Honors Program

A community dedicated to deep learning...

The Geneva College Honors Program invites students to participate in a community dedicated to deep learning. The Honors courses build upon each other to offer an enlarging understanding of how Christian faith should guide our thinking and living in everyday life as well as within particular fields. Students and professors come together to support and challenge one another in all ways: academically, relationally, and spiritually.

Program Structure

The Honors Program at Geneva includes a First-Year Fellowship, a sophomore and junior honors curriculum, and a senior Honors Capstone research experience.

The First-Year Fellowship places first year students in living-and-learning communities in order to deepen the experience of membership and inquiry. Students participate in Honors-only sections of core classes, live on designated Honors floors of the residence halls, and attend a number of off-campus cultural events and retreats.

During their sophomore and junior years, students will take courses such as “The Thinking Christian” and “Academic Faithfulness.” These courses delve into the topic of calling and examine how the lordship of Christ shapes different academic fields. During this time students are encouraged to apply for additional funding to study abroad and/or attend academic conferences in their field.

In the final year of the Honors Program students complete the Honors Capstone course and partner with a faculty member to conduct significant research in their shared field of study. The students receive a stipend to cover research costs and present their research findings at the end of the semester.

Geneva′s First-Year Honors Program was part of what made my freshman year such a great experience. Getting to know a unique group of students out of the freshman class was edifying and enriching in ways that I wasn't expecting, but that had a significant positive impact on me and my experience as a freshman." Mim, English Literature major

Components of the Program

Living & Learning Communities
Live on the same floor with students in the First-Year Fellowship for the chance to deepen relationships both inside and outside of class.
Enhanced Academics
Participate in Honors-only sections of core courses and in-depth discussion groups.
Cultural Opportunities
Attend professional productions, such as the Pittsburgh Symphony, Opera, Ballet and more with fellow Honors students—at no cost. Past cultural events can be viewed on the Honors Events page.
Off-campus Retreats
“Retreat” from campus at the beginning and end of your first year for a time of integrative learning and community-building experiences.
Honors Credit Benefit
Students are permitted to enroll in up to twenty credits at the full-time tuition rate during any semester that they are enrolled in an honors course.

The Honors Program has provided me with a wonderful community of friends and mentors who have pushed me and taught me so much more about life." Calista, Civil Engineering Major

Required Courses

First-Year Fellowship

HUM 103 Honors Section (Fall, 3 credits)
This course seeks to launch students on an ever-deepening quest of what it means to be human. In this first of the Humanities core sequence, participate in discussions on some of life’s central questions related to death, love, and membership.
HON 101 (Fall, 1 credit)
Why are we students? What is the purpose of a Christian college? What does it mean to integrate faith and learning? These are just a few of the questions posed in this course, which replaces (for most majors) the “Learning and Transition” course required of first-year students.
Designated Society Core Course (Spring, 3 credits)
Society courses explore the purpose and contours of human society, enabling students to understand and evaluate its varying forms. By nature, humans, made in the image of the Triune God, are social beings. These courses enable students to become more judicious and constructive members of their varying communities (e.g. family, church, neighborhood, nation, etc.). Past Honors Society courses have included International Justice and Genocide.
*This course may count toward some majors and not others. Even if it does not count toward a student's major, it is still a requirement for the completion of the Honors Program.
HON 102 (Spring, 1 credit)
Build upon the concepts introduced in HON 101 in this course that centers on two themes crucial for fruitful vocation: awakening and action.

Upper Level Honors

HON 201 (Fall, 1 credit)
This reading seminar guides students into the thinking of Christian scholars whose work has influenced the contemporary academy in a way that crosses disciplines; scholars whose work we will read include Roger Lundin, Marilynne Robinson, Abraham Kuyper, among others. Students will develop a clearer understanding of their respective fields in the light of the writers they have been reading.
HON 300 (Spring, 3 credits)
This course encourages students to develop a vision for their lives that is motivated by a love for Christ and focused on helping “young scholars” to understand Christian faith and the academic life more clearly and fully. BIB 300 option.
HON 401 (Every semester, 1-4 credits)
The seminar will help students more fully understand their honors research projects in the light of Christian faith. The readings will help students to grasp their work at the level of its theoretical bases; they will concretely address epistemological and ideological issues of concern across majors. The seminar will be conducted in conjunction with the student’s particular research projects, and the seminar instructor will join the students’ mentors in helping to develop and guide their projects.

Selection to the program

Personal Invitation
Students who have earned a cumulative GPA ≥ 3.6 in conjunction with a SAT ≥ 1200 (evidence-based reading and writing + math) or ACT ≥ 25, or CLT ≥ 78 will receive an invitation to attend the Honors Program and Scholarship Competition held on Saturday, February 3, 2024.

During the competition students will be interviewed by a panel of faculty, staff and students, and will write an essay to be scored by faculty.

Learn More about the Scholarship Competition

The results of the competition will identify the students selected for the 30 available positions in the program as well as the five students who will receive the $5,000 Honors Program Scholarship.

Honors Program Scholarships

A $2,000 Travel & Research Honorarium: This may be used for off-campus study, academic research or conference attendance. It is awarded only to those students who complete the first year with a GPA of 3.4 or above. This honorarium will not be credited to the student’s account but will be paid to the student once requested and approved through the Honors Program.
Honors Program Scholarship: Among those students competing, five will be selected to receive an additional $5,000. Please note: The $5,000 Honors Scholarship will be divided evenly over four years. The Honors Scholarship will be awarded in addition to other Geneva Grants and Scholarships that have been previously awarded for new students in the 24-25 award year.

Only students participating in the Honors Program & Scholarship Competition Day will be considered for the Honors Program and the Honors Program Scholarship.

Requirements
Students who are invited to participate in the Honors Program are expected to participate actively in all components of the program. This includes completing all required courses, living on the honors floors of the residence halls (except for commuter students), and attending the off-campus retreats. They must also earn a 3.4 grade point average at the end of the first year to receive the Travel and Research Honorarium.

For More Information
Contact your admissions counselor or call the Geneva College Office of Admissions at 800-847-8255.