2025-2026 Adrian College Academic Catalog

Honors Program at Adrian College

Honors Program at Adrian College

The Honors Program at Adrian College seeks to provide academically talented and motivated students with distinctive opportunities to explore personal and professional excellence reflective of the mission of Adrian College. The Honors Curriculum is based on the key concepts of the Adrian College Mission Statement: truth, human dignity, excellence, and justice.  Members of the Honors Program enjoy cross-disciplinary seminars, conference presentation opportunities and enhanced academic options in their majors.  Students who join the program can expect academic rigor and a supportive faculty, as well as access to convocation series speakers, early registration each semester, transcript and diploma notations, among other benefits.

The Honors program does not duplicate or compete with honors designations (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) awarded at graduation or with departmental honors programs. Graduation from the Honors Program will be noted on the student’s transcript.

The Honors Program supports and extends the Ribbons of Excellence by providing Honors program students with:

  • Seminars that challenge students to think across disciplines.

  • Experiences that encourage students to care for humanity and the world.

  • Academic projects that develop critical and creative thinking.

  • The foundation for being lifelong learners.

     

    Objectives of the Adrian College Honors Program include:

  • Demonstrate an ability to think critically about issues and topics from multiple perspectives.

  • Demonstrate the ability to develop creative ways of engaging the world.

  • Demonstrate an attitude consistent with someone who cares for humanity and the world.

  • Show an appreciation for and love of learning.

 

Sample of Honors Program Activities include:

HONR 101: Ethics on Two Wheels

Students read about the politics and ethics of non-motorized transportation and worked together to craft Adrian College’s new bike-share program.

 

HONR101: No Good Options: Difficult Choices in Health Care: A course exploring the uncertainties of medical practice. 

 

Incoming students’ college applications will be reviewed and those students who qualify (3.6/4.0 high school GPA and a 25 on the ACT) will be sent an application to apply to the Honors Program. The deadline for applications is July 1.

 

Students already enrolled at Adrian College may apply for acceptance in the Honors Program during their freshman or sophomore years after completing two honors sections from the GCON courses. They must have achieved a 3.5 cumulative average at Adrian College by the time they apply. The application deadline is July 1. Incoming students who were not accepted into the Honors Program the summer prior to attending Adrian College can apply once they have completed one semester and meet the GPA requirement.

 

Additional information about the courses and requirements is included in the departmental section of the catalog.  Retention in the Honors Program requires students to maintain a 3.5 GPA.