• 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 year future student 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:

• Our Scholarship Day competition has come to a close. If you are interested in pursuing the honors program, please contact the admissions office.

Please note - All students who 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

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.

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.