What University Honors Program students are saying

“The UHP introduced me to courses I would not have otherwise taken, people I would not have met, and opened doors to many rewarding opportunities.”

-Pooja Kumar, 2010English and Communication

“The UHP gave me a set of resources and experiences that I valued greatly in my undergraduate career. The smaller classes were a great opportunity that allowed me to network with similarly ambitious students and interesting professors.”

-Patrick Sheehan, 2014Computer Science

“I loved building a connection

with my fellow honors students

in the residence halls and the

small classes. It made a huge

difference to be taking classes with

people I knew.”

Emily Holland (‘13)

Animal Science

Welcome to the University Honors Program.

Earning a bachelor’s degree at a major

research university has distinct advantages.

Undergraduates at UC Davis have opportunities

to study with world-renowned faculty, access the

resources available in our libraries and laboratories,

and work in dynamic research environments.

Within that setting, the University Honors Program

offers the experience of a small liberal arts college: a

cohort of exceptional students with ample access to

dedicated faculty; an Honors residence hall; priority

registration and extended library privileges.

Our curriculum is designed to build foundational

knowledge and literacy in the first years, and then

develop skills for research, service, and professional

life culminating in a capstone project.

The top 5% of applicants to UC Davis are invited

to participate in the program and are notified in the

admissions packet. Admission by application on a

space-available basis opens in May.

Our commitment is to offer our most promising

students the best of both worlds: the experience of

a small college and the opportunities of a world-

renowned research university.

Honors at UC Davis

The experience of a small, liberal arts college with the opportunities of a world-class research university.

Contact UsUniversity Honors ProgramUC Davis - One Shields AvenueDavis, CA 95616530-752-9797honors@ucdavis.eduhonors.ucdavis.edu

Live and learn in an honors community

First year Honors students live in the

newest residence hall on campus, which

provides a center of gravity to connect with

peers through shared classes, talents, hobbies

and interests. The Honors residence offers

community and support in the first year, and

fosters friendships that will last through the UC

Davis years and beyond.

Honors Privileges Support Success

• Priority class registration

• Honors transcript notation

• Opportunities to meet distinguished campus visitors

• Support from Honors faculty for research and community-based projects

• Dedicated counselors and peer advisors

• Convocations, coffees and social events with faculty and administration

• Graduate student level library privileges

The Lower-Division Curriculum: The Honors Course of Study

In the first two years, students acquire

foundational knowledge and build critical

thinking skills. Students take six honors courses

in their first six quarters at UC Davis. Taught by

select faculty and offered with limited enrollment,

Honors classes encourage students to engage and

explore while fulfilling their General Education and

completing major requirements.

Upper-Division Honors: Research, Service, Experience

Upper-division students are poised to take

advantage of UC Davis’s opportunities in

research, service, and professional life. Third-year

students take a research seminar geared toward

their discipline, learn project management skills,

and can complete individually designed research or

community service projects with faculty approval.

Projects have included award-winning business

plans for non-profits, designing a microwave oven

leak detector, designing a proposed new major for

the university, writing a book of original poetry,

and laboratory research.

Shields Library, which holds more than 2.6 million volumes, is an inspiring place to study.

Transfer Students

Transfer students admitted in the third year

participate in the upper-division program.

They receive all the privileges associated with the

University Honors Program.

The experience of a small

liberal arts college

The opportunities of a world-class

research university

A curriculum tailored for high-achieving students

A special summer opportunity for first-year UHP students to study in London and Paris

“A Tale of Two Cities” This Summer Abroad seminar on the history of

enmity, rivalry, and cooperation between France and

England is offered only to incoming first-year UHP

students, August 30-September 14, 2014.

Fourth-Year Capstone Projects: Defining your UC Davis Education

The fourth-year capstone project is the

summation of each student’s undergraduate

career. It could be an honors thesis done in

conjunction with the major department, high-level

laboratory research overseen by a faculty mentor,

a musical composition, dramatic performance, or

design portfolio, or an

Going on to great things:

Honors Program students are often awarded

top recognitions, including the University

Medal the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, and

departmental prizes. After graduation, many of

our students have gone on to study at the nation’s

top graduate and professional schools, or to find

employment at top firms.

Illustrious UHP Alumni

1. Nate Delaney-Busch ‘09 Psychology Ph.D. candidate at Tufts University; 2. Larissa Miyachi ‘12 - University Medalist, medical school at Stanford; 3. Rajiv Narayan ‘12 Medical Anthropology, Oxford University 4. Kirstin Woody Scott ‘06, Health Policy Ph.D. candidate, Harvard

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