Honors Program
Emerson’s Honors Program is an intellectual and creative community that features a challenging liberal arts curriculum. Students accepted to the program receive individual advising and take interdisciplinary seminars that fulfill the College’s liberal arts requirements.
Community of Learners The program fosters strong bonds between students and faculty. Students enjoy a low student-to-faculty ratio in dedicated Honors seminars and are invited to special lectures. In their senior year, students develop an Honors thesis, working individually with faculty advisors. They are eligible to apply for exclusive funds to support their thesis. Each Honors student receives the prestigious Trustees Scholarship valued at $25,000 per year (up to $100,000 over four years).
Applying to the Honors Program Selection to the Honors Program is competitive, and only first-year students applying for the fall semester are eligible to apply. Students applying to either the Global BFA in Film Art or the Global BA in International and Political Communication are not eligible for Honors Program consideration. Interested students must submit a supplemental Honors Program essay (emerson. edu/admission/honors). Approximately 50 new students enroll each year. Selection is determined by a committee and is based upon outstanding academic and personal qualities, such as: • Advanced analytical and writing skills, as demonstrated by the supplemental essay • Excellent academic performance in a challenging curriculum • Superior standardized test results (typically over a 1350 combined SAT Critical Reading and Math; over a 28 composite ACT; or 100 Internetbased TOEFL). An impressive academic record, Honors Program essay, and résumé of accomplishments will be considered for students who elect not to submit test scores. • Commitment to community and service • Significant creative accomplishments • Demonstrated leadership Students are typically notified of their acceptance to the Honors Program at the time of admission. The Honors Program is flexible and allows students to participate in internships and study abroad programs.
“Honors students at Emerson bring the full range of their interdisciplinary liberal arts education to bear on the questions facing the world today. These students form a unique community of learners who unite their critical and their creative intellectual capacities in pursuit of their educational and career goals.” Wendy W. Walters Director of the Honors Program First-year students take an intensive yearlong seminar that introduces them to the interdisciplinary study of literature and culture of the Americas, with an emphasis on developing writing, oral presentation, and research skills. The seminar is team-taught and provides a platform for discussion, exploration, and debate, while strengthening writing and speaking abilities. The year culminates in a 25–30 page research paper on a topic of the student’s own choosing. Sophomores are introduced to the interdisciplinary study of science and philosophy with an objective of engaging in critical thinking and research. Different areas of inquiry are examined each year, such as evolutionary biology, environmental ethics, and epistemology and logic. Juniors take an upper-division Interdisciplinary Seminar, selecting from a variety of topics such as Global Social Movements, Posthumanism, Biology and the Economics of Cooperation, Peace and Social Justice, and others. Juniors also participate in a Colloquium with the Honors Program director, in preparation for the Senior Honors Thesis. Seniors complete a Senior Thesis, which represents the capstone of one’s work in the Honors Program and allows them to spend an extended period of time studying a topic important to them. As part of this process, they enroll in a small thesis-writing seminar, led by their thesis advisor, working alongside their peers to develop their ideas, deepen their analysis, and polish their writing.
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