About The Program
Program Director: Paolo Cucchi, Professor of French and Italian
The Honors Program was created specifically for academically strong students. It emphasizes independent learning, research and leadership, and it culminates in a full-year, senior thesis experience. Students in this program will engage in Honors seminars as well as opportunities outside the classroom that greatly enrich their liberal education at Drew.
The Honors Program enrolls approximately 35-40 students in each class; 20 first year students are admitted to the program on the basis of their high school record, leadership and a GPA of 3.7 or above. An additional 15-20 may be nominated by the faculty or apply to the program at the end of their first year or at the end of each semester of the sophomore year. Applications are evaluated by an advisory committee on the basis of a student’s demonstrated engagement with his or her academic program, leadership in the classroom or on campus, achievement of a Drew GPA of 3.5 or above, and standing in the top 15% of the class. All students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.5 in order to remain in the program and must also maintain the highest standards of academic integrity and student conduct. The transcript of graduating students will indicate that they have completed the Honors Program.
For more detailed information about the Honors Program please see the Baldwin Honors Program website or contact the program Director.
Program Requirements
An Honors student’s academic program consists of the following:
- A one-credit Honors Colloquium taken in the fall semester of the first year
(this requirement is waived for entering sophomores) - Two Honors seminars: one taken in the spring semester of the first year and one taken during the second year
(entering sophomores may take both seminars in their second and third years) - One additional Honors course: an Honors seminar, an Honors-across-the-curriculum course, or an Honors tutorial
- Participation in the Junior-year Community Initiative
- Completion of an Honors Thesis in the senior year (see Specialized Honors below)
A student who fails to complete any element of the program will not receive an Honors diploma.
During their final two semesters at Drew, eligible students who participate in the Specialized Honors Program complete an independent research project in their major area of study or in an interdisciplinary minor, write a substantial thesis presenting their work and defend the thesis before a faculty committee. Students who have achieved an overall grade point average of 3.1 and earned 48 credit hours or more at Drew by spring of the junior year are eligible for the program. Honors are awarded at graduation to students who have successfully completed the thesis and the thesis defense, met all other requirements set by the honors committee during the year, and attained a grade point average of 3.2 overall and 3.5 in the relevant field of study. For more information on the Specialized Honors Program, see pages 37-38 of the catalog, the annual Specialized Honors booklet available from the Honors Committee or the Office of the Dean of the College, or the Specialized Honors website.
Students who wish to earn credit while writing an honors thesis should enroll in HON 109/110. Students in biology, chemistry, physics, neurosciences, biochemistry, or psychology should enroll in the appropriate departmental course (e.g., BIOL 196, CHEM 129, PHYS 135, NEURO 197, BCHM 120, PSYC 134) rather than in HON 109/110.
