Special Programs

Find another home on campus!

Maryland’s living/learning programs give our students a chance to join a community of people with common interests. Whether you want to live with students who are active in community-service, engage in group research, or be immersed in a foreign language, there is sure to be a program that is a perfect fit for you!

Invitations to many of these programs are extended along with your acceptance letter from Undergraduate Admissions; other programs require you to submit a separate application or to apply once you have begun your classes on campus.

Here are some of the outstanding living/learning programs you can take advantage of:

• College Park Scholars
  

  College Park Scholars is a community of twelve interdisciplinary living-learning programs for academically talented first- and second-year students. Each program focuses on a specific theme and offers specially designed courses and experiences that relate to its theme. Students in College Park Scholars take classes together and live together in selected residence halls.
• University Honors
  

  The Honors Program is Maryland's long established program for students with exceptional academic talents. Intellectual challenge, discussion-based seminars, outstanding faculty, and a smaller nurturing community within this lively campus are the hallmarks of University Honors.
• Honors Humanities
  

  Honors Humanities is the University of Maryland’s premier honors program for talented beginning undergraduates with interests in the humanities and creative arts. Housed in picturesque Wicomico Hall, the selective two-year living-learning program combines a small liberal arts college environment with the dynamic resources of a large research university.
• Gemstone
  

  Gemstone students are members of a living-learning community comprised of fellow students, faculty and staff who work together to enrich the undergraduate experience. Under guidance of faculty mentors and Gemstone staff, teams of students design, direct and conduct significant research, often but not exclusively exploring the interdependence of science and technology with society.
• Global Communities
  

  In the Global Communities Program students from more than 30 countries and the United States, representing a variety of cultural backgrounds, come together to form an international community. These undergraduate residents share a common desire to build bridges of cooperation and understanding between cultures.
• Hinman CEOs
  

  As the nation’s first living-learning entrepreneurship program, Hinman CEOs is a groundbreaking initiative placing entrepreneurially-minded students from all technical and non-technical academic disciplines in a unique community. The mission of Hinman CEOs is to foster an entrepreneurial spirit, create a sense of community and cooperation, and develop ethical leaders. Students live together, learn about entrepreneurship, and can launch new ventures.
• Language House

  Open to second-semester freshmen and above, the Language House provides students, who are serious about language learning, with the opportunity for daily language and cultural immersion in an organized study environment. Participants will develop communication skills in both academic and daily life settings through diverse organized activities, informal daily contacts, annual Language House events, and supplemental coursework in the target language.
• Jimenez-Porter Writers’ House
  

  The Jimenes-Porter Writers' House offers students at the University of Maryland a literary center for the study of creative writing across cultures and languages. The program acts as the vibrant literary hub of the university, fosteres a sucessful literary community among residents and studies and supports creative writing in cross-cultural dimensions.
• EcoHouse

  Offers a living-learning community for second- and third-year resident students enrolled in all majors and programs. It is a community of like-minded others preparing for a "green future," which takes learning outside the classroom!
• Beyond the Classroom

  Beyond the Classroom (BTC) is an interdisciplinary living and learning program for undergraduate students. Students in BTC develop educational and professional leadership skills to understand and contribute to civic engagement and social change in a global context. BTC students explore significant civic and social issues that matter most to them.