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Application is by invitation only.
See also the Asbury University Honors Program webpage.
The Asbury University Honors Program allows the student to pursue the spiritual, moral, and social dimensions of the human experience; to explore human problem solving, ethical dilemmas, identity, and self, and to relate these questions to the areas of work, career, family, and society.
- Enhances existing academic framework - not additional course requirements
- Up to 4 years of scholarships
- Travel stipend for Study Abroad Experience
- Special access to invited guest speakers
- Support for undergraduate research
- Completion of Honors Program noted on transcript after completion of a bachelor’s degree
The Asbury University Honors Program invites students to join a community of scholars engaged in a thematically enriched undergraduate experience which gives particular focus to the concept of human value and dignity, and the virtuous life. This intellectual and moral exploration is anchored within the rich perspective of historic, orthodox Christianity.
Honors Program students are offered enhanced learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom without adding additional curricular requirements to the students’ course of study. The students will experience themed core curriculum classes, special access to noteworthy colloquium speakers, course upgrades within their major, and opportunities to serve the campus and community. Additionally, the students may receive support for either a research project or the generation of a creative product, as well as financial support for a travel abroad experience.
Asbury University Honors Program Coursework
Honors Program Requirements Checksheet
The Asbury University Honors Program (AUHP) consists of a 22-credit hour package of courses and academic activities. The table below captures a timeline for several components of the program, including the first-semester orientation (Part 1) as well as the four credit-bearing components (Parts 2 - 5). In addition, the AUHP also includes a colloquium attendance (Part 6) and service (Part 7) component. All seven components are briefly described below the table.
| Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
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Fall: First-Semester Orientation;
HP core course (3)
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Fall: HP core course (3)
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Fall: Honors credits*
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Fall: Honors credits*
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Spring: HP core course (3)
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Spring: HP core course (3)
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Spring: Honors credits*
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Spring: Honors credits*
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Total: 6 credits
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Total: 6 credits
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Total: 1 - 11 credits
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Total: 1 - 11 credits
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*Credits come from an additional HP core course, an upgraded “honors” version of a course within an HP student’s major area of study, a research project/creative product course, and a study abroad experience.
1. First-Semester Orientation Program
A First-Semester Orientation Program will serve as a community-building mechanism, as well as an introduction to the particular features of the AUHP, the liberal-arts mission of the institution, and to various faculty who will be involved in the program.
2. Honors Program Core Courses (12 - 15 credits)
During each of the first four semesters of AUHP participation (a postponement of one semester can be made for students who study a semester abroad), students will enroll in one AUHP core course for a minimum of 12 hours of coursework. These courses will be designed intentionally to focus on issues related to virtue and human value. The courses may be single-instructor or team-taught interdisciplinary courses. These core courses will substitute for corresponding foundational course requirements. The AUHP directors will work closely with AUHP students to map AUHP core classes onto appropriate foundational course requirements. Four AUHP core classes are required, but AUHP students may opt to take a fifth core course if so desired.
Features of the HP core courses:
- team-taught and interdisciplinary
- discussion-based classroom experiences
- integration of program themes within course objectives
3. Honors Program Upgraded Courses within Major (3 - 6 credits)
Beyond the 12 credits of required courses outlined in Part 2, each HP student will complete 3 - 6 required hours of academic work through course upgrades within their chosen area of study. An honors student, in consultation with their major advisor, will enroll in an existing 3-credit course within their major but will take it as “honors.” “Honors” means the HP student and professor have agreed to a reasonable additional expectation for the course, reflecting an elevated version of the experience. However, the upgraded version of the course should still be considered a 3-credit experience. Department chairs will decide if proposed amendments to a course satisfy an “honors” version of the course. Some examples might be an additional paper addressing a challenging concept or theoretical perspective in an upper-level psychology or literature elective, or an added analysis or more complex analysis of data for a science course, culminating in either an additional written product and/or a class presentation addressing this additional work.
4. Research Project or Creative Product (1 credit)
HP students will complete at least 1 credit hour associated with an undergraduate research project or the generation of a creative product.
5. Academic Travel Abroad Experience (3 credits)
HP students are expected to take part in a 3-credit academic study abroad travel experience. The experience can be selected from a variety of approved study abroad student trips, typically led by AU faculty. Some possibilities include a study abroad semester in Paris, or shorter experiences like a two-week trip to the Galapagos Islands; London’s theatre district; Rome, Italy; or a Holocaust-studies tour. However, students can also fulfill this requirement by participating in a CCCU sponsored program, such as the Oxford Studies Program, or the Middle East Studies Program. A semester abroad experience would likely take place after the student’s freshman year.
This trip can serve as the student’s cross-cultural experience requirement.
6. Colloquium Speaker Series
The HP colloquium speaker series will connect HP students (as well as the broader Asbury community) to important national conversations related to the HP theme, Studies in Virtue and Human Value. HP students will attend a minimum of eight speaker series lectures and corresponding special-access events.
7. Service Experience
Honors Program participants will complete eighty hours of service over four years. HP students can choose from a number of possible service opportunities. Students are encouraged to participate in a variety of types of service. AUHP students will keep records of hours served and compose a service resumé containing their personal philosophy of service related to virtue and human value. Below is a list of types of on-campus service. Other ideas may be proposed to the AUHP director.
- Support for the running and operation of the annual SEARCH symposium and competition
- Support for academic events
- Support for the Center for Academic Excellence
- Serving as teaching and/or lab assistants
- Serving Scholarship Competition Weekends
Off-campus service is encouraged.
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