he Honors Program of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics provides a small group of majors with additional intellectual experiences, both individually and as a group. The central components of the program are an honors seminar taught in English and the development and writing of an honors project, an experience that provides exceptional preparation for the work world or graduate school. Students who complete the program will graduate with departmental honors. Download brochure in pdf format.


ELIGIBILITY

  1. Entrance prerequisite: a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major and 3.0 in non-major courses.

  2. Application: candidates apply during the fall semester or winter session of their junior year. They may apply from abroad. The application consists of:
  1. Two essays, one in the target language (except for applied linguistics students) and one in English. The essays should demonstrate intellectual rigor and must be free from serious mechanical or grammatical errors.

  2. An informal college transcript (a printout from the web is sufficient).

  3. The name of an MLL faculty member who can serve as an informal reference.

  4. The MLL Honors Program application form (download in pdf format).

Applications will be evaluated by the Honors Program Committee, which consists of the Honors Program Director and the Area Coordinators. Students will usually receive notification of their acceptance into the Program by the end of January.

COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM

Note: Candidates for the MLL Honors Program need not be members of the UMBC Honors College. The requirements for this program are in addition to those of the MLL major.

  1. Study abroad: at least six credits of study in the target culture in a program approved by the appropriate Area Coordinator. Students in the Applied Linguistics track may substitute an internship or other activity for the study abroad requirement in consultation with the area faculty.
  2. MLL 399H Introduction to Honors Project (1 credit pass/fail): an independent study course that students will normally complete in the spring semester of their junior year (if they are abroad at that time, the course will appear on their schedules the following fall).

    Students will meet individually with the Honors Program Director and their Area Coordinators to discuss their interests and to develop a list of possible topics for the honors project. By the middle of the term, the Coordinator and the student should normally have selected a research advisor. By the end of the semester, the student should have moved toward a definition of the honors project. Registration for MLL 399H requires permission from the Director of the Honors Program. The course will normally be added during the first week of the semester. Those who are abroad in this term may do the work there, and the course will be added to their transcripts the following semester.
  3. MLL 498H Senior Honors Seminar (3 credits), a seminar to be taken in the fall of the senior year
    The planning of the seminar will take place in the spring semester: new Honors Program students will choose between two topics proposed by the faculty member(s) responsible for the courses, and they will work with the instructor to plan the seminar. The course itself will be conducted in English and will provide an opportunity to communicate across language groups and across disciplines. While taking this seminar, students will continue to develop and refine the focus of their honors projects.
  4. MLL 499H Senior Honors Project (3 credits): an independent study course normally undertaken in the spring of the senior year.

    Taken in the last semester of studies, this course consists of the writing of the honors project. Students will meet on a regular basis with their advisors as they progress. The project enables Honors students to pursue work that has special meaning for them; it provides them with valuable experience in planning and executing a large-scale research project. The subject, scope, purpose, methodology, and length of the honors project are determined by the individual candidate in conjunction with his or her advisor. Normally, however, such projects will be essays 20 to 50 pages long.
  5. Honors Final Examination: a departmental oral examination to be taken during the first two weeks of December for fall semester graduates, or the first two weeks of May for those graduating in the spring.

    The examining committee consists of the honors project advisor plus two faculty members selected by the student. Copies of the honors project must be submitted to the members of the student's committee at least one week before the date of the examination. The event consists of an oral examination in English on the honors project and a discussion of its relationship to the MLL core. Passing this last stage in the process allows a student to graduate with departmental honors.
REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION WITH HONORS IN MLL

Completion of the following requirements results in the awarding of departmental honors.
  1. Satisfactory performance (with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above) in departmental courses totaling at least 39 credits, of which seven will be Honors credits

  2. At least 3 credits of study abroad. Applied Linguistics majors may substitute other activities in consultation with the Linguistics Area faculty.

  3. Satisfactory completion of MLL 399H, Introduction to Honors Project (one Honors credit)

  4. Satisfactory completion of MLL 498H, Senior Honors Seminar (three Honors credits)

  5. Satisfactory completion of MLL 499H, Senior Honors Project (three Honors credits)

  6. A passing grade on the Honors Final Examination