Honors Program

The Merrimack College Honors Program offers students with strong academic credentials, class standing, and leadership qualities the opportunity to study with other exceptional students in smaller and more challenging classes.  The Program isn’t a separate major, but an innovative and exciting approach to fulfilling the College’s general education requirements and to earn honors credit in advanced courses.  The Program also includes a variety of social and co-curricular activities.

Inspired by St. Augustine’s philosophy of teaching and learning, the Program is dedicated to:

• Learning in Community – We believe that learning with friends in small classes is the best way to succeed academically and personally.
• Active Learning – Honors courses are lively seminar-based discussions.  Many include service and experiential learning such as community service, fieldtrips, concerts, and plays.  The Program is a laboratory for innovative teaching.
• Transformative Experiences – The Honors Program challenges students to reach beyond their comfort level, to try new things in a process of self-discovery.   

WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM EXPECT OF ITS STUDENTS?

Students in the Honors Program must take at least eight honors courses (usually one per semester).  Each semester, the Program offers special honors sections designed to satisfy the College’s general education requirements (for example, Honors Introduction to College Writing).  Several of these courses utilize an innovative service-learning component that gets students directly engaged with the local community and reflects the Augustinian commitment to serving others.  Other honors courses are electives based on student interests, or allow students to earn honors credit in advanced courses.  A final capstone course is taken in the student’s senior year.
 
Outside the classroom, students are expected to take part in one or two co-curricular activities each semester, maintain an active involvement in the Honors Program itself, and play a leadership role on campus in general.

Students must maintain at least a 3.5 GPA, and fulfill a service-learning requirement.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY?

Students applying to the Merrimack College Honors Program must be in the top 10% of the high school graduating class and have achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher.  The typical Honors Program student also demonstrates excellent writing and/or mathematics and science skills, and shows evidence of leadership and community involvement. Qualified students transferring to Merrimack before the end of their third collegiate semester may also apply.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Qualified students are accepted into the Program after review by the Office of Admissions and the Honors Program Committee.  Please speak with the Office of Admissions at (978) 837-5100 or email Prof. William Wians, the Program director, at honors@merrimack.edu for further information.

Honors Program Brochure