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About the Program
Selection Process
Academic Standards
Benefits
Research and Capstone Project
Graduate Success
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Honors Program

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About the Program

Saint Joseph's University’s Honors Program guides students to attain the highest standards of academic, professional and personal achievement. The enriched General Education curriculum broadens cultural interests, integrates knowledge, sharpens writing skills, and encourages student involvement in the learning process.

George Fratarra wearing a suit

George Fratarra '20

Law student, University of Notre Dame

“Team-taught courses are a unique and fulfilling opportunity to engage with interdisciplinary material through various lenses. The faculty goes above and beyond to ensure the academic, professional, and personal growth of their students.”

 
marisa egan wearing a lab coat in the laboratory

Marisa Egan '18

Ph.D. Candidate in Microbiology, Virology and Parasitology at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine

“The Honors Program helped me to develop into the student and the thinker that I am today. It motivated me to take rigorous classes across disciplines and think broadly about issues that impact the world.”

 

Selection Process

Every incoming student who applies to Saint Joseph’s as an undergraduate is considered for the Honors Program; no separate application is necessary. The program is competitive and accepts high-achieving students by invitation during the acceptance process. Intellectual curiosity and a desire to grow as a member of an academically focused community are considered key traits.

Academic Standards

To be distinguished as an honors graduate, students must maintain a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, take a minimum of one honors course every year (with allowance for full-year study abroad programs), and successfully complete eight honors courses, including: 

  • a minimum of two team-taught interdisciplinary honors courses, 
  • two courses in a College Honors senior thesis or capstone sequence (as determined by individual departments), and
  • four additional honors courses from those offered and approved by the Honors Program.

Benefits

Students in the Honors Program are supported by a community of scholars and enjoy an array of opportunities and benefits.

Team-taught courses developed by faculty from across the University stress the importance of interdisciplinary study. Examples of courses include:

  • HON 318 Society, Democracy, Republic
    Taught by Maria Marsilio, Ph.D., classical studies and Robert Daniel, Ph.D., French
    The course focuses on the intellectual heritage of thinking and writing about collective human life, with particular reference to governance, decision-making, mores, social codes, and conventional relationships of power.
  • HON 310 Women's Writing as Emancipation
    Taught by Jo Alyson Parker, Ph.D., English and Katherine Sibley, Ph.D., history
    The course explores how British and American women of the late seventeenth to early twentieth centuries used writing as a means of emancipation.
  • HON 384 Jewish/Christian Theologies Compared
    Taught by Philip Cunningham, Ph.D., theology and religious studies and co-director, Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations and Adam Gregerman, Ph.D., theology and religious studies and co-director, Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations
    The course studies fundamental religious questions as understood from various Jewish and Christian perspectives. Students will encounter the two traditions through a comparative lens to gain or deepen their understanding of religious communities.

Claver House is the hub of academic and social life for Honors Program students. A thoughtful restoration of the former carriage house provides a space for quiet reflection, social interaction and study.

Peer Mentoring is provided for every first-year Honors Program student. Each student is paired with a sophomore, junior or senior student for individual guidance and advising.

Additional benefits include:

  • 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio
  • Faculty-mentored research opportunities
  • Priority class registration
  • Dedicated suites in residence halls
  • Opportunities to present research and creative work at national conferences and seminars
  • Access to information on scholarships and funding for graduate and professional work
  • Exclusive on-campus receptions, concerts and lectures

Research and Capstone Project

Honors Program students are encouraged to explore their interests through research. Each student is required to complete an original capstone project or thesis in their senior year. In addition, many Honors Program students participate in the Summer Scholars Program, engaging in faculty-mentored research, creative writing, fine and performing arts, and other scholarly endeavors during the summer months.

Graduate Success

Graduates of the Honors Program have gone on to study in world-class graduate and doctoral programs at prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Yale and New York University. Others have secured leadership positions in major corporations around the world.

    • American University
    • Boston College Law School
    • Columbia University
    • Duke University
    • Georgetown University
    • Georgia Institute of Technology
    • Harvard University
    • Johns Hopkins University
    • London School of Economics
    • Marquette University
    • New York University
    • Northwestern University
    • Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
    • Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
    • Syracuse University
    • Thomas Jefferson University
    • Tufts University
    • University of Pennsylvania
    • Vanderbilt University
    • Yale University
    • AmeriCorps
    • AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
    • Bristol-Myers Squibb
    • Campbell Soup Company
    • Center for Autism
    • Center for Clean Air Policy
    • Cherry Hill Public Schools
    • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
    • Deloitte & Touche LLP
    • Department of Homeland Security
    • General Mills, Inc.
    • Goldman Sachs
    • Johnson & Johnson
    • Lincoln Financial Group
    • Lockheed Martin
    • MTV Networks
    • The New York Public Library
    • New York Stock Exchange
    • Philadelphia Eagles
    • Philadelphia Insurance Companies
    • Philadelphia Magazine
    • Teach for America
    • Vanguard
    • Walt Disney Company

Contact Us

Jason Powell, D.Phil

Professor of English, Director of the Honors Program

Merion Hall 184
610-660-3428
610-660-1798
View Profile
Default Faculty Image

David Sorensen, D.Phil

Professor, Associate Director Honors

Merion Hall 187
610-660-1881
View Profile

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