What is the Honors Program?
Honors at Villanova is a comprehensive four-year program of challenging seminars, research opportunities, service projects, and cultural and social events designed to bring together superior students and dedicated faculty. Honors courses and co-curricular activities enrich and complement the academic experience inherent in a Villanova education.

How can I get into the Honors Program?
Effective Spring Semester 2008, Presidential Scholarship Candidates receive an invitation to participate in the University Honors Program in their letters from the Chairperson of the University Presidential Scholarship Committee informing them of the final disposition of their candidacy for a Presidential Scholarship. A select number of additional accepted Early Action Candidates receive invitations to apply to the University Honors Program in late February; review of applications, and notification of candidates are completed by April 1.

Students accepted as Regular Decision candidates to the University are invited to apply to the University Honors Program in late May in accordance with the following qualifying criteria: SAT scores (1400 minimum combined Math and Critical Reading score with a minimum score of 670 in each of these sections), high school record (a GPA of 3.75 or above), and/or a previously expressed interest in Honors. Applicants are notified of their status in late June. Current Villanova students may apply to the University Honors Program at any time in accordance with published qualifying criteria.

How do I register for courses in the Honors Program?
The Director and Associate Director of the Honors Program serve as academic advisors for Honors students, in collaboration with the advisor assigned by the student’s major or special academic program, and must approve all Honors course registrations. Current Villanova students register for Honors courses through the Honors Program office during the regular advisement period. Incoming students’ schedules are adjusted to include appropriate Honors courses after being accepted into the Program.

Will I succeed in Honors? How will Honors courses affect my grades?
Students who have done well in high school generally have the ability to do well in Honors courses. For most students invited into the Program, the issue is less ability than motivation. For example, will I mind finishing a reading assignment or completing a paper while my friends are partying? Top students in the Program will receive top grades as in any course. Some may find they have to work harder for that "A-" in an Honors seminar than for an "A" in a regular section. Others find that they do better in Honors courses because they learn better in the Program’s small-class environment of open discussion.

How competitive is Honors?
Honors students find their principal competition comes from themselves. Students in the Program are supportive of each other and work as academic teammates, not adversaries.

Can Honors students get funding for study abroad?
Up to 30 Honors students each year are awarded the Connelly-Delouvrier International Scholarship, which provides tuition funding for an academic semester abroad.

Is Honors available in Business, Engineering and Nursing?
Students in all of the professional colleges may take Honors courses to fulfill requirements and electives in the liberal arts and sciences, courses Villanova University believes are an essential component of any undergraduate degree program. Students in the professional colleges are full participants in the Honors Program and all its activities.

Are Honors students isolated from the rest of the Villanova community?
Honors students participate actively in all aspects of the Villanova community; Honors is only one aspect of their campus life. Students in the Program are housed in close proximity to one another to facilitate group work, but there are no exclusively-Honors residence halls. Honors students always take some of their classes in regular sections. And while strong friendships inevitably develop in Honors seminars, students’ campus and social lives are not restricted to students they meet in Honors. Indeed, Honors students traditionally have been involved in all kinds of campus organizations, often as leaders.

Will Honors help me get into graduate or professional school?
Many Honors students find that their Honors classes, with their emphasis on writing, speaking and critical analysis, have prepared them especially well for post-graduate education. The Faculty Mentors Program provides students with the opportunity to work closely with professors, who serve as advisors of independent research and as valuable resource persons for post-graduate preparation. In addition, the Senior Thesis, required of Honors majors, demonstrates to graduate schools or potential employers the ability to carry out a major research project on one's own.

What kinds of courses does the Honors Program offer? Can one do departmental Honors as well?
The Honors Program offers alternatives to required core requirements and a variety of upper-level courses that students may use as electives or in fulfillment of major requirements. Many of the Program's courses are team-taught or interdisciplinary in nature. Individual departments do not offer Honors courses themselves, but contribute faculty and courses to the University Honors Program. The seminar format (maximum of 16 students) of our courses encourages the active participation of students in the learning process.

How many Honors courses should I take each semester?
There is no set number of courses you must take in a given semester, although most students in the Program take one or two courses every semester. Students must take an Honors course at least once every three semesters to remain active in the Program.

What is the Honors Program degree?
The distinctive Honors Program degrees, Bachelor of Arts, Honors Program; or Bachelor of Science, Honors Program – the equivalent of a "major" in Honors – represent successful completion of 12 (B.A.H.) or 10 (B.S.H) Honors courses, including a substantial Senior Thesis. This degree is conferred in addition to any other degree the student earns and is available only to students who have completed all A&S core requirements.

Can I be part of Honors without pursuing the degree (majoring in Honors)?
Yes. Many students choose to participate in the Program without fulfilling all the degree requirements, usually because of the demands of another program of study. Moreover, students in all colleges who complete eight Honors courses (a concentration) receive a certificate for the Honors Program Sequence in Liberal Studies.

Can Honors students major in another subject as well? What about designing my own major?
The Program encourages all students to select a major in a discipline to complement their work in Honors. At the same time, Honors offers students the alternative of defining their own area of specialization outside a formal second major. In the Liberal Arts College, students do not select a major in a discipline until second semester of sophomore year. Thus incoming students are not cutting off any other opportunities by joining the Honors Program.

Can I withdraw from Honors?
Yes. Your commitment to participate in Honors is only for the semester in which you register for courses. Naturally, we hope that you will choose to stay. At the same time, you can be asked to withdraw if your grades are consistently below the required minimum GPA of 3.33.

Do Honors students receive special academic mentoring?
Yes. The Program staff and a network of Faculty Mentors assist students in selecting courses and majors, pursuing internships and undergraduate research projects, applying to graduate and professional schools, and taking advantage of other special opportunities that arise on and off campus. Instructors of Honors courses provide valuable feedback in their written evaluations of students at the end of each semester; these evaluations can form the basis of recommendations for post-graduate study. Honors Program Alums share their wisdom and experiences with current students through special colloquia and one-on-one conversations. And always, students in the Program find in each other a wealth of useful information, providing the essential foundations for effective peer mentoring.

What kinds of activities does the Honors Program sponsor?
Faculty and students frequently get together outside of class individually, as a class, and in larger Program-sponsored events. Every year, the Program sponsors trips to cultural events in New York, Washington and Philadelphia. Students present their own research in the informal atmosphere of Friday Colloquia and share their musical and artistic talents in recitals and exhibitions. All students are invited to contribute to Polis, a literary magazine and journal of opinion. Honors students frequently have the opportunity to meet informally with distinguished lectur­ers who visit campus. Through the Honors Events Committee, they also invite speakers and plan social and cultural events for the Program. In addition, students participate equally with faculty in setting policy and selecting new courses for the Program. Indeed, every year is different, depending on the special interests and initiatives of the students themselves.

What do Honors students do after graduation?
In recent years, almost all of our graduates have continued their education in graduate or professional schools, either immediately or after a year or two of travel or work. Villanova Honors graduates have earned national fellowships like the Truman, Rhodes, Fulbright and Goldwater as well as advanced degrees at the nation's finest universities, often with substantial scholarship aid. Some pursue professional business opportunities; still others have joined volunteer organizations such as the Peace Corps or missionary societies, or have chosen to postpone long-term career plans for a while.