Honors Program
If you love learning—and you're good at it—you're a candidate for Northwestern's Honors Program for top students. You'll have exclusive access to honors-only courses and have the chance to spend three weeks in Greece! You'll also be mentored by some of our best professors on independent scholarly research projects that will enhance your graduate school and professional prospects. At the same time, you’ll be exploring what it means to be a Christian scholar.
The Honors Program ...
- Rewards your intellectual curiosity through exclusive-access courses, funds for graduate school exams, travel opportunities and co-curricular events where you'll bond with other students like you.
- Fosters interdisciplinary collaboration through an NWCore curriculum that makes connections between multiple disciplines, the chance to see Christian scholarship modeled in classes with a variety of professors, and an optional summer study abroad course in Greece.
- Enhances disciplinary expertise through honors components added to students' major courses, a scholarship methods course, and an advanced-level, self-styled scholarly project.
To learn more about participating in Northwestern's Honors Program, talk to your admissions counselor or academic adviser.
Renewable scholarship!
Most incoming students who are accepted into the Honors Program will receive a $1,500 Honors Program Scholarship. The scholarship is renewable provided students continue to meet the requirements of the Honors Program. Contact an Honors Program co-director to see if you are eligible. Review of applications will begin Dec. 4.
Our award-winning honors curriculum includes classes that dive into fascinating, complex, relevant topics.
| Honors NWCore | Select courses in the NWCore (general education curriculum) are designated as honors-only courses. They are interdisciplinary and satisfy Northwestern's general education requirements. To graduate as an Honors Scholar, you must take 8 credits of Honors NWCore classes (this excludes Honors FYS). |
| Honors components in major courses | An honors component must be added to at least one of your upper-level major courses. Adding an honors component involves engaging with an assignment in a way that exceeds the normal expectations. |
| Honors scholarship methods course | Honors students take a 1-credit course designed to prepare you for your scholarly project as well as enable you to explore what it means to be a Christian scholar. |
| Honors scholarship | Honors Program participants complete an advanced-level, self-styled research or scholarly project under the guidance of a professor-mentor of your choice. To graduate as an Honors Scholar, you must complete a 2 to 4-credit honors scholarship project. Honors Program students have been published and presented at professional conferences—standout success that gets attention on a résumé or graduate school application. |
| Honors summer study abroad (optional) | The Honors Program offers the opportunity for a 3-week study abroad experience in Greece every other summer. Honors students get preferred enrollment in the course, which is taught by the program directors. Students who participate receive 4 credits and fulfill their NWCore cross-cultural engagement requirement. |
Students accepted into the Honors Program will be registered for a special honors section of the First-Year Seminar (FYS), a foundational course in the Northwestern Core curriculum. Similar in form and content to the regular FYS, the Honors FYS is taught exclusively by Northwestern professors recognized for teaching excellence. (Honors FYS does not count toward the 8 credits of Honors NWCore courses you must take.)
Students who complete the requirements listed below will be designated as "Honors Scholar" on their transcripts and at commencement.
- 8 credits of Honors NWCore courses (excludes Honors FYS)
- 1 honors component in a major class
- Completion of the Honors Scholarship Methods course
- Completion of an Honors Scholarship research or scholarly project
- Attendance at peers' Honors Scholarship presentations
- Maintenance of at least a 3.5 GPA
Dr. Jennifer Feenstra
Professor of Psychology
Fulbright Scholar & NWC Faculty Inspirational Service Award winner
Ph.D., University of New Hampshire
honors@nwciowa.edu
Dr. John Vonder Bruegge
Dean of Arts and Humanities
Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies
Northwestern Teaching Excellence Award winner
Ph.D., Yale University
honors@nwciowa.edu
