Honors Program

Program Highlights

General Education Courses:

The Honors Program combines the best teachers and the best students on campus so that all can explore the liberal arts in greater depth and variety. Honors students fulfill six general education requirements through honors courses that differ in quality and substance from the courses offered in the traditional curriculum.

Seminar Courses:

Want a different kind of course? Why not design your own? The Honors Program offers one credit seminars that are designed by honors students themselves.

Thesis:

Students complete an honors thesis in their senior year within their major field. Students work with a faculty mentor when writing the thesis, and the program culminates with public presentations of the honors theses.

Honors Council:

Four honors students are elected to the Honors Council, where they participate in the development of all aspects of the program, from the approval of all honors courses to the planning of social activities.

Benefits

The benefits of being in the Honors program include the opportunity:

•   to fulfill general education requirements in courses specifically designed to engage top students

•   to help develop your own honors seminar classes

•   to live in a "living and learning community" with other honors students in the residence halls

•   to attend cultural events and other social activities

•   to coordinate with a faculty mentor and engage in independent research

•   to present research at academic conferences specifically for honors students

•   to register for courses prior to other students in your class

•   to check out Holman Library materials for twice as long as other students

•   to influence the intellectual atmosphere on campus and enhance the "McKendree experience"

•   to have a competitive advantage when applying for graduate, medical, and law schools

 

Requirements

Incoming first year students with a minimum high school GPA of 3.6 and an ACT score of 27 are eligible for the honors program. Other McKendree students and transfer students with at least four semesters remaining and a minimum 3.6 college GPA are also eligible. Students may apply to the program by submitting a faculty letter of recommendation and a written letter of application to the Honors Program director.

Honors students enroll in at least one honors course each semester.  Students generally take honors courses that fulfill general education requirements in their first six semesters. They may sometimes enroll in one credit seminars mutually designed by faculty and honors students. During the final two semesters students complete a research thesis or a creative product in the student’s major field. Students must take a minimum of 16 hours of honors courses to complete the program.

Honors Program Director

Dr. Brian Frederking

Professor of Political Science
Piper Academic Center 204
(618) 537-6913
bfrederk@mckendree.edu