FAQs

Dana Scholars

What is the GPA required to be a Dana Scholar?
In order to maintain honors program scholarship, students must have a 2.5 cumulative G.P.A. at the end of their first year, a 3.0 cumulative G.P.A. at the end of their second year, and a 3.3 cumulative G.P.A. at the end of their third year. In addition, students must continually meet standards of good campus citizenship and meet all Dana program requirements.

Should a Dana Scholar's cumulative G.P.A. fall below the requirement by the end of the first academic year or any subsequent semester, the student must petition the Dana Faculty Committee prior to the internship. The petitions must be written to Dr., Mohsin Hashim within a week of receiving final grades. No internship registered in other departments will be accepted retroactively.

To graduate with the "Dana Scholars" designation at graduation, Dana students must have a 3.3 cumulative G.P.A. requirement, meet standards of good campus citizenship and meet all Dana Scholars program requirements.


What are the "Dana-directed studies?"
"Dana-directed studies" refers to a mentorship that a Dana Scholar can put on his or her transcript as a course unit. Students will develop their Dana Scholars Directed Study with a faculty member of their choice. Students are encouraged to develop projects that emphasize creativity or original thought, rather than producing summaries of previous work. Dana Scholars Directed Studies can take any form as long as it is agreeable with the student and the mentoring faculty member. The Study may culminate in a paper, performance, presentation, or any other final product deemed appropriate.


How do you obtain and register internships/mentorships?
Currently internships offered by the Washington semester and student teaching are recognized as satisfying up to 1.0 units of Dana requirements. Internships not listed above and not registered as a Dana internship can be used to satisfy Dana requirements only if approved by the Dana Faculty Committee prior to the internship. Internships in the Dana Program are registered in the same way as any other department. The student must obtain a form from the Registar and secure the appropriate signatures to receive credit.

What is the Dana Forum?
The Dana Forum is the capstone experience for Dana Scholars in their senior year. It is spread over two semesters (0.5 credit each semester), where students engage in inter-disciplinary collaborative research projects based on the annual theme of the Muhlenberg College Center for Ethics.


How are Dana Scholars selected?
Dana Scholars are selected from a pool of talented high school applicants by the four members of the Dana Faculty Committee. The Committee looks for more than the cookie cutter straight-A student. Chosen Dana Scholars are unique students who are distinguished as creative and independent individuals.


What are the differences between Muhlenberg Scholars, RJ Fellows, and Dana Scholars?
Dana scholars are assigned to one of the first year seminars designed specifically for Danas. Afterwards, they are required to satisfy 3.0 course units of independent internships/mentorships under faculty guidance.

Muhlenberg Scholars are required to take Scholars Courses in all fields of study: Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. In their Senior year, they must take a seminar and complete a Scholars project.

RJ Fellows are required to take a specially designed first year seminar as a group. Like Muhlenberg Scholars, they must complete courses in all fields of study. Additionally, they take a Senior Signature Interdisciplinary course and participate in the planning and execution of the annual RJ Symposium, a public program involving former RJ Fellows, scholars, and speakers in appropriate fields.


What’s the difference between an internship and a mentorship?
An internship is work experience undertaken for the purpose of applying knowledge from the classroom to a practical work environment and actively reflecting on that activity. A mentorship, on the other hand, allows students to collaborate with a faculty member of their choice in order to develop an original project. While internships tend to be a more reflective experience, mentorships tend to revolve around original work to be shared at the end of the mentorship. Because of the flexible nature of the mentorship, it can take any form as long as it is agreeable to the student and the mentoring faculty member. The Study may culminate in a paper, performance, presentation, or any other final product deemed appropriate.

 

I noticed you can take a full 2.0 course units of Dana Mentorships; can I choose to take a full 2.0 course units of Dana Internships instead to fulfill my Dana program requirements?
No; Danas must complete at least 1.0 course unit of Dana Mentorship for the program requirements. However, many Danas overfulfill their Dana requirements. It is possible to complete multiple Dana mentorship and internships.

 

What if I want to do my internship or mentorship over the summer?
Registering for a Dana mentorship or internship during Fall or Spring semesters does not incur any additional cost provided you are within the 5.5 credit unit threshold. However, registering for a Dana mentorship or internship during Summer will incur additional charges. Please check with Registrar's Office for current charges for Summer internship and mentorship.

 

If any independent study I conduct for my major requirement seems to also fulfill my Dana Internship/Mentorship requirement, can it double count?
Absolutely! As long as your discipline(s) allows for independent studies to count toward your major, you can code it as a DNA 975 (Dana Mentorship). Some majors allow for internships to count; if that is the case for you, you can code your internship as DNA 960 (Dana Internship). Make sure you talk to the department head and the Dana Scholars Program director to confirm.

 

How do I know if my internship/mentorship is being counted towards my Dana requirements?
Check your academic record on Capstone to confirm how it is coded (DNA 960/975). Feel free to consult with Dr. Hashim about your Dana requirements.