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Pre-Professional Programs and College Honors are among the challenging opportunities for our high achievers. If you have excelled during your high school career, you will likely qualify for one or more of the following programs offering additional rigor and enrichment.
The Honors College offers an intensely focused, academically challenging environment for outstanding students. An ethics course taught by accomplished scholars, an honors residence, reading groups, dinners with visiting scholars, and field trips to museums and theaters in Montreal and Boston are among the privileges and activities enjoyed by Honors College students.
Enrollment in the Honors College is concurrent with enrollment in the College of Arts & Sciences or in one of UVM's six other undergraduate schools and colleges. Students are invited to join the Honors College during their first year based on qualifications presented in their application for admission to the University, or they may apply for admission to the Honors College at the end of their first year for entry as a sophomore.
You don't have to be in the Honors College to pursue honors work and distinction. College Honors, Departmental Honors and national honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key, are available to outstanding students.
UVM undergraduates have exceptional opportunities to engage in research and tap into the University's resources. Academic Programs for Learning and Engagement (APLE), available to Arts & Sciences students, offer research opportunities with faculty members or hands-on experience through internships. Funding is available on a competitive basis for research and creative projects. In addition, two University-wide programs, HELiX and URECA!, offer research grants to undergraduates; HELiX opportunities include close mentoring and focus on the life sciences. Other undergraduate research opportunities grow out of connections students make with faculty mentors and their academic departments.
Pre-Professional Advising is available to students preparing for medical, dental, veterinary, physical therapy, and legal studies. Faculty experts as well as professional counselors in UVM Career Services advise students on course selection, preparation for entrance exams, and the application process. Pre-med students may be selected to participate in our Premedical Enhancement Program (PEP), allowing them to work closely with a practicing physician-mentor.
First-year students can apply to the Integrated Humanities Program (IHP), Integrated Social Sciences Program (ISSP), Integrated Study of Earth and the Environment (ISEE) Program, or --beginning in fall 2009--the Integrated Fine Arts (IFA) Program. IHP students take three year-long courses exploring influential texts, great thinkers, and expansive philosophies; ISSP students follow a curriculum of integrated social science courses focusing on global issues. Participants in ISEE learn the basic principles of how the Earth works through courses in geology, geography, and environmental studies. IFA students learn about the creative process from a variety of perspectives, including visual arts, film, theatre, dance, and creative writing. Close connections with faculty and students, special events, and an enriching residential option are among the benefits of these programs.
