Honors program
The honors program at Bluffton is a four-year program designed to challenge intellectually ambitious, highly motivated students in all disciplines. In keeping with the mission of Bluffton University, the honors program has a special emphasis on integrating academics, spiritual growth, individual growth and service. Finally, in addition to coursework, the program sponsors special cultural, social and professional events for honors students.
Successful honors students complete 18-19 semester hours from the following list of courses and will be awarded the Honors Studies in the Liberal Arts minor.
- BENV 100: Becoming a Scholar - Honors section (3) (required)
- HON 120: Honors Seminar in Biblical Worldview and Hermeneutics (3) - satisfies the Reading the Bible competency
- HON 130: Art as Transformation (3) - satisfies the Creative Expression competency
- HON 200: Honors Seminar in Rhetoric and Argumentation (3) - satisfies the Speaking and Listening competency
- HON 210: Honors Seminar in the Humanities (3) - satisfies the Exploring the Past competency
- HON 220: Great Writing: the Dream of a Common Language (3) - satisfies the Critical Analysis competency
- HON 230: The History of Climate Change Science (3) - satisfies the Critical Analysis competency
- HON 240: Searching for Aliens (4) - satisfies the Scientific Inquiry competency
- HON 250: From Apocalypse to Zombie (3) - satisfies the Religious Understanding competency
- HON 260: Personal Finance (3) - satisfies the Living Well competency
- HON 270: Faith and Fiction (3) - satisfies the Religious Understanding competency
- HON 310: Junior Honors: In Search of Purpose (3) - satisfies the Understanding Self and Society competency
- HON 313: Whither the Sacred? Change and Continuity in the Sociology of Religion (3) - satisfies the Religious Understanding competency
- HON 320: Nazi Germany & the Holocaust (3) - satisfies the Exploring the Past competency
Besides choosing special Honors courses to meet their minor requirement, a student in the program can also earn three credit hours towards the minor by doing a semester abroad program during their time at Bluffton. Completion of a departmental honors project can also contribute up to six hours towards an Honors minor.
Qualified high school seniors will be invited to join the Honors Program. Qualifications include: 1) acceptance into Bluffton University, 2) a minimum 3.5 GPA and ACT score of 24 or SAT score of 1160 or 3.75 GPA on a 4.0 scale with no test score required. The program thrives on the uniqueness of its students. Diverse life experiences, academic interests and extracurricular activities all add to the classroom and social environment of the program and are highly valued.
Membership in the Honors Program will be limited to 20 new students each year. The first 20 invited students to deposit will be accepted into the program.
Students who were not invited to join the Honors Program upon matriculation at Bluffton University may join in their first two years of study, provided they are in good standing and their cumulative GPA is 3.5 or higher. Interested students should contact the directors of the program to apply.
Students transferring to Bluffton University from another institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher may join the Honors Program.
Honors students are expected to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 and remain in good standing at Bluffton University.
Students also must demonstrate continued progress toward the completion of the Honors minor:
- Earn 6 Honors credits by the completion of 60 hours.
- Earn 9 Honors credits by the completion of 90 hours.
- Earn minimum credits required by graduation.
Failure to do so may result in a student being dismissed from the Honors Program. At any time, a student may request to leave the Honors Program.
More on academic honors.
July 2024