With small seminars and highly motivated peers, the St. Francis College Honors Program lets you get the most out of your academic experience.
With classmates as intellectually curious as yourself, you'll have the opportunity to complete enriching projects and dive deep into a subject that matters to you. Honors programs students can partake in field trips, Study Abroad programs, and have the option to present yours Honors Thesis at regional Honors Conferences.
Each year Freshman Seminars focus on a single theme such as the American Civil War, sustainable environment, or the evolution of our digital society. These topics are strengthened with guest lecturers and special events including the Dr. Francis J. Greene Honors Lecture Series.
The Honors Program is about more than academics, though, as students become part of the larger Brooklyn community through volunteering at local organizations.
Find out how you can become part of the Honors Program by contacting Program Director Sara Rzeszutek by email: [email protected]
Why Join the Honors Program?
- Participate in field trips and study abroad opportunities
- Attend regional honors conferences
- Complete enriching projects and dive deep into a subject that matters to you
- Partake in volunteer opportunities
- Engage in seminar style courses offered in a wide variety of disciplines
- Conduct original research and explore perspective on existing theories, concepts and ideas
Who is Eligible?
- Accepted to SFC
- 90+ GPA
- First time freshman accepted for the Fall Semester
How to Apply:
- Submit your application to St. Francis College
- Complete and submit your Scholarship Day Essay
- Complete and submit your Honors Program Application
- Attend our Scholarship Day Event to participate in an interview with a member of our Honors Council
Important Dates and Deadlines:
- Application Deadline: Friday, March 6
- Scholarship Day: Saturday, March 13
**All students apply to the Honors Program will have their essays automatically entered into our Scholarship Day Competition. All essays will be reviewed for the chance to win one of four full tuition scholarships**
Courses & Program Info
GPA/ Honors Course Requirement
Students in the Honors Program must maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA. In addition, they must be enrolled as full-time students at St. Francis College. Students are expected to take a minimum of one Honors course each semester for a total of 24 credits. The final two courses are Honors Thesis I and II (HON 5997 and HON 5998). Only students who receive a grade of B or above in HON 5997 will be permitted to enroll in HON 5998.
If a student falls below the minimum GPA, he/she will be placed on probation and will be given one semester to bring his/her GPA up to 3.5, or demonstrate progress toward reaching the minimum 3.5 GPA. Once the GPA requirement is met, the probation will be lifted. If the student fails to raise his/her GPA to the minimum requirement, he/she will be removed from the program.
If there are any circumstances which prevent the student from completing coursework, enrolling in at least one Honors course per semester, maintaining his/her GPA, or maintaining full-time status, the student must set up an appointment to meet with the Director of the Honors Program.
A student may apply for sophomore year admission during the spring of his/her freshman year. The student must have a minimum 3.7 GPA.
Dr. Francis J. Greene Honors Lecture
Artist Steve Locke Delivers the 2019 Frank Greene Lecture
- 2019 - Steve Locke
- Artist and Fine Arts Professor, Pratt Institute
- 2018 - Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs
- Organizer, Women's March
- 2016 - Leymah Gbowee
- Liberian Nobel Peace Prize Winner
- 2015 - Cesar Vargas '05
- First undocumented immigrant admitted to the New York Bar
- 2014 - Gabriella Coleman
- Author, Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous
- 2013 - Jeffrey Sachs
- Director of the Earth Institute and leading advocate for ending global poverty
- 2012 - Michael Pierson
- Civil War Historian
Overview
Mission
The Honors Program’s mission is to form a community of active, life-long learners who will become adept at functioning in a complex, increasingly interconnected world. This is accomplished through interdisciplinary courses anchored in the liberal arts. The program strengthens its students intellectually by challenging them academically, encouraging their intellectual curiosity, and honing their research, writing, critical thinking and speaking skills. Keeping with St. Francis College’s Franciscan roots, Honors' students constantly are encouraged to embrace the key Franciscan values of care of creation, compassion, humility and service to others. By offering courses in a wide variety of disciplines, the program enhances the academic experience of every major.
- Read, analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
- Actively engage in seminar discussions.
- Plan, organize and make oral presentations.
- Write essays and reports that are well-conceived, well-organized and well written.
- Take advantage of and participate in the cultural resources found in the metropolitan area.
- Become aware of the interconnectedness of knowledge.
- Conduct original research and explore perspectives on existing theories, concepts and ideas.
The Honors program provides students the opportunity to study and investigate areas of interdisciplinary concern and personal interest. The Program requires the student to enroll in and complete eight three-credit Honors courses, beginning with a year-long freshman seminar and ending in a year-long senior thesis. The freshman seminars are focused around a timely theme chosen by the Honors Director. The topic of the Honors Thesis is chosen by the individual Honors student and requires the student to engage in in-depth research, guided by a mentor chosen by the student, culminating in a polished, thoroughly documented research paper. Students have the opportunity to present their research at an annual Honors Symposium. Each thesis is carefully monitored by the mentor and is critically examined by a designated reader from the Honors Council.
Independent research and self-motivated study are combined in Honors seminars. Brief essays, oral presentations, and longer research projects form the basis for grades in the seminars. Formal testing is neither used, nor permitted. Field trips are encouraged, and attendance at or participation in cultural and social activities at the College are expected, as is a service component.
The non-Freshman Honors courses that are offered each semester are selected from a large and constantly growing collection of courses. This course catalog includes all active Honors courses, but Honors students should check with the Program Director’s office to learn about new courses that will be offered. Decisions about which Honors courses are offered are made each semester and will appear on WebAdvisor during registration periods. Honors students have priority registration and are eligible to register for courses on the first day of registration.
Membership in the Honors program is limited. Qualified admitted freshmen are invited into the program based on a combination of test scores and high school performance.
Transfer students, second semester freshman and, at times, sophomores who demonstrate academic talent and interest in the Honors Program may also be invited into the Program. Once in the Program, Honors students are required to maintain at least a 3.50 grade point average and show progress toward meeting their Honors course requirements.
All students interested in additional information about the Honors program should contact the Director.
Program Director
Sara Rzeszutek
Associate Professor, Program Director of Honors Program, Director, Women's and Gender Studies Minor, Director, The Center for Women's & Gender Studies.