CS Honors Requirements
To graduate with honors in Computer Science, students must complete a few requirements including a one-credit seminar course, independent research, and advanced coursework. The graduation requirements are described below.
If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to write to the CS Honors Chair.
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Application requirements
Students do not need to satisfy any of the below requirements to simply apply to CS Honors. We encourage you to apply to CS Honors if you have taken (or are currently taking) CMSC 216 and 250, and have a CS GPA ≥ 3.3 and an overall GPA ≥ 3.2.
Additionally, we encourage all Banneker/Key scholars to apply at any time.
CMSC 396H
CMSC 396H is a one-credit seminar course designed to teach Honors students what is CS research, what kind of research the UMD CS faculty do, and some basic skills that will be necessary to start performing research.
CMSC 499
CMSC 499 is independent study: semester-long, one-on-one research with one of the professors in the Computer Science department. This gives students the opportunity to perform research with some of the top research faculty in the nation. Taking 499 requires reaching out to a faculty member directly. Most students will benefit from taking 396H first, and from talking to the CS Honors Chair about how to get involved in a 499.
Honors thesis
The Honors Thesis is the culmination of a CS Honors student's research. It must comprise the student's contributions, and is generally the (possibly polished) outcome of one or more semesters of CMSC 499. Particularly good theses can merit graduation with High Honors. See some past theses for examples.
Graduate CS class
CS Honors students are required to take a graduate-level (600- or 700-level) course in Computer Science. These smaller classes give Honors students the opportunity to engage more with our professors, and brings them closer to research. Alternatively, students may turn a 400-level course they are taking into an H-version; this is a relatively complicated process; please see the CS Honors Chair if you are interested.
CS GPA ≥ 3.5, Overall GPA ≥ 3.25
At the time of graduation, students must have these GPAs. So long as students are making progress towards Honors (at least one Honors-related activity in a calendar year), they need not maintain these GPAs at all times.