Honors 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.

Every incoming student who applies to Saint Joseph’s as an Early Action applicant is considered for the Honors Program; an additional application may be required. Regular Decision applicants may be considered to apply to the Honors Program on a case-by-case basis. 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.

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.

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 360 Oxford Tutorial: Tech Revolutions
  Taught by Jason Powell, Ph.D., English, Director of Honors, and Joe Corabi, Ph.D., Chair of Philosophy
  Taught in small groups on the Oxford tutorial model, this course seeks to understand technological, cultural, or social revolutions of the future by comparison with revolutions of the past: for instance, we compare the prehistoric control of fire and its effects on human anatomy with the gene-editing technology of CRISPR-Cas9; the Black Plague with future global depopulation; the atomic bomb with artificial superintelligence; or the Agricultural Revolution with ongoing climate change.
   
• HON 324 Russia as a Global Power
  Taught Melissa Chakars, Ph.D., Chair of History, and Lisa Baglione, Ph.D., former Chair of Political Science.
  This course examines Russia’s rise and role as a global power in the 20th and 21st centuries, from World War I through the invasion of Georgia and the war in Ukraine.
   
• REL 310 Welcoming the Stranger
  Taught by James O’Sullivan, Ph.D., Theology, and Julie Deluty, Ph.D., Religious Studies
  This course examines how ancient communities grappled with welcoming the stranger, how they negotiated interpersonal relations, and on how to articulate an ethical response to the issue of migration today, in light of the diverse theological and philosophical ethical perspectives on the topic.
   

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

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.

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.