Students enrolled in the ACES Living-Learning Program (ACES LLP) are required to abide by policies set by the University of Maryland, the Honors College, and the ACES Program.
Citation
Students must complete
15 credits to earn the ACES LLP citation. These credits are composed of three foundational courses (HACS100, HACS101 & HACS200), six credits of ACES seminars (HACS208) and 3 credits of experiential learning (HACS279/287/297). All classes must be completed with a “C-“ grade or better. Students must have a 3.2 cumulative GPA in order to receive their Honors citation. Per Honors College policy, if students do not have a 3.2 cumulative GPA at the time citation course requirements are completed, they will not earn their citation in that semester, but will be awarded the Honors citation in a future semester if their cumulative GPA raises to 3.2 or above.
The ACES LLP also requires students to complete a program exit survey. Completion of the survey in the semester students finish their 15 required credits is necessary to earn the Honors citation.
Repeat Policy
The Honors College Course Repeat Policy applies to all courses across the Honors College living and learning programs (LLPs). The ACES LLP Leadership may grant an exception allowing a course to be repeated in rare, extenuating circumstances after consultation with the Honors College Executive Director. Other LLP courses are regularly offered, however, they are cohort-specific and sequential and are not designed for re-enrollment. In rare circumstances, a student may be allowed to repeat a course with the next cohort. In this case, the University Repeat Policy regarding how both final grades will be calculated into the GPA will prevail. There are guidelines regarding GPA calculations based upon when the original course was taken and for how many credits. Students are advised to consult the undergraduate catalog for their matriculation year or meet with an academic advisor for more information. Course catalogs can be accessed on-line via the Office of the Registrar and clicking on Catalog-Undergraduate
Dismissal
The ACES LLP follows the University of Maryland's academic policies regarding satisfactory progress in a program of study. Earning a grade lower than a "C-" in any of the ACES courses will result in a student being dismissed from the program.
The ACES LLP also reserves the right to dismiss a student found in violation of the University's Student Code of Conduct and/or the Code of Academic Integrity. The Honors College is an intellectual community that engages high-achieving undergraduates to pursue knowledge in an atmosphere of honesty and trust. Students found responsible for a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity by the Student Honor Council, receiving an "XF" or worse, will be dismissed from the Honors College, including their living-learning program. Students dismissed from the ACES LLP will also be removed from the program’s Prince Frederick Hall housing list and will not be eligible to live on ACES LLP floors in future semesters.
In addition, we expect that students are good citizens of the ACES LLP. This means that we expect that students will attend talks and participate in events outside the classroom, arranged by ACES and the Honors College. Sometimes these events occur in the evenings and on weekends. These events are essential to the students’ intellectual and professional development, and provide opportunities to network, make connections with industry professionals, and interact with the larger Honors College community.
Students will be officially dismissed from the ACES Program if they have not made adequate attempts to complete the ACES LLP. After students reach their third year and have not made adequate attempts to complete the citation by raising their GPA to the 3.2 minimum and/or finishing th total 15 credit requirement they will enter a two-semester probationary period. Upperclass students not working towards finishing the citation after two consecutive semesters will be withdrawn from the program. ACES staff will prompt students with emails during the two-semester probationary period regarding their commitment to finishing the program. An exception will be made for students who stay in contact with the program staff and are committed to finishing the citation. Exceptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis.
Withdrawal
Students may withdraw from the ACES LLP at any time. When a student has determined that it is necessary to withdraw from the program the student should:
- Contact the ACES LLP Leadership
- Withdraw from all registered ACES LLP courses
- Complete the ACES LLP Exit Survey
Students who withdraw from the University of Maryland are automatically withdrawn from the ACES LLP.
Reinstatement
Students who either withdraw from the University of Maryland or transfer to another institution are also withdrawn from the ACES LLP. If a student withdraws or transfers to another institution but then re-enrolls at the University of Maryland in a future semester, the student is not eligible to return to the ACES LLP.
Students who take a leave of absence from the university in good standing may return to the ACES LLP upon their return to the University of Maryland. Depending on the timing of the leave of absence students may need to rejoin the program in a later cohort and housing in Prince Frederick Hall may not be guaranteed. All reinstatement requests are reviewed by the ACES LLP Leadership on a case-by-case basis.
Early Completion
Assuming all requirements are met, ACES LLP students may earn their Honors citation early, that is, before the end of their sophomore year. If this occurs, students have the option to continue to live in Prince Frederick Hall for the remainder of their sophomore year and continue to participate in the program events and community. All ACES requirements must be met in order to earn the citation, regardless of completion timeline, including the 15 credit curriculum and program exit survey.
Experiential Learning Component
The ACES Living-Learning Program (ACES LLP) requires three credits of experiential learning as part of the 15 credit curriculum to earn the ACES citation. Three course options are available to complete these credits:
- HACS279 Undergraduate Research in Cybersecurity, 1-3 credits
- HACS287 Undergraduate Research in Cybersecurity, 3 credits
- HACS297 Cybersecurity Experience Reflection, 3 credits
The University of Maryland considers one credit of experience to be equal to 45 hours; therefore students must complete a total of 135 experiential hours of research or internship. HACS297 is a reflections course that allows participants to reflect on an internship experience; the internship experience itself must be 135 experiential hours.
Timeline
The ACES LLP experiential learning requirement may be completed either during an academic year or during a summer. In order to complete the citation requirements on time students should plan to complete the course credits by the end of the summer following their sophomore year.
HACS279, 287, and 297 are typically all available during the summer term. HACS279 and 287 are available during the summer when the research mentor is available to supervise during that session. HACS297 is offered as an online version during the summer, meeting once per week during the evening hours to accommodate students’ internship schedules. HACS297 may not be available during the summer, or may be canceled, if minimum enrollment is not met.
Eligibility
All experiences must be approved by the ACES Leadership. Experiences must be related to cybersecurity and fulfill the hour requirement. Confirmation of the experience’s relation to cybersecurity and of the hours completed must be received from the student’s supervisor.
Examples of past approved experiences include:
- Internships off campus (Northrop Grumman, NSA, NIST, Google, Parsons, etc.)
- Internships on campus (Division of Information Technology)
- Research experiences with UMD faculty
- Summer REU (research experience for undergraduates) programs at other universities
HACS279 and HACS287 Undergraduate Research in Cybersecurity
Students who intend to complete research with a UMD faculty member may register for either HACS279 or HACS287 to receive research credits. In order to register for either class students must complete a project proposal. The project proposal describes the project, the planned schedule for the semester, the student’s role, and other details. The ACES LLP Leadership will review the proposal and, if approved, grant permission for the student to register for the appropriate course section.
The proposal must be submitted within the first week of the semester in which credit is to be earned. Students should contact ACES LLP Leadership to receive details on completing the proposal.
HACS279 is available for 1-3 credits per semester and is intended for students who plan to complete credits across multiple semesters. HACS287 is 3 credits and is intended for students who plan to complete all 135 hours in one semester. HACS287 is approved for Scholarship in Practice General Education credit.
During the semester there are no course meetings, but students work directly with their faculty mentor to attend project meetings and complete the required hours. Students must submit a mid-semester report to ACES LLP Leadership with updates on the project and progress, as well as a final professional paper detailing accomplishments, challenges, and conclusions.
HACS297 Cybersecurity Experience Reflection
Students who intend to complete their experiential learning hours through anan internship experience will complement their experience hours by taking HACS297 (3 credits). HACS297 is offered each semester (fall, spring, and summer) as long as there is enrollment of at least 10 students. Course content includes reflecting on the cybersecurity experience, building professional skills, and facilitating sharing so students may learn from each other’s experiences. Students may complete HACS297 following the completion of their 135 hours or concurrently with their internship or other experience so long as the 135 hours are completed before the conclusion of the course.
In order to gain permission to register for HACS297 students should complete the permission form available in the ACES Monday Email around the time of course registration. Students will be asked to provide details on their experience hours to confirm they’re eligible for HACS297 and will then be granted permission to enroll.
Housing
The ACES Living-Learning Program (ACES LLP) is housed in Prince Frederick Hall. Opened in August 2014, Prince Frederick Hall is the newest residence hall on campus at the University of Maryland. Six floors of student living space include both traditional rooms and semi-suites. Each residential floor includes a study lounge, a social lounge, and laundry room.
The program wing of the building includes a Seminar Room and the Robert Brammer Multipurpose Room, two spaces that are used for program classes and extracurricular events. The ground floor of the program wing includes office space for program leadership and the Northrop Grumman ACES Cybersecurity Lab, a secure lab that ACES students may access 24/7.
Prince Frederick Hall also houses the Design Cultures and Creativity Honors College program and Department of Resident Life staff offices.
Residential Requirement
The ACES LLP Leadership believes that community is an integral part of our students’ experiences in the program. As a result, all living-learning program students are required to live in Prince Frederick Hall while completing the ACES LLP citation requirements.
Withdrawal
A student can withdraw from the ACES Program at any time. The Department of Resident Life will be notified of students who withdraw from ACES and their housing assignments may be adjusted at any time resulting in removal from the ACES floors of Prince Frederick Hall.
Early Completion
Assuming all requirements are met, ACES LLP students may earn their citation early, that is, before the end of their second year in the program. If this occurs, students have the option to continue to live in Prince Frederick Hall for the remainder oftheir sophomore year and continue to participate in the program events and community. All ACES requirements must be met in order to earn the citation, regardless of completion timeline, including the 15 credit curriculum and program exit survey.
Late Completion
Students who do not complete the ACES LLP citation requirements with their cohort, that is, within two years, may continue in the program after consulting with ACES LLP Leadership. Please note that, in accordance with the Department of Resident Life policy, no student who continues past the second year will have priority for housing in Prince Frederick Hall. Any student planning to extend the coursework beyond two years should meet with the ACES LLP Leadership to discuss their plans.
Junior and Senior Years
After completing the citation requirements students no longer have priority to live in Prince Frederick Hall, but do have the option to apply to return to the building through the Department of Resident Life’s room selection process. There is no guarantee that housing in Prince Frederick Hall will be available for students who have completed the ACES LLP.
The Department of Resident Life assigns highest priority for on-campus housing to first-time freshmen and students returning to campus for their second year. Students in their third year and beyond may be placed in a housing lottery or waitlist system. However, Honors College students are exempted from the lottery or waitlist with pre-approved housing status, meaning they may receive on-campus housing for their third year and beyond. More information regarding on-campus housing availability and exemptions can be found through the
Department of Resident Life.