The Honors Program

The Saint Vincent Honors Program brings together students from across the college who share a vigorous commitment to intellectual life. The backbone of the program is the set of Honors courses that enable such students to pursue a liberal education characterized by intense conversation and work with dedicated professors. We are also seeking to form a broader intellectual community, where the ideas that students explore in the classroom take on a life of their own in the lives of our students.

Honors students have the opportunity to participate in special extracurricular activities, including evening discussions and cultural excursions. They also interact with faculty outside the classroom, providing for support and mentoring throughout (and sometimes beyond) their time at Saint Vincent. We hope to develop and expand these opportunities in the coming years and are excited about the talented group of students we serve.

Experiencehonors-program-experience
The Honors Program Experience

Our professors design classes in the Honors Program to challenge and reward students who seek substantial intellectual development in college. The quality, not the quantity, of work distinguishes Honors classes from other courses.

Br. Guy Consolmagno

The Honors Program provides a special, congenial setting for your intellectual growth, both during classes and extracurricular events. Activities include:

  • Dinner and evening discussions or readings, films, art exhibits, etc.
  • Attending plays, films and art exhibits together
  • Extended trips within the U.S. and even abroad during semester breaks

During previous semesters, Honors students discussed current science issues over dinner with Bill Nye (The Science Guy), astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Vatican astronomer Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J. (above), and Joanne Rogers (wife of the late Fred Rogers), and participated in poetry readings and discussions with faculty. Students of the Honors Program have also traveled to New York City and driven to Washington, D.C., for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Supreme Court.

Honors students in majors with a senior research or capstone project will be strongly encouraged to present their work – both in a special colloquium at Saint Vincent College and at professional meetings in their research areas.
How To Apply
How to Apply

Acceptance to the Honors Program at Saint Vincent College will be based on your academic work, along with evidence of your motivation to pursue challenging course work. If you are not initially accepted to the program, you can reapply at a later date using additional materials. 

As an applicant, you will be required to submit the following materials, each of which should include your name, using our online application form: 

  1. A cover letter addressed to the Honors program, simply stating your intention to apply and listing the materials included in your application.  
  2. A short essay (maximum 600 words) detailing why you would like to join the Honors Program. Your essay should focus on your interest in being part of a community of students who: 
  3. An original essay, which you produced for a course you have taken and which you believe is representative of your academic ability. You should submit an original or duplicated copy; in either case, your submission should include the evaluation and grade you received from the teacher and should indicate the course for which it was produced.  The submitted work should not be a collaborative project, nor should it be a mere research report that primarily strings together quoted sources and does not include substantial portions of original writing.  
  4. Two letters of recommendation from two teachers or professors. These can be mailed to:

    Fr. Brian D. Boosel, O.S.B., Ph.D.
    Honors Program
    300 Fraser Purchase Road
    Latrobe, PA 15650

We look forward to receiving your application and welcoming you into the Honors Program!  
Freshman Applicantshonors-program-freshman
Freshman Applicants

As a first-year student, you are invited to apply to the Honors Program. The Honors Program Admission Committee will review the high school transcript and the ACT or SAT score that are part of your general application to the College, as well as the materials listed in the How to Apply tab, which may be submitted online.

Application materials must be complete before students will be considered for the program.

The deadline for receiving your completed application is Feb. 15, and successful applicants will be notified by March 15. Later applications may be accepted, but may not be considered if the program is filled. 
Program Requirementshonors-program-requirements
Program Requirements

Students seeking to graduate as Honors Scholars must take a minimum of five Honors classes plus the Honors Seminar. Students may remain in the Program if their GPA remains above 3.0 and they continue to participate in Honors classes and at least one major Honors Program event per year.

Honors Program Course Rotation
Every Fall Semester
TH 119 First Theology
Every Spring Semester
EL 102 Language and Rhetoric
PL 101 First Philosophy
ND 400 Honors Seminar

Fall Semester (odd years)
Philosophy
Fine Arts OR Theology
Spring Semester (even years)
Natural Science and laboratory OR Social Science
History (200 - level)

Fall Semester (even years)
History (100 - level)
Social Science OR Natural Science and Laboratory
Spring Semester (odd years)
English
Theology