Davidson Honors College
Timothy Nichols, Dean
Set in the awesome natural beauty of western Montana, we are a vibrant, inclusive intellectual community providing transformative educational opportunities and dedicated to strengthening our positive impacts on the world.
Vision
We engage diverse students through distinctive educational experiences that fuel their growth and empowerment, and position them for success. We are respected for our innovative, impactful approaches, individual and collaborative scholarship, integrity, and holistic student support. We lift one another up, and are a positive force in the lives of our students, our campus, our community, and the world.
Values
- Education of the whole person
- Critical thinking, academic rigor and excellence
- Authentic collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches
- Experiential and place-based learning
- Curiosity, creativity, inquiry, innovation and discovery
- Dialogue, reflection and meaning making
- Grit, resilience and risk taking
- Intellectual confidence and humility
- Global and cross-cultural perspectives, diversity and equity
- Passion, compassion, integrity and justice
- Deep engagement and love of learning
- Sustainable practices and environmental stewardship
Curriculum
Learning Outcomes
We prepare thoughtful, informed, agile and impactful citizens. Our students are thinkers, doers, explorers, creators, servants, leaders, and agents of positive change. Through curricular and co-curricular experiences, they are equipped with new ways of knowing, seeing, doing and being in the world.
Through their experience in the DHC, they build capacity for:
- Collection, analysis, and synthesis of information;
- Excellence in oral, written, interpersonal and digital communication;
- Independent and collaborative work, problem solving and community engagement;
- Learning and reflection about their own and others’ experiences;
- Ethical, original, creative, and critical thought and action;
- A meaningful life and future personal and professional success.
Requirements
Students should work closely with their honors and departmental advisors and faculty mentors to develop and implement an honors experience that meets their academic and professional aspirations.
To graduate with University Scholar distinction, students complete the following requirements:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete all of the following: | ||
| HONR 120 | Introduction to Honors | 1 |
| HONR 121L | Ways of Knowing | 3 |
| HONR 394 | Interdisciplinary Colloquium | 3 |
| Experiential Learning. This may include internships, field courses, supervised research, student teaching, or study abroad. Students should consult with their honors advisor to identify courses and experiences that may fulfill this requirement. | 2 | |
| Three additional Honors Electives | 7-9 | |
This could include: | ||
Departmental honors courses | ||
Experiential courses | ||
Other HONR courses | ||
| Honors Capstone. The honors capstone project is an original piece of scholarly or creative work completed under the direction of a faculty mentor and relevant to the student's interests and goals. | 3-4 | |
| Total Hours | 19-22 | |
Graduating as a University Scholar
Students wishing to graduate with the University Scholar distinction must complete the curricular requirements outlined above at a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. Students complete a DHC application for graduation in addition to their UM graduation application. University Scholars are awarded the Davidson Honors College Medallion, which is presented at a special ceremony prior to University Commencement, and the University Scholar distinction is noted on student diplomas.
Admission to the Davidson Honors College
Incoming students should apply to the Davidson Honors College as a supplement to their University of Montana application. This application receives a holistic review of materials including transcripts, short-answer responses, essays, letters of recommendation, and optional test scores. Incoming students who apply by December 1 will be considered for Davidson Honors College Scholarships.
Current University of Montana students who wish to enroll as a student in the Davidson Honors College complete a separate application available on the college’s website.
Advising
Students in the Davidson Honors College receive supplemental advising support from the DHC. All students are assigned an honors advisor who assists them with planning for and implementing their honors requirements alongside those of their academic major(s), minor(s), and certificates. Major and program specific advising is facilitated by the student's primary academic advisor. In addition, the DHC offers support for students in areas such as career development, undergraduate research, and the pursuit of externally-funded scholarships and fellowships.
Opportunities for Involvement
The DHC is home to an active Honors Student Association, a team of honors Learning Assistants, DHC Ambassadors, the Honors Living and Learning Community, and a Dean’s Student Advisory Council. Honors students are also involved across the university in student government, as athletes, artists, and performers, as servants of the community, and as leaders in a wide-range of departmental, college, and special interest organizations. The college hosts activities each year designed to build community, prepare students for their academic and professional aspirations, and to add value to and to elevate, enrich, and enliven their undergraduate experiences at UM.
For More Information, please see the Davidson Honors College website.