Honors Program

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Seven Things Students Love about the Saint Michael’s College Honors Program:

  1. Smaller classes both in your major and in your general education courses
  2. Classes that are especially focused, absorbing, and in depth
  3. Classes with other honors students, who are really engaged with the material
  4. Student mentors in your major and mentoring other students
  5. Faculty panels: learning about interdisciplinary topics from professors with whom you haven’t taken a course
  6. Faculty support on your research and educational goals
  7. The Honors Lounge (free coffee and a quiet place to work!)

Read What Students Have to Say About the Honors Program

Saint Michael’s College invites applicants with exceptional high school academic records to join the Honors Program. (Students with very high grades in their first semester or first year may also enter the Program.) Honors students demand more of themselves, each other, their instructors, and their respective disciplines. They complete at least five special Honors courses, work with small groups of peers and professors, conduct and publicly present research, and enjoy unique opportunities that can open the doors to highly competitive post-graduation fellowships, graduate schools, and careers. The Honors Program enhances its members’ college experiences, promotes the intellectual growth of all students, and encourages involvement in service to the community and the world.

Honors Students may choose to live in Honors Housing, designated dorm floors reserved for them. Honors Housing provides a community living experience that is supportive of students’ academic success and interests, so that its participants develop a strong sense of academic community. Honors Housing also promotes academic and co-curricular leadership.

Students who complete the Honors Program receive special recognition at graduation. To graduate from the Honors Program, a student must maintain a minimum 3.6 cumulative grade point and complete these requirements:

Honors course offerings vary from semester to semester and include sections of the First-Year Seminar. Enrollment in these courses is limited to 15 students and they are taught in seminar style. These courses also fulfill general education and major/minor requirements as well.

This is a course that explores a wide variety of cultural and intellectual topics through weekly discussions, readings, and campus events. The purpose of the Colloquium is not to produce mastery of any branch of knowledge. It seeks instead to develop broader cultural, social, and political awareness, and to expand the capacity of students to express their ideas and to interact with individuals who hold differing views. The course instructor acts as the coordinator for the development and execution of a series of presentation and discussion activities, which are designed by students themselves.

All students at Saint Michael’s College complete a capstone project in their major during the senior year, either a thesis or paper, a research project, or some other requirement. Students in the Honors Program undertake projects of greater substance and academic significance, developed with, and approved by, a faculty mentor in their major. Most Honors students present their senior projects or research at the annual Academic Symposium.