ECE Honors Program- Changes Effective Fall 2022

If you seek excellence in the academic and professional arenas of electrical and computer engineering, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Honors Program will provide you with the challenges and training to attain your goals. ECE Honors participants are among the most gifted and motivated undergraduate students at the University. Students completing the program courses and research requirements will receive a notation of ECE Honors on their transcript.

Program Requirements

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 simultaneously 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

NOTE: ECE Honors students may substitute some of the H-level courses by taking graduate-level ENEE courses (ENEE6xx or ENEE7xx). 

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 typically satisfied through successful completion of ENEE 499/H/L: "Projects in Electrical Engineering." ENEE 499/H/L can also be used to satisfy an upper-level elective requirement. More information regarding the ENEE 499/L application process can be found on the ENEE 400 Level Courses page.

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.
3. Students must complete all required Honors program courses listed above with a minimum grade of a "B-".

When you apply for graduation and complete your senior audit, your record will be checked against both sets of Honors requirements and a notation of Departmental Honors will appear on your transcript if you satisfy either path.

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