Overview
The Honors Program seeks to develop Christian scholars who integrate their biblical
studies with their general and professional education. The essence of the program
is a biblically-centered, interdisciplinary community.
The Honors Program emphasizes the conversation between the Bible and the Great
Books that have shaped the Western tradition. Through reading and studying foundational
texts in Western philosophy, political science, church history, and literature,
students develop their skills of reasoning, and shaping oral and written arguments.
The approach is text-centered, student-focused, and writing-intensive. In the
four honors courses, with enrollment in each limited to 15 students, classes consist
of discussion-based seminars complemented by tutorials that present the historical-cultural-intellectual
context for the texts read. Essay examinations ascertain the student’s development
in the course.
In addition to the honors courses, the honors community of faculty and students
meets bi-weekly for a meal and a colloquium. Honors colloquia include student
or faculty presentations and open discussion of selected topics under the direction
of the honors faculty. Each semester one of the colloquia is designated a University-wide
forum. The honors forums cover a broad range of interdisciplinary topics and foster
intellectual stimulation and collegiality within the larger University community.
To provide the students with extracurricular learning experiences, the honors
program plans special activities twice a semester. These educational opportunities
open the student to the historical, cultural, artistic, and academic world of
Philadelphia and the surrounding region.
The capstone of the honors program is the honors project. Students choose a research
topic designed to bring together all of their education. Working closely with
an advisor, the students learn and apply the fundamentals of researching and writing
a thesis.
The honors faculty is actively involved in mentoring the students from their
freshman year to graduation. The development of student-faculty relationships
provides an important scaffolding for the student’s intellectual development.
Faculty members advise students in course work, colloquium topics, and the honors
project. They also teach courses, plan colloquia and activities, and accompany
the students on honors activities.
Participation Requirements
Students must take the four designated Honors courses (Philosophy, History of
Christianity, Politics and Society, and Literary Classics), participate in the
Honors Colloquia and special activities every semester in the program, and submit
a thesis or special project at the end of their senior year. The honors student
must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 to continue in and graduate
from the program. Successful completion of the program requirements is recognized
with a special certificate and notation on all official transcripts.
Admission Process
The honors committee selects from each entering class up to ten students who
have proven their ability to participate in study and dialogue requiring advanced
levels of critical thinking. Students with SAT scores of 1250 or higher (or the
ACT equivalent), and with a cumulative GPA or 3.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) have
a higher probability of being admitted into the program, but no applicant is accepted
or refused solely on the basis of these scores. With the application to the program
the student must submit an essay, which is evaluated by the whole committee. Applicants
must have a formal interview with the committee during the summer or early fall
semester. The application deadline for incoming freshman students is April 1.
It is customary for the honors committee to reserve room in the program for transfer
students or other exceptional students who may not have had the opportunity to
submit their application as incoming freshmen or who may not have been ready for
the intellectual rigor right out of high school. These applicants will be reviewed
by the committee and invited to an interview. Underclassmen not initially accepted
into the Honors Program may reapply during a subsequent semester if they feel
that the merit of their application has been enhanced since their previous application.
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