Admission Requirements

Engineering students meeting all of the following criteria are eligible to apply for the Engineering Honors Program (EHP):

• Upper fourth of engineering juniors and seniors
• Junior standing or 60 applicable credits
• Completion of at least one semester at University of Maryland, College Park

Reasons to Enroll

• Gain in-demand research experience uncommon at the undergraduate level. 
• Qualify for research apprenticeships, which may include the opportunity to perform research as part of summer employment. 
• Work directly with talented faculty who can later serve as references on graduate school and job applications. 

Stand Out from your Peers

EHP research results have been published in many of the leading professional journals and in two books. Students have also received a number of awards for their EHP work, some of which came with financial awards. 

Graduation Requirements

The requirements for completing the program are as follows:

• An honors research project—which often can be used as a technical elective—a written report, and an oral presentation to a faculty panel of the EHP
• Successful completion of both Engineering Honors Seminars (ENES 480 and ENES 481, 1 credit hour each)
• Maintenance of a high enough GPA to remain in the upper fourth of the class

A one-hour seminar is offered each semester: ENES 480 in the fall and ENES 481 in the spring.  A brief written report and an oral presentation are required in each seminar. At least one seminar should be taken your junior year, if possible, to avoid scheduling conflicts your senior year.

Research Project Requirement

The research requirement is one of the most important elements of EHP, and your research project can be taken as a departmental graduation requirement.  Be sure to enroll in the appropriate departmental course:

• ENAE 499 Research
• ENCE 489 Special Problems in Civil Engineering
• ENCH 468 Research
• ENEE 499 Projects in Electrical Engineering
• ENFP 489 Honors Research Project
• ENMA 499 Senior Laboratory Project
• ENME 488 Special Problems
• ENME 489 Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering

Students are responsible for selecting their own research advisor, who they will work closely with throughout the project. Contact your department advisor to learn more about faculty research areas and any additional enrollment requirements for the courses above. You must get approval from your department advisor and the EHP director to fulfill your EHP research requirement with a faculty member outside your department. It is usually best to start the research well before your final semester and enroll in the course during the last semester. 

Research completed as part of another academic activity cannot be used to fulfill the EHP research requirement.  Projects also cannot be completed as part of a group or team activity.

A double-spaced written report that summarizes the research must be completed and submitted to your research advisor for approval. Four copies must then be submitted to Dr. Lawson, Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2325 A.V. Williams, at least one week prior to the end of the semester you intend to graduate. 

EHP students are also required to present a summary of their research at the EHP Research Seminar held at the end of the fall and spring semesters on the day before final examinations begin. Those graduating in the summer must complete and defend their research in the spring.