Honors Program
The University Honors Program (UHP) at Detroit Mercy offers students a unique opportunity to challenge themselves and each other through deeper academic experiences and meaningful campus and community engagement.
Students in the UHP learn and grow together, exploring ideas and developing skills with some of the very best faculty members at University of Detroit Mercy. UHP students also clarify their own sense of purpose and vocation through community engagement on campus and in the city of Detroit.
Whatever your career path, the individualized attention of the UHP will help you achieve your personal and professional goals, all while you develop lasting relationships with peers as well as professors who have your best interest at heart.
How do I join the University Honors Program?
The Honors program has stopped me from turning into an engineering robot. It's helping me become a well-rounded person, thinking not only about academics, but also about life outside of school and our purpose in this world. And I am very grateful for that.
—Ahmad Chalhoub, ‘22, Mechanical Engineering.
Six Core Values
Curiosity
UHP students explore big questions across a wide range of scholarly fields in the humanities and social sciences, including English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Theatre, African American Studies and Women's and Gender Studies.Community
The UHP is a community of engaged and motivated students. One of the distinct features of the UHP is the Gardella Honors House, a space available exclusively to UHP students. At Gardella, Honors students gather for study sessions and social events.
Critical Thinking
Through readings, writing assignments, discussions and events, UHP students learn to think critically about themselves and their world. Honors students push beyond common-sense understandings of fundamental issues such as justice, equality and success through intensive study across a wide range of academic disciplines.Reflection
UHP students regularly reflect upon both their fields of study and themselves, making connections across their courses and identifying their own evolving values in pursuit of scholarly, professional and spiritual excellence.Diversity
UHP students engage with diverse perspectives and cultures through coursework and community engagement, growing into global citizens who are embedded in their local communities. UHP students learn to understand themselves and their place in the world through a global framework steeped in questions of human difference and social justice.Service
All Honors students complete at least 100 hours of community-engaged service. Throughout their time in the UHP, students reflect upon the meaning of community engagement for themselves and their world.
We learn in an intimate community consisting of peers who are similarly driven toward scholarship and achievement.
Our classroom environments allow for free, scholarly discussion that has not only helped me continue to focus on my love of learning, but has broadened my knowledge through the interaction with my peers and their unique perspectives.
—Sarah Buhay, ‘20, Biology (Pre-Med)
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Honors Program Application
Membership Requirements
- Incoming GPA of 3.5 or better
- Record of participation in extra-curricular activities
- Participation in the University Honors Program is by invitation only
You will be invited
Once students are accepted to Detroit Mercy, students who have at least a 3.5 GPA are invited to apply for admission into the program.
How to Apply
After students are invited, they may apply by submitting an admissions essay that addresses the following prompt:
Essay Prompt
The University Honors Program is built on six core values: curiosity, community, critical thinking, reflection, diversity and service. In a 500-600 word essay:
- Explain which of these values is most important to you and why.
- In your explanation, define your chosen value in your own words.
- Share a story of how that value has played out in your life.
Upload your essay to the Admissions portal.
Notification
The Honors Program Director will review your application, and you will be notified if you have been accepted into the program.
Note: The following majors are ineligible for the University Honors Program:
- 5-Year Business Administration
- 5-Year Accounting
- 5-Year Physician Assistant
- 6-Year Law - Business Administration
- 6-Year Pharmacy
- 7-Year Pharmacy
- 7-Year Dental
- Healthcare Operations Management
- Pre-Dental Hygiene
- Social Work - Full-Time Accelerated
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Honors Curriculum
Overview
University Honors Program students must fulfill 19 required Honors credits during their University careers by taking:
- University Honors Freshman Seminar (HON 1000) (fall semester, freshman year)
- Fifteen (15) hours of academic Honors elective courses
- Three (3) additional Honors credits, which may be satisfied through one of the following options:
- Three (3) credit hours (HON 4997, HON 4998, HON 4999) devoted to writing an Honors Thesis under the guidance of a faculty member (This typically takes place over the course of three or more semesters.)
- One (1) additional three-credit academic Honors course.
- Fulfillment of one hundred (100) hours total of community-engaged service.
In addition, students must complete one of the following:
- Honors Thesis
- Honors Portfolio
Note: The Honors Curriculum represents minimum requirements. Students may enroll in additional Honors academic courses.
Graduation Requirements
- Fulfillment of University Honors curriculum
- Fulfillment of 100 hours total of community-engaged service
- A minimum overall GPA of 3.3 at time of graduation/degree certification
See the UHP Student Handbook, the UHP Thesis Handbook and the UHP Portfolio Handbook for more information on program requirements and expectations. Prospective students may also benefit from reviewing the Detroit Mercy Undergraduate Catalog.
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Honors Recognition
Honors Recognition at Graduation
Members of the University Honors Program who maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 and complete all of the graduation requirements for the program will:
- Have their degree designated as an Honors degree with “Honors” printed on their diplomas
- Receive the University Honors Program certificate
- Wear golden Honors cords at Commencement
- Receive transcripts that bear the Honors designation
Latin Honors
University Honors students will graduate with Latin Honors if they have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Students will be awarded cum laude honors with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, magna cum laude with a GPA of 3.7 or higher and summa cum laude with a GPA of 3.9 or higher.
Emerging Leaders Opportunities
As part of their involvement in the Emerging Leaders Program, Honors students will have the opportunity to achieve the Leadership Pin and/or Medallion during their Detroit Mercy academic career.
Leadership Pin
One of the requirements for the Leadership Pin is 100 hours of community engagement, which aligns with the UHP community-engaged service requirement. As such, many Honors students opt to pursue the Leadership Pin.
Leadership Medallion
The Leadership Medallion requires an additional 100 hours of service, in addition to the other requirements. Visit the Emerging Leaders Program site for the most up-to-date requirements on the Leadership Pin and Medallion.
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Study Abroad Options
The University Honors Program recognizes the value of study abroad and encourages students to participate when possible. Living and working with people from other cultures is an invaluable learning experience for any college student, particularly given the increasingly global nature of business, science, art and politics.
Members of the University Honors Program may take up to two accredited study abroad courses in lieu of required Honors courses.
University of Detroit Mercy offers several study abroad programs in places such as Australia, Brazil, Cuba, China, El Salvador, England, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Poland.
Interested students should consult with the departments sponsoring these programs for more information and contact the University Honors Program Director to request a course substitution for an approved study abroad course.
The Honors Program gave me a chance to research what I'm passionate about and pushed me past what I thought I was capable of within both my majors. All of the professors I had within the program were so dedicated to making sure I succeeded, and their commitment to my growth solidified my experience at Detroit Mercy as a good one.
—Hannah Tillman, ‘19, Psychology and English
Meet your Director and Faculty
If you have any general questions regarding the Honors Program, feel free to contact the program director below. Be sure to follow the UHP on Instagram @detmercyhonors!
Honors Program Directors
Stephen Pasqualina
Assistant Professor of English
Director, University Honors Program
313-993-2008
pasquasg@udmercy.edu
Honors Program Faculty
Shardé Chapman
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
313-993-2007
chapmasn@udmercy.edu
Juan Carlos Flores
Professor of Philosophy
313-993-3318
floresju@udmercy.edu
Mary-Catherine Harrison
Associate Professor of English
*
Department Chair
313-993-1081
mc.harrison@udmercy.edu
J. Todd Hibbard
Professor of Religious Studies
*
Chair of Religious Studies
313-993-1088
hibbarja@udmercy.edu
Heather L. Hill
Professor of English
313-993-1461
hillhl2@udmercy.edu
Hsiao-Lan Hu
Professor of Religious Studies
Director of the Women's & Gender Studies Program
313-578-0351
hhu@udmercy.edu
David Koukal
Professor of Philosophy
313-993-1138
koukaldr@udmercy.edu
Elizabeth Oljar
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
313-993-3388
oljarea@udmercy.edu
Andrew Papa
*
Department Chair
Associate Professor of Theatre
University Honors Program Affiliate Faculty
313-993-3220
papaam@udmercy.edu
Evan Peterson
*
Arnold Jarboe Chair of Business Administration & Director of Undergraduate Business Programs
313-993-1114
petersea@udmercy.edu
Nick Rombes
Professor of English
313-993-1085
rombesnd@udmercy.edu
Gregory Sumner
Professor of History
*
Department Co-Chair
313-993-1121
sumnergd@udmercy.edu
Honors Program Advisory Council
Shardé Chapman
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
313-993-2007
chapmasn@udmercy.edu
Mary-Catherine Harrison
Associate Professor of English
*
Department Chair
313-993-1081
mc.harrison@udmercy.edu
J. Todd Hibbard
Professor of Religious Studies
*
Chair of Religious Studies
313-993-1088
hibbarja@udmercy.edu
David Koukal
Professor of Philosophy
313-993-1138
koukaldr@udmercy.edu
Andrew Papa
*
Department Chair
Associate Professor of Theatre
University Honors Program Affiliate Faculty
313-993-3220
papaam@udmercy.edu
Evan Peterson
*
Arnold Jarboe Chair of Business Administration & Director of Undergraduate Business Programs
313-993-1114
petersea@udmercy.edu
Thomas Provost
Assistant Professor of Architecture and Community Development
Director, Visual Arts and the Built Environment (VABE) Program
provoste@udmercy.edu
Miao Qian
Assistant Professor of Psychology
313-578-0455
qianmi@udmercy.edu