Playhouse

The San Diego Opera

The Old Globe Theatre

San Diego Museum of Art: Annie Leibovitz Photography Exhibition

Traditional Japanese tea ceremony

December Nights at Balboa Park

An evening with Richard Rosenstock, writer and producer

“Cuban Diaspora and Literature” with Carlos Aguilera, poet/social critic

In addition, each year the Warren College Honors Program partcipates in the campus-wide UCSD Scholars Day and Admit Day. Scholars Day is a one- day event for outstanding honors applicants to UCSD. The Honors Council and the Events Committee are responsible for developing programming for these events. The 2007-2008 Events Committee Chair is Sue Zhang. If you have ideas for programs and events, or if you would like to volunteer at any event such as Scholars Day or Admit Day, please email Sue.

Faculty Guest Speaker Series

Each month during the academic year, a UCSD faculty member is invited to come and speak with Warren College honors students. Topics mayinclude the speaker's research, current events, or a faculty member's personal interests. Some past speakers have been Fred Driscoll of the Department of Physics, Steven Schick of the Department of Music, and Colin Jamora of the Division of Biological Sciences. Dates and times of these programs will be emailed to honors students and will be posted on the website. The 2007-2008 student coordinators are Joe Raleigh and Ilya Valmiansky. If you would like to recommend a faculty speaker, please email Joe or Ilya.

Community Service Projects

Honors students contribute in many ways to the local community through groups projects such as Hands-On San Diego. The 2007-2008 Coordinator is Caroline Slagle. If you have ideas for community service projects, please email Caroline.

Honors Council

Students interested in taking an active role in developing the Honors Program are encouraged to participate in the Honors Council, which provides overall direction for the Honors program. Meetings will be held every other Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in the Irvine Room in the Price Center. The first meeting will be October 11, 2007. Interested students should email Gretchen Harris, Program Coordinator, at gharris@ucsd.edu.

Scholars Seminar

First-year students may fulfill the Warren College writing requirement by completing Warren 11A in the fall quarter and Warren 11B in the winter quarter. This two-quarter sequence focuses on the development of critical thinking and writing skills. The course features occasional faculty guest speakers from a variety of academic disciplines. Undergraduate student assistants who have successfully completed the course help to facilitate discussion and provide academic support. Each year, class discussions and assignments center on a particular theme. In 2007-2008, the theme will be "Truth and Beauty." Students must be invited to apply for the Scholars Seminar. Selection for the 2007-2008 series has already been determined. For more information, please email Gretchen Harris at gharris@ucsd.edu.

Research at UCSD

Undergraduate research opportunities are abound at UCSD. By engaging in research, you will learn and develop practical skills that will make you more competetive as you pursue your goals in the job marekt or in graduate and professional schools. Research at UCSD can be found in most academic disciplines including Economics, History, Sociology, Anthropology, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Biochemistry, Physics, Ethnic Studies, Biological Sciences, and in the Jacobs School of Engineering. Students may receive academic credit for research by enrolling in courses numbered 197, 198 or 199,which are all research projects led by faculty. A limited number of paid research positions are offered.

Contact Information

The Honors Program Office is located in the Computer Science and Engineering Building (EBU 3), Room 1108. The program coordinator is Gretchen Harris. Telephone: (858) 534-1704. Fax: (858) 534-7391.