Benefits
There are many benefits to being an Honors Scholar. In addition to receiving an Honors Diploma, our students have access to early course registration, Honors core courses, research opportunities, national conferences, and participation in local cultural activities.
Honors Diploma
Scholars who successfully complete the Honors Program earn an Honors Diploma upon graduation from the college. Our Honors Diploma conforms to the requirements of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), which signals that you are highly prepared for law, medical, or graduate school. Additionally, our intense program of undergraduate research and graduate school counseling will have you ready to apply to the very top graduate programs in the country.
Early Course Registration
Honors Program Scholars register for classes ahead of ALL other undergraduates, even a day before seniors. Advanced registration guarantees that you can get the classes and the instructors that you want—without having to fight long lines to do so!
Honors Core Courses
Scholars enroll in Honors sections of CORE 100 (the First-Year Seminar) and CORE 200 (a class required for sophomores). These seminars are more challenging than the traditional core classes. They are designed to allow Honors Program Scholars a great deal of autonomy in designing their own syllabi including assignments, selected readings, class discussions, and ambitious presentations. Because you take these courses with other Honors Program Scholars who know you and with whom you have worked before, you can take intellectual risks, and you can expect your classmates to push you to do your very best work.
Honors Thesis
Each Honors Scholar is required to complete an Honors Thesis, which is an undergraduate research project. In the Spring of their Junior year, Scholars enroll in a one credit Thesis Workshop that is designed to help students create and develop their research plans, reading list, and literature review.
National Collegiate Honors Council Conference
The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is the leading organization of Honors Programs and Honors Colleges in the United States. The NCHC has been a powerful advocate for and source of discussion about Honors education for fifty years, and the Emory & Henry Honors Program is a full member of the organization. Our program meets the NCHC guidelines for a “fully developed” Honors Program, and our College Honors Diploma meets the NCHC requirements for honors degrees. Emory & Henry Honors Program Scholars participate actively in NCHC in two ways: 1) Any Honors Program Scholar whose research or original work is accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the NCHC is fully covered to attend and participate in that conference. 2) Scholars who would like to propose a curricular innovation, an Honors residence program, or other Honors enhancement that can be presented and discussed at NCHC or who would like to seek a leadership role in NCHC’s various student governing and advisory councils, may apply for funding to cover attending the conference and executing their project (if applicable) from both NCHC and the Emory & Henry Honors Program. We see our participation in NCHC as a validation that Emory & Henry is a leader in Honors education and as an opportunity for our Honors Program Scholars to present their research, try out their ideas, and provide leadership both for our Honors Program and the national movement towards Honors education. If you would like to learn more about how you can take advantage of these opportunities, please contact Dr. Scott Boltwood.