Honors Program
Welcome! If you'd like to learn more about the University Honors Program at Jacksonville University, you've come to the right site. The JU Honors Program is designed to challenge and stimulate academically talented and highly motivated students. Through course work and enrichment activities, select faculty and students create a close community within the university which supports outstanding scholarship, personal growth, and service. Students are exposed to unique leadership and academic opportunities which round out their education, and they are guided to reflect on their beliefs and values and to set goals by beginning a personal development portfolio in the Honors Colloquium. The Honors seminar exposes students to interdisciplinary experiences and encourages them to make connections among domains of knowledge. To cap their Honors education, students may develop their independence and creativity by completing a research project or creative production within their major and receive Honors credit. The program also offers opportunities for cross-cultural and international experiences on and off campus.
Students of high academic ability at JU are invited to participate in the University Honors Program, which offers:
- An Honors Colloquium focusing on values, with senior peer mentors
- Interdisciplinary seminars
- Excellent teachers & innovative instruction
- A community of student scholars
- Trips to conferences of honors students and faculty
- Academic guidance and support
- Book scholarships for returning students
- Priority registration
- Support for research
- Cross-cultural experiences
- Graduation "with University Honors" - the University's highest honor
Am I Eligible?
The Honors Program at JU is unique in that any first-year student who has a 3.2 average at the secondary level and a combined SAT score of 1220 or ACT score of 27 may participate. Thus, the program attracts those students with intellectual curiosity and high standards of personal performance. Currently, around 100 students with a wide variety of interests participate in the Honors Program. As students move into their majors, the program has a more rigorous GPA requirement of 3.5 and 3.5 in honors course work. Consequently, those who continue in the program are recognized across campus for their outstanding scholarship. The Director of the Honors Program actively recruits Honors students for prestigious fellowships and scholarships such as the Rhodes, Truman, Goldwater, and Mellon awards.
Transfer Students
Students transferring to JU may transfer honors credits received from accredited community colleges and four-year colleges and universities into JU's Honors Program. However, to graduate "with University Honors," a transferring student must complete a minimum of 13 credit hours in Honors courses, including the Honors colloquium and an Honors seminar and a total of 64 hours of graded credit at JU.
The Honors Program is administered by Dr. Janet M. Haavisto, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the University Honors Program. Dr. Haavisto also coordinates the JU undergraduate research initiative in conjunction with the Division of Math and Science, and assists students in obtaining prestigious fellowships and scholarships.
For more information, Contact Dr. Janet M. Haavisto, Assistant Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Phone: (904) 256-7100 or E-mail: mailto:jhaavist@ju.edu