What is the Honors Program?
“What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” asked Tertullian, an early church father and apologist. His question is alive today as it was when he penned it in AD 198. What does faith have to do with learning? What does scholarship have to do with the Christian gospel? These enduring questions provide the framework for the Honors Program at Anderson University. From the church fathers and Greeks, to the Renaissance and Reformation, on to modernity and postmodernity, the program leads students to join the most important conversations surrounding truth, Christian belief, and life’s biggest questions.
Bringing together high-achieving students, outstanding professors, and a tailored curriculum, the Honors Program creates an immersive, engaging learning environment that offers a unique college experience and allows students to contribute constructively to the most important issues in a society.
What is the Honors Curriculum?
Honors courses are created exclusively for Honors students. Instead of merely attaching more work to normal courses, Honors courses are designed as discussion-based seminars, emphasizing critical thought and inquiry-based learning. Led by highly capable, seasoned professors, Honors courses consider an array of topics from a Christian worldview.
What is the Honors Community?
Community is essential to learning, as friendship serves to shape ideas and refine character. Before the first day of class and beyond graduation, Honors students connect with each other and build community through peer mentoring, exclusive Honors housing opportunities, out-of-class activities with Honors professors, extracurricular activities, and leadership development.
What are the Benefits of the Honors Program?
The Honors Program affords students many benefits, ranging from the curricular to campus life to future opportunities.
Curricular Benefits
- Focusing on the intellectual aspects of the Christian faith
- Collaborating with high-achieving, like-minded fellow Honors students, asking perennial questions related to the past and applied to the present
- Reading some of the great literature from history
Campus Life
- Exclusive Honors housing
- Priority registration for classes
- Academic advising from the Honors Program Director and a faculty member within your major.
- Special recognition at commencement indicating the prestige of graduating with Honors.
Future Opportunities
- A distinct academic transcript that may assist with graduate school admission or job applications.
- Intellectual and spiritual preparedness to engage a world of competing ideas.
- Equipping to contribute constructively to society and solve problems.
- Readiness to serve humanity through leadership in community.
Is the Honors Program for You?
We’re looking for academically gifted students who are interested in the intersection of faith and reason, Christianity and culture, spirituality and the liberal arts. You might flourish in the Honors Program if you seek academic challenge along with Christian devotion, if you are naturally inquisitive, if you are comfortable wrestling with life’s most difficult questions, and you desire to sharpen your skills in critical thinking.
How Do I Apply to the Honors Program?
Applicants should first apply to Anderson University before applying to the Honors Program. An interview is recommended but not required.Applicants meeting the following criteria are invited to apply online.
- SAT score of 1250 or higher (math + critical reading) or ACT composite score of 27 or higher or CLT (Classical Learning Test) score of 82
- High School GPA of 3.5 or higher
- Completion of the Honors application form
- Completion of the Honors application essay
Application Deadline: March 1
Note: Students are eligible to apply once the GPA and SAT/ACT requirements have been filled. Please login to your admission portal and select “Honors Program Application”. If you have any questions please contact our admission office at (864) 328-1835. Notification of acceptance will be sent by April 1st.