Mission
The mission of John Brown University’s Honors Scholars Program is to attract and retain intellectually curious students, to stimulate and challenge those students as Christian scholars and effective members of God’s kingdom, and to enrich the broader university community.
Description of the Program
The Honors Scholars Program (HSP) consists of enriched Core Curriculum courses developed especially for highly motivated students. We offer co-taught, experiential courses that emphasize the use of primary texts; instructors challenge students through individual research, critical reflection, incisive discussion, and interactive projects.
Honors Scholars model Christian principles and good stewardship of their academic gifts through serving in leadership positions and participating in service activities both on and off campus. The Honors Student Executive Council promotes scholarly presentations and service to the student body and provides peer support for honors students. Honors Scholars participate in regional, national, and international honors conferences, workshops, and semesters abroad. The Honors/LSI Center, available to Honors Scholars, provides an attractive location for studying, tutoring, and events.
Honors Scholars enter the Program at Tier One, which requires a minimum of nine hours of freshman/sophomore level honors courses. Advancement to Tier Two is contingent upon prior completion of at least nine lower-division honors hours and an overall GPA of 3.5 (or 3.75 Honors GPA). Only after approval to move to Tier Two may the Scholar begin work on Tier Two courses. Students choose to graduate with University Honors (complete 21 honors hours) or Presidential Honors (complete 21 honors hours along with an Honors Capstone Project). All courses are designated “Honors” on the transcript.
Eligibility
High school seniors are selected from a large, well-qualified pool of applicants. Transfer students and currently-enrolled JBU students who have enough courses remaining to be taken in the Honors Scholars Program may also apply. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with early consideration deadlines in November and February.
Eligibility for admission is based on SAT/ACT/CLT scores, high school GPA, and submission of the Honor’s application. Students who apply to JBU through the test optional system will need to submit a writing sample and letter of recommendation to the HSP as part of their Honors application process.
Inquiries concerning the program should be addressed to Dr. Trisha Posey, Director of the Honors Scholars Program, John Brown University, 2000 West University Street, Siloam Springs, AR 72761 or email tposey@jbu.edu.
Transfer Policy
Students who transfer to JBU their sophomore year or the third year before graduation are required to take 15 hours of honors credits and maintain a 3.5 GPA (or 3.75 Honors GPA) to graduate with honors.
Students who transfer to JBU their junior year or second year before graduation are required to take 12 hours of honors credits and maintain a 3.5 GPA (or 3.75 Honors GPA) to graduate with honors.
Graduation Requirement
The HSP requires a cumulative 3.5 GPA (or a cumulative 3.75 Honors GPA) for students wishing to graduate through the JBU Honors Scholars Program.
Courses
The following list indicates the courses currently available to Honors Scholars and the Core Curriculum courses for which they may substitute. The program is subject to periodic review and change by the Honors Committee in order to keep the program relevant, innovative, and academically rigorous.
Students who are not admitted to the Honors Scholars Program are not allowed to enroll in honors courses, except for PPE 2113 and PPE 2133 which are open to all students.
1 Integrated Theology is a six-hour sequence of two interdisciplinary courses which together substitute for two requirements in the Core Curriculum (BBL 2013 Essentials of Evangelical Theology and BBL 2022 Essentials of Christian Formation ). If a student completes only the first semester, the course will count for Essentials of Christian Formation. Honors Integrated Theology I is a prerequisite for Honors Integrated Theology II.
2 If an incoming Honors Scholar wishes to establish credit for English I by CLEP, the exam must be taken before the first day of Honors: English I. Credit for English II is not available via CLEP.
3 Philosophy, Politics, and Economics is a six-hour sequence of two interdisciplinary courses which together substitute for two requirements in the Core Curriculum (Arts and Humanities Elective and Social and Behavioral Science Elective). If a student completes only one semester, the course will count toward one of these requirements.
4 Though not required to do so, Honors Scholars are urged to complete an Honors Capstone Project in their major field of study during the junior or senior year. Projects are subject to recommendation by faculty in the appropriate department and approval by the Honors Committee. Guidelines for the Capstone Project may be obtained from the Honors Scholars Program Blackboard site. Supervising faculty receive the usual stipend for independent study, paid by the Honors Scholars Program Office.
5 A student may earn up to six upper-division honors hours by completing HON 4913 and HON 4923 .
