Honors Program

Dr. Thomas Beutel, Director

"If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor."
John 12:26 KJV

Honors Program Overview:

The Honors Program at MVNU consists of three basic areas:

1. Honors Seminar
2. Honors General Education Core and Service Learning
3. Honors Project

Each area is designed to focus on a different portion of your education.

Honors Seminar and Honors Special Topics Courses

The Honors Seminar is truly a unique facet of the MVNU Honors Program. Its purpose is to allow Honors Scholars the opportunity to discuss relevant issues with their peers. The process provides them a forum for developing their critical thinking and communication skills, as well as for sharpening their ability to integrate their faith with learning. Topics revolve around the liberal arts or current issues and are interdisciplinary in nature.

The Honors Seminar meets generally every other week during the Fall and Spring semesters for two hours. The format is somewhat variable including presentations, small group discussions, debates, and other formats. Many of the sessions consist of a presentation and question and answer period for about an hour followed by an hour of small group discussion led by a faculty facilitator.

First through fourth year students enroll in the Honors Seminar each semester. Newer students will hopefully benefit from the insights and lessons learned previously by upperclassmen, while the upperclassmen will be exposed to the fresh ideas of the younger students.

Honors Scholars may enroll in up to two semesters of Honors Special Topics courses in place of Honors Seminar. First-year/freshman students enroll in Honor Seminar for Freshmen. Both Honors Seminar and Honors Seminar for Freshmen meet together as a single class; however, first-year Honors Scholars are graded on a satisfactory / unsatisfactory basis.

Honors General Education Core

The second major facet of the Honors Program at MVNU is the Honors General Education Core. Honors Scholars must complete a minimum of three (3) credits of their normal general education courses as Honors work, and one additional credit of Honors Service Learning. Earning Honors credit in the general education core courses can be accomplished in two ways. Each academic year one or more sections of general education core courses are offered as Honors sections. Honors Scholars are encouraged to enroll in these sections since they are designed specifically for Honors students.

Honors sections of general education core courses are not designed to simply give the Honors Scholar more work. Rather, they are intended to provide an opportunity for advanced work. Where applicable, these sections will provide opportunity for the Honors Scholar to be immersed in primary literature and original documents. These courses will examine subject matter with greater intensity and depth than found in the traditional sections. In some cases, faculty members will creatively utilize cutting edge pedagogy in the section as well to broaden the student’s exposure and provide effective learning opportunities.

Alternatively, students may complete an Honors contract in a non-Honors section of a general education core course. The student should approach the course instructor with some idea of what they might do to provide an Honors experience in the course. Then the student will write up a contract agreeable to both student and faculty member. The signatures of both parties, in addition to the Honors Program Director and the Associate Dean of Instruction, is required to make the contract valid. The original contract will be retained by the Honors Program Director. Faculty and Honors Scholars involved in the contract should retain a copy. Students who successfully complete the contract will be granted Honors credit for the course taken.

The Honors Contract is an opportunity for Honors Scholars to construct their own course, including unique objectives, challenging assignments, and singular evaluative tools. This process should be taken very seriously. The contract requirements should incorporate some of the same distinctive characteristics listed under the description of Honors sections of general core courses. The student is responsible for maintaining a disciplined schedule to meet each of the contract stipulations. If the contract is fulfilled to the satisfaction of the involved faculty member, the Honors Scholar will receive Honors credit for the course.

Honors Project

The final area of the Honors Program is the Honors Project. The Honors Project provides Honors Scholars the opportunity of exploring a topic within their major field in depth. Projects vary in nature including research, development, application, and creative works. Honors Projects allow Honors Scholars to conduct research on or off campus or complete a project within their major area of study that would not be available within the traditional programs. Each student, with assistance from a senior professor acting as a mentor, designs their project geared to their particular academic interest.

The Honors Project is typically completed in the student's junior and senior year. Specific requirements with respect to the type of work, the format of the project report, and other details are determined by the student's major academic department.

For more information, see the Complete Honors Program Manual in Adobe pdf format.