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Honors Program

Holy Family University's Honors Program offers qualified students personalized and engaging coursework within a close-knit community of peers. As an Honors student, you'll be offered exclusive Honors versions of select core courses.

What to Expect

Each year, you'll have opportunities to participate in on-campus activities, cultural outings, and service experiences designed to immerse you in all that Philadelphia offers, providing you with valuable resume-building experiences.

  • First Year and Sophomore Year: Enroll in Honors courses that also fulfill your General Education requirements for graduation
  • Junior Year: Participate in a research symposium where you'll present work created under the guidance of a faculty mentor
  • Senior Year: Complete an Honors Capstone course, integrating all the skills and knowledge you've gained in the program

Benefits of the Honors Program

A group photo on the students in the Honors Program

The Honors Program is designed to offer you the opportunity to:

  • Join a small community of motivated students eager to learn, explore, and question deeply
  • Enroll in innovative, seminar-style Honors courses capped at 20 students, fostering independent thinking, participation, and discussion. (You'll take eight Honors courses, all of which fulfill General Education Core requirements.)
  • Become intellectually engaged through collaboration with faculty and students
  • Pursue independent research and scholarship, with opportunities to present your work at local and national Honors Conferences
  • Enroll in any major or minor at Holy Family University
  • Participate in service-learning activities with fellow Honors Program students
  • Attend cultural events in Philadelphia
  • Get involved in campus academic and social events
  • Enjoy priority registration for courses
  • Receive recognition as an Honors Program graduate at commencement and on your transcript
  • Distinguish yourself as an Honors Program graduate, setting you apart for jobs, professional training, and graduate schools

Honors Admissions Requirements

The Honors Council works closely with Admissions to select top students for the program. All academically strong students are encouraged to apply.

Generally, students have:

  • A GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
  • A GPA of 5.1 on a 6.0 scale
  • A B+ average
  • An 88/100 average

How to Apply

  1. After admission to Holy Family University, submit an Honors Program essay
  2. If you did not submit a letter of recommendation when applying to Holy Family, ask a faculty member or counselor to submit one on your behalf to honorsprogram@holyfamily.edu by May 16
  3. Honors application materials are due by May 16

Questions?

For more information, please email honorsprogram@holyfamily.edu.

Discover More

Members of the Honors Program during a service visit to Cradles to Crayons

Student Journey

Hear from current students who chose the Honors Program at Holy Family.

A woman sitting on an outdoor bench working on a laptop

Honors Coursework

View a sample of the Honors coursework.

Apply to the Honors Program

The Honors Council reviews the applications and from them selects an incoming class of honors students.

Honors Council

Mary Carroll Johansen, Ph.D.   
Professor of History   
Honors Program Director

Lauren Campbell, MA   
Director of Admissions

Helen Hoffner, Ed.D. 
Professor of Education

Christine Schoettle
Associate Professor, School of Business and Technology

Troy Young, MA   
Director of Residence Life   
 

Melissa Norman, MSLS   
Information Literacy Librarian

Nicole M. Bracciale Zimmaro, M.S.N.
Instructor, School of Nursing and Health Sciences

Edward Waddell, Ph.D.,   
Assistant Professor of Biology

Rev. Mark Hunt, STD   
Associate Professor of Religious Studies