Honors

The University provides three routes for obtaining honors recognition:

  • Dean’s List
  • Latin Honors (i.e. magna cum laude, summa cum laude, cum laude)
  • Commonwealth Honors College (CHC)

Dean's List and Latin Honors

All students are considered for Dean’s List after grades are official each semester. Graduating seniors are considered for Latin Honors at the end of their final semester. 

Criterion to determine eligibility for Dean’s List and Latin Honors is provided by the Registrar’s Office on page 33 of the University’s Academic Regulations found at  umass.edu/registrar/students/policies-and-practices/academic-regulations.

Additional Latin Honors information is provided by the Registrar’s Office at  umass.edu/registrar/students/diploma-and-graduation.

Questions regarding Dean’s List or Latin Honors should be directed to the Registrar’s Office:  umass.edu/registrar/contact-us

Commonwealth Honors College (CHC)

CHC creates a small community of scholars among undergraduates and provides an intellectually challenging honors curriculum.  A student who completes the full curriculum of CHC – comprised of General Studies and Advanced Scholarship components – is eligible for graduation with one of CHC’s honors credentials, which is noted on the diploma.  Additionally, students earn the credential Departmental Honors (DH) or Multidisciplinary Honors (MH) upon satisfactory completion of Advanced Scholarship DH or MH requirements.

CHC admissions information:  https://www.umass.edu/honors/admissions
Questions regarding CHC should be directed to CHC:  https://www.umass.edu/honors/about-commonwealth-honors-college/contact

CHC Advising
All CHC Economics students are directed to meet with an Academic Advisor in CHC for advising on CHC requirements, and an Academic Advisor in the Department of Economics for advising on Economics major requirements, each semester.

CHC academic advising:  https://www.umass.edu/honors/advising
Department of Economics Academic Advising

CHC Departmental Honors (DH) Track for Economics - Advising
CHC Economics students who are enrolled in the DH track for Economics are directed to meet with an Academic Advisor in CHC for advising on CHC requirements, and the Honors Program Director for the Department of Economics for Economics major requirement advising and DH track advising, each semester.

In Economics, contact Honors Program Director Itai Sher, isher@econs.umass.edu , for Honors advising.

Honors Program Director:

  • Acts as a liaison to CHC and oversee Honors students who are enrolled in the DH track for Economics
  • Oversees admission to, and progress related to DH
  • Reviews Honors Independent Studies and course substitutions for DH credit
  • Assists students with finding departmentally-based honors courses or honors thesis or project committee members

CHC academic advising:  https://www.umass.edu/honors/advising
DH track for Economics requirements:  https://www.umass.edu/honors/book/economics