Materials Science and Engineering

Undergraduate Education Program

MSE Undergraduate Honors Program 

Undergraduate Education Program

The goal of the College of Engineering Honors Program is "to provide an opportunity for the gifted undergraduate engineering student to develop to his/her fullest extent."

Honors GPA Requirements:

MSE Undergraduates with at least a 3.3 cumulative UW GPA and a 3.5 MSE Departmental GPA will be invited into the Department's Honors Program.  These are students who enter the Honors Program after they are admitted to the Department and they would receive "Honors With Distinction".  This Honors notation will appear on the transcript and diploma. 

Engineering Honors Course Curriculum:

The student must have at least 4 credits of MSE 499 H (5 cr MSE 499 H are allowed), the Honors Senior Project, and 4-5 additional credits of MSE "Ad Hoc" credits for a total of 9 Honors credits.  Through the Ad Hoc option a student can contract with the MSE Instructor in a given departmental course to obtain Honors credit in that course by completing additional work.  The student chooses which course they would like to designate as Ad Hoc and requests from the MSE faculty member that they designate it as such no later than the third week of the quarter that they are taking the course.  Ad Hoc courses must be at least a 400 level MSE course.  Undergraduates could also take a 500 level MSE course and designate it as Ad Hoc, including MSE 520 (independent study MSE 599 credits would not count as an Ad Hoc course).  Students can consult either with the MSE academic counselor or their MSE Faculty Advisor about the specific courses they would like to designate as Ad Hoc.  Students must take a minimum of 4 credits of MSE 499 H, the remaining 5 Honors credits can include one additional credit of MSE 499 H, supplemented by any 400 level MSE course, or any 500 level MSE course (independent study MSE 599 credits would not count as an Ad Hoc course).  Any full-time student who wishes to participate in the Honors Program has a requirement of 10 graded hours per quarter.  Students in co-ops should notify the MSE academic counselor before dropping below 10 credits. 

What counts as "additional work" for the Honors Ad Hoc credit?

This extra work will need to be defined between the MSE instructor and student.  The Honors Program assumes that any Honors student who exercises this option is interested in pursuing the course in greater depth and with more intensity than she or he could within the framework of the regular class and that the student is prepared to undertake extra work.  Additional work could include: writing an extra paper on a topic discussed in class giving a special presentation to the class conducting independent lab or library research on a topic covered in the class reading current journal articles about a topic covered in class and providing an annotated bibliography at the end of the quarter. 

Students will need to check first with their MSE Instructor to discuss the expectations and requirements for the Ad Hoc credit.  This may include periodic meetings between the faculty and student during the quarter that the Ad Hoc credit is pursued. 

Both the student and MSE faculty member must sign the Ad Hoc contract and the student then delivers this to the UW Honors Office (211 Mary Gates Hall) no later than the end of the third week of the quarter.  The Ad Hoc contracts are available from the MSE academic counselor in Roberts 302.  The UW registrar will then designate this course as an "H" course on the transcript of the individual student.

Why should a student participate in the MSE Honors Program?

Students will develop a stronger mentoring relationship with an MSE faculty member, they will have the opportunity to perform an in-depth study of an area of materials science that is particularly interesting to them, they will complete an Honors senior project under the supervision of their senior project faculty advisor, the Honors notation will appear on their transcript and diploma, Honors student names are published in the campus-wide graduation program, alumni magazines, and other engineering publications, and this is an excellent form of recognition for a resume or a graduate school application.  All the work that a student does for the Honors requirements will count toward graduation; the Honors requirements are built into what the student is currently expected to do for the BS degree.  The additional work that the student does as part of the Honors credits should be viewed as an opportunity to delve further into a specific subject or class, or to build a mentoring relationship with an MSE faculty member.  Honors students are also eligible to apply for certain scholarships and fellowships.  Please direct any questions about the MSE Honors Program to the MSE academic counselor.