Special Programs

The Honors Program
heureux qui, comme Ulysse, a fait un beau voyage. (Happy the one who, like Ulysses, has voyaged well.) - Joachim du Bellay
The honors program at Davis & Elkins College courts philosophers in the root sense of that term: lovers of learning. In an atmosphere of inquiry, the program offers intellectual challenges, depth of investigation into chosen subjects, and an opportunity to integrate thinking across disciplines. It demands active learning in the form of discussion, writing, and oral presentation. While the program is college-wide rather than departmental, its courses satisfy the curricular requirements of the regular academic program either as general education requirements or as electives. Entering students whose applications reflect academic potential are identified by the admissions office and invited into the program. Students already enrolled at Davis & Elkins who have distinguished themselves academically may also apply to the program.

Supervised by their mentors on the honors committee, students must sustain their academic performance. Freshman honors students are expected to earn at least a 3.0 grade point average. From their sophomore year on, they must maintain a 3.2 cumulative grade point average. Under exceptional circumstances, the honors committee may permit students not fully meeting these criteria to remain in the program on a semester-by-semester basis. In addition, in order to graduate with distinction, students must complete at least 18 hours with a minimum of a 3.0 average within the honors curriculum, minimum of 3.5 cumulative grade point average, and have completed a Senior Thesis or project including an oral presentation.

Students will devote 18 hours of their undergraduate careers to honors courses. In their first year, they will enroll in a writing-intensive English seminar. Over the next three years they will take four three-credit-hour seminars. These classes, occasionally team-taught and interdisciplinary, will bring students into close contact both with the fundamental texts in various fields and with their intellectual peers. This group includes their instructors, who will often be learning an unfamiliar subject along with the students. To remain in good standing in the program, students will take at least one, and not more than two, such seminars every year. Their honors experience will culminate in a senior thesis, typically of thirty pages, or a comparable project within their major or across departments.

The program's curriculum is not confined to the classroom. Honors seminars travel to cultural events and host visiting scholars. Mentors encourage their charges to expand their learning in other ways-for instance, by studying abroad or by conducting part of their coursework in a second language. At graduation, honors students will be eligible for the Purdum-Goddin Distinguished Graduate Award. All who have completed the requisite honors courses and projects with the specified grade point average will receive the distinquished citation, a sign of their intellectual odyssey.


Mentor-Assisted Program
Since its inception in 1988, the Mentor Assisted Program (MAP) has striven for the highest quality academic practices. The program has been designed for students who have (1) completed at least 30 semester hours of college work, (2) achieved a GPA of 2.0 or above, (3) significant work or life experience, and (4) been away from college for at least one year

The scope of the Mentor Assisted Program (MAP) is limited to selected academic majors. Nursing, for example, does not lend itself to this non-traditional program and is not included. A faculty member is assigned as mentor to assist in developing a plan that describes the goals the student has set for himself or herself. It is critical for the MAP student to have regular sessions with the mentor to review accomplishments and to plan next steps. The mentor assists the student in understanding the responsibilities for registering and working within the parameters of the policies of the college.

New MAP students ordinarily begin their program by enrolling in General Studies 101 and 102 (Portfolio and Education Assessment) and, with their mentor, developing a plan for the completion of their education goals. MAP students then implement their program by enrolling in courses on and off campus, applying for life experience credit, earning credit by examination, and proficiency testing.
Further information about the program is available from the Registrar's Office and the Office of Admissions.

Contract Degree Programs
Contract degree programs are offered for both the baccalaureate degree and the associate degree. The Baccalaureate Contract Degree program offers students an opportunity to develop and pursue an individualized degree program particularly suited to their own needs and goals. Expanding on the college curriculum, students assemble a proposal, which may include standard course offerings, projects, off-campus experiences, and practical/independent studies. The Associate Degree program further requires that the proposal represent a unified area of concentration. This concentration may be an interdisciplinary study unified by a single major theme or program, or by an historical period. The program must demonstrate it has a coherent program of general education courses to ensure intellectual breadth.

Keeping within the parameter and requirements of the baccalaureate degree programs, students are invited to discuss their proposals with their academic advisors. It should be noted that the contract program involves careful planning by the student and a three-member Committee of Sponsors. The Faculty Educational Policies Committee must give final approval to the proposed contract at least one academic year prior to the date of intended graduation.

Additional information and a comprehensive set of requirements are printed separately from the college catalog and are available in the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. These materials give step-by-step instructions that have been found helpful in preparing a Contract Program proposal. The document, when approved, becomes the student's requirements for completing a degree from Davis & Elkins College.

Pre-Professional Programs
Pre-Medical, Pre-Dental, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Veterinary Programs, Pre-Law and Pre-Ministry
Pre-professional students are advised to take a broad, general education program to gain background in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Most professional schools do not require a specific undergraduate major, although many applicants elect a biology or chemistry major because of the entrance requirements of the schools.

Pre-Health Sciences
Admission to most medical schools is based on academic achievement as indicated by the grade point average, placement on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), recommendations, and personal interviews. Since medical schools have more qualified applicants for admission than they can accept, it cannot be too strongly emphasized that a strong academic record is required for acceptance. Admissions committees usually don not publish expected or cut-off scores for grade point averages. However, competition for the limited number of positions is intense; transcripts are reviewed with regrad to consistency of performance, course loads and the degree of difficulty of the curriculum.

Pre-Law Program
Pre-law students are advised to take a broad, general education program that includes study of the humanities, social schience and natural sciences. Law schools require no particular major, although extensive work in history, political science, economics and sociology is strongly recommended. Competence in the skills of accounting, statistics, oral communication and writing will greatly aid student in both their Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and studey in law school.

Pre-Ministerial Program
Pre-ministerial students may major in any academic field, but should enroll in a wide variety of courses in the humanities and religion, history, and cultural studies. Enrollment in a modern language is recommended during the first year in college. In addition, an introductory course in Greek can prove helpful for the more advanced courses that most seminaries require for students seeking ordination.

Cooperative Programs
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse
The program consists of three years at Davis & Elkins College and a summer and five semesters at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry (CESF) at Syracuse. The student must make application to SUNY and be accepted into the program. After successful completion of the first year at CESF, Davis & Elkins College will award the Bachelor's degree and the status of the student at CESF will be changed from special to matriculated. Upon completion of the program at Syracuse, the student is awarded the master's degree. During the three-year program here, the student should complete a minimum of the following in addition to the general education and requisite courses: chemistry through organic, mathematics through integral calculus, physics, and economics. Normally the student would expect to begin studies at CESF with a summer field program following completion of the third year at Davis & Elkins College.
Additional information may be obtained from the chair of the Biology and Environmental Science Department.

Study Abroad Opportunities
Variable credit for courses completed with a program or university in a Spanish-speaking country is available through the Davis & Elkins College foreign language program. In addition, summer sessions that include a study-abroad component are generally offered as part of the College’s standing curriculum.


The Washington Center
The Washington Center is a non-profit organization that provides internships and academic seminars in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to students from more than 800 colleges and universities nationwide. Students who are placed as interns through the center gain hands-on experience in a wide range of professional fields with private organizations as well as government agencies. The internships are offered throughout the year and are open to Davis & Elkins students who are at least second-semester sophomores. During the 10- to 15-week program, students are awarded 12 to 16 credits by Davis & Elkins College. They take an evening class once a week and work full-time with a company of their choice or by placement through The Washington Center. Ken McCoy, director of the Career, Academic, and Personal Services Center at D&E is the campus liaison and counselor for the program.