College Honors Program Requirements

Curricular Requirements

For Participants Matriculating before Fall 2011

1. FRESHMAN YEAR: First Year Seminar (IDFY 102 – HONORS section)

2. SOPHOMORE and JUNIOR YEARS:

All Messiah students (non-Honors and Honors participants) take three interdisciplinary [ID] courses: one course from the Engaging a Pluralistic World category (i.e., Ethics, Pluralism, or World Views); one course from the Non-Western category; and one course from the Science, Technology, and the World category.

Messiah College Honors Program participants are required to take HONORS sections of two of the three ID course requirements. These two Honors courses must be selected from different ID categories, i.e., Engaging a Pluralistic World (Ethics, World Views or Pluralism); Non-Western; or Science, Technology, and the World.

Note: Honors classes taken at Temple University through the College’s Philadelphia campus meet College Honors Program ID requirements. Honors ID course credit requirements can only be met in Grantham or the Philadelphia campus.

For Participants Matriculating in and after Fall 2011

1. FRESHMAN YEAR:

Fall Semester: First Year Seminar (IDFY 102 – HONORS section); and

Spring Semester: Created and Called for Community (IDCR 151 – HONORS section).

2. SOPHOMORE or JUNIOR YEAR:

Messiah non-Honors students take three interdisciplinary [ID] courses: one course from the Engaging a Pluralistic World category (i.e., Ethics, Pluralism, or World Views); one course from the Non-Western category; and one course from the Science, Technology, and the World category.

Messiah College Honors Program participants are required to take only two ID courses (a reduction of one Messiah ID course requirement). One of these two ID courses must be an HONORS section from any of the following categories: Engaging a Pluralistic World (Ethics, Pluralism, or World Views); Non-Western; or Science, Technology, and the World.

Note: Honors classes taken at Temple University through the College’s Philadelphia campus meet the College Honors Program ID requirement. Honors ID course credit requirements can only be met in Grantham or the Philadelphia campus.

For ALL Participants

3. JUNIOR or SENIOR YEAR:

Senior Honors Project. The requirement can be met in one of the following three ways:

HONR 498, HONR 499: Senior Honors Project. A two-semester project that can take a variety of forms, including an interdisciplinary thesis, creative arts project, or service learning project. All projects must fulfill the parameters for the Senior Honors Project.

Department Honors or Department Project. The Senior Honors Project may overlap with department honors or a department project, but must meet the parameters for the Senior Honors Project.

HONR 497: Senior Honors Seminar. An interdisciplinary capstone seminar for students in the College Honors Program. The thematic focus of each seminar will be defined by the professor and will include intensive reading, discussion, and a written research paper.

Non-Credit Bearing Requirement

Honors Congress

Offered each semester, the Honors Congress will address selected topics and issues. The Congress will revolve around readings, discussion and presentations by college faculty and off-campus guests, as well as cultural events and field trips.

Each College Honors Participant must complete three semester-long Congresses before graduation, attending three Congress events to complete a semester.

Note: First year participants must complete their first Congress during the fall semester of their freshman year.

Continuing Eligibility Requirements for the College Honors Program

Participation in the College Honors Program requires that all participants meet the grade point average requirement for either the Trustees' or President's Scholarship. For President's Scholarship recipients, renewal of these scholarships is contingent on maintaining a 3.2 GPA as a first year student and a 3.4 GPA each subsequent year. For Trustees' Scholarship recipients, renewal is contingent on maintaining a 3.3 GPA as a first year student and a 3.6 GPA each subsequent year. College Honors Program participants receiving the Provost scholarship must meet the GPA requirements for the President's scholarship to continue in the program.

Participation in the College Honors Program is required for scholarship renewal. If a student is removed from the College Honors Program he or she cannot be readmitted. All College Honors Program participants must meet the above GPA requirements upon completion of all course work in order to be certified, at the time of graduation, as a College Honors Program graduate.