​George Whitworth Honors Program Mission Statement

The Whitworth Honors Program challenges talented and motivated scholars to pursue excellence of mind and heart, to cultivate leadership qualities and skills, and to commit to lives of service. The honors program does more than guide scholars to navigate the world as it is; it equips them to solve problems and to develop the world as it should be.

Program Learning Outcomes: 

1. Engage the liberal arts by means of interdisciplinary courses designed for integration, reflection and application of skills, knowledge and understandings.
2. Reflect on how the liberal arts and disciplinary paradigms generate solutions to local and global issues, using higher-level intellectual practices. 
3. Apply the liberal arts and disciplinary paradigms by independently planning, carrying out, documenting and defending a capstone project related to one’s chosen discipline.

The Whitworth Honors Program is rooted in the following principles that shape the program and reflect Whitworth’s core values:

• Applied liberal arts: Requirements for credits granted in honors-program learning experiences will invite students to make connections across our shared curriculum and with their major(s) in ways that emphasize the need for problem-solving. 
• Active and collaborative learning: Learning experiences are characterized by joint intellectual effort among students and between students and faculty members in pursuit of deeper knowledge and understanding. 
• Christian mission: The honors program includes experiences with a faith-learning integration component.
• Community and cohort: Registration for honors program offerings is elective and open to all Whitworth students. Participants in honors activities will find healthy interaction with fellow students and faculty members in enriching ways.
• Educational breadth: Honors graduates must complete academic-enrichment experiences across the curriculum (not just in proximity to their major) and are encouraged to make connections across the disciplines.
• Vocational preparation: Honors experiences are designed to provide a high level of preparation for post-baccalaureate educational and/or career opportunities.
• Versatility: The Whitworth Honors Program offers a dynamic program of study, one in which students from different backgrounds and with different goals can adapt to enhance their Whitworth education. Whether pursuing advanced academic study, pre-professional training or opportunities for community engagement, honors students can adapt the requirements to offer them the best possible undergraduate training.

Enrollment in George Whitworth Honors Program

Incoming first-year students admitted with honors are eligible to enroll in the Whitworth Honors Program. Students not admitted with honors may seek enrollment once they have demonstrated academic strength in Whitworth courses. Enrollment requires securing an honors advisor from the list of departmental liaisons.

Transfer and First-Year Students Entering with Credits

Students who matriculate into Whitworth with 30 or more credits have a reduced credit load to complete honors program requirements. Students entering with 30-44 credits must complete 15 honors credits. Students entering with 45-59 credits must complete 12 honors credits. Students entering with 60-plus credits must complete nine honors credits. Students in these situations should consult with their honors advisors for the best pathway to completion.

Honors Contacts

Director: D. Berton Emerson, Associate Professor of English

Program Assistant: Colette Mestyanek

Honors Advisors 

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These credits are in addition to HN 300H and HN 400H

To be a George Whitworth Scholar, a student must complete at least 18 credits with a grade of "C" or higher within the Honors program. No more than nine honors credits can be earned within a single department. Honors courses cannot be taken for P/NC. If an Honors course is audited, it will not count toward the Honors requirements.

To graduate as George Whitworth Scholars, students must finish their degrees with a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Students who do not meet these requirements will still be enriched by these experiences, but will not graduate with George Whitworth honors.

Transfers and First-Year Students Entering with Credits:

Students who matriculate into Whitworth with 30 or more credits have a reduced credit load to complete Honors Program requirements. Students entering with 30-44 credits should complete 15 Honors credits. Students entering with 45-59 credits should complete 12 Honors credits. Students entering with 60+ credits should complete 9 Honors credits. Students in these situations should consult with their Honors Advisors for the best pathway to completion.  

Below is a sampling of courses fulfilling different categories. For full options, please speak with your Honor's Program advisor.