An Exceptional Opportunity A Valuable Investment An Unparalleled Opportunity for Growth and Achievement

The Undergraduate Honors Program at Suffolk University’s College of Arts and Sciences pairs a distinctive curriculum with a world-class faculty to offer our most highly qualified and promising students an unparalleled opportunity for growth and achievement.

Special Benefits and Recognition for Honors Scholars

Honors scholars are eligible for a full tuition scholarship. In addition, honors scholars enjoy the following benefits and recognition:

• Guaranteed housing in University residence halls through 
   the sophomore year;
• Priority course registrations
• Special honors program advisors;
• Application assistance, when applicable, for Fulbright, Marshall, Rhodes and other post-graduate scholarship programs;
• Honors Program designation on official academic transcript; and
• Special listing in commencement program.
  

Academic Requirements

Honors scholars complete 20 percent or more of their course credit hours per academic year with honors courses. The typical honors student takes one or two honors classes each semester—either a special section of a core curriculum class, a specially designated honors seminar, an independent study, or a contracted honors course.

During the junior year, honors scholars participate in an off-campus honors project for at least one semester. The off-campus experience must be approved by the director of the Honors Program and may consist of either:

• an educational experience abroad, including the University’s Madrid, Spain or Dakar, Senegal campuses; the Suffolk program in Prague, Czech Republic; the InterFuture program of independent research (in at least two foreign countries—one of which is usually from the developing world); or programs in one of more than 30 study abroad destinations; or
  
• an educational experience within the United States, involving work or research  in an off-campus organization, such as an NGO, state or federal governmental agency, or private business or nonprofit community agency.
  Honors scholars also prepare an independent honors project in their major. The honors project must represent a significant independent effort and might involve, for example, essays of significant import, laboratory science projects, important research papers, or work for exhibition.

A Community of Scholars

Honors Program students work in collaboration with the program’s director and advisory committee to plan events that bring the honors community together on a regular basis outside of the classroom. Lectures by Suffolk University scholars or by noted intellectuals outside of the University, a variety of social events, visits to cultural and historical sites, and public service projects all give honors scholars a broader context for their academic pursuits, while strengthening their sense of community.
 

Admission and Selection Criteria

The Honors Program Committee will consider an applicant’s class rank, GPA, personal essay, interview, and the quality of the secondary school curriculum, including advanced placement, honors and other types of accelerated courses, and any other relevant information. For admission to the Honors Program, entering freshman students (both domestic and international) who are accepted to the College of Arts and Sciences will normally meet at least two of the following criteria:

• Academic GPA of 3.70/4.0;
• Class rank within upper 10 percent (if class rank is available);
• SAT scores of 1300; or
• ACT scores of 29;
• and TOEFL score of 600, if applicable.
  

Prospective honors scholars may apply from December 1 through February 1 of the application year.  Students desiring consideration for admission to the Honors Program should indicate their interest in the program on their application to the College.  Each year, the Honors Program accepts a select number of the most highly motivated and academically promising freshman applicants to the College for admission.  Candidates will be notified of program admission decisions by March 12.  The program also considers admission for a limited number of existing College of Arts and Sciences students that have completed one full year of study (30-44 credits) at Suffolk with a minimum 3.6 GPA.

We invite you to learn more about our community of student scholars.  For more information, please contact:

Agnes S. Bain, Director
Undergraduate Honors Program of the
College of Arts and Sciences
Tel: 617.573.8123
abain@suffolk.edu

John Hamel, Director
Office of Undergraduate Admission
Tel: 617.573.8749
jhamel@suffolk.edu
http://www.suffolk.edu/admission