Honors Program

Students selected to participate in the honors program form a learning community, taking several courses towards their core requirements that will provide an interdisciplinary perspective. Faculty teaching in the program collaborate as members of the learning community and seek and implement ways to challenge students in their intellectual development. 

Honors program courses are taken in the first year, followed by a capstone course (LA 201, 1 credit) in the third semester, the fall of their sophomore year. In the spring of their sophomore year, participants will travel with their honors cohorts and some faculty as they broaden their understanding of the world from academics to cultural adventuring.   

In recent years, the Honors Program students have visited:

• Ireland
• Paris, France
• Prague, Czech Republic and Krakow, Poland
• Rome and Florence
• Greece

 Successful completion of the program is noted on the student’s transcript, and becomes part of the student’s permanent academic record.

In addition to the travel component, honors students engage in other activities, guest lecturers and local visits which complement course content and provide students an enriched academic and social experience that foster personal and intellectual development.

To be considered for the program, a student must have:

• gained acceptance for admission to St. Joseph's University*
• achieved a minimum 1270 SAT score (calculating the verbal and mathematics portion; the writing score will be noted as supplemental) or ACT score of 26
• earned a 90 high school grade point average or higher
• demonstrated above-average verbal and written communication skills
• indicated an interest in the honors program

*Admission to this program is determined by committee review and in no way affects general admission status or financial aid.

Eligible students who have been admitted to the University are sent a letter from the Academic Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Coordinator of the Honors Program, inviting them to apply. A one-page application is included and we urge interested students to return the application and a brief statement of interest as soon as they can.  

Once admitted to the program, the students will receive notification from the University and are invited to contact Honors Program Committee Chair Wendy Turgeon with questions and for further information.

Freshmen join together as a community of learners for a three-semester sequence of courses designed especially for the honors program for a total of 16 credits. Sample courses include:

1. Topical Freshman Seminar (required of all new freshmen)
2. Invitation to Philosophy or Ethics (philosophy)
3. Art and Communication (fine arts)
4. Short Story (English)
5. State and Local Government (political science)
6. Social Problems (Sociology)
7. One Interdisciplinary course such as Globalization of Food and The Ancient World
8. Capstone Seminar is a 1-credit flexible course that is built around the anticipated travel destination

During the spring semester of sophomore year, students travel to a destination as part of experiential learning. Recent destinations include Paris, Ireland, Prague and Krakow. The fall capstone course (LA 201) focuses on the history and culture of the city/country of the trip destination. See our student-produced slide show of the 2015 honors trip to Krakow and Prague in the right column of this page.

• James Blakeley, Department of History
• Judith Phagan, Department of English
• Danielle Scheriff, Department of Art
• Wendy Turgeon, Department of Philosophy