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Honors Program

Honors students visit the U.N.
Honors students visit the United Nations in New York City.

The Caldwell Honors Program is a nationally recognized program that provides intellectual enrichment, curated and topical Honors Seminars, and rigorous research opportunities for top honors students.

The Honors Program is designed to challenge academically motivated students through a number of requirements, including two interdisciplinary honors seminars, two honors core classes, a research methods class, and a directed research-based honors project. Additionally, Caldwell Honors students are entitled to the following:

  • Scholarship incentive ($1,000)
  • Study abroad incentive grant ($1,000)
  • Priority registration
  • Housing for Honors students

Applying to the Program

Full-time students who have a 3.5 grade-point-average and who have completed at least one semester at Caldwell University may apply to the program. The program is open to all levels of students except seniors. Traditional, transfer, and continuing education students are encouraged to apply.

Applicants interested in applying for the honors program can find more information on the Honors Program for Incoming First Year Students page.

Honors Seminars

The honors seminars, identified by the “HP” prefix in the course listings, are offered each fall and spring semester. Participating students must maintain full-time status and complete the program’s requirements with a minimum grade of B before completing their honors project. Seminars may be used to satisfy a core or enriched core requirement of the department of the faculty member teaching the course or of the university.

Seminars investigate the human experience from multiple perspectives of different disciplines. Courses are cycled for variety and taught by full-time faculty from various departments. They are designed to encourage robust independent thinking, active student participation, and specialized research opportunities. Enrollment is extremely limited.

Honors Project

The honors project is a three-credit independent study, HP 405, that may be either a research-based or creative endeavor. The topic is proposed by the student with the assistance of a project advisor of the student’s choice. The topic must then be approved by the Honors Program Committee, a committee of interdisciplinary faculty, led by Dr. Harney-Mahajan and Dr. Tsoi. Learn more about the honors project.

Program Criteria

Students must maintain full-time status and a 3.5 GPA to remain in the program. They must also participate in at least one event or trips sponsored by the program each academic year.

The seminar and project model of the program prepares students to succeed in graduate school. After each seminar and the project, students are awarded monetary, merit scholarships. Upon completion of the program, a student is designated as a graduate from the Honors Program, which will be specified on the transcript and diploma. Students are also provided with an Honors Program stole, to be worn at graduation, and a number of other special events are organized at the time of graduation, including Honors Convocation.

Caldwell Honors students should expect that their achievement will be considered favorably by graduate schools and employers.