Honors Institute

The Philadelphia University Honors Institute at Thomas Jefferson University provides substantive curricular and co-curricular experiences in general education, as well as professional and multi-disciplinary offerings, that enable academically high-achieving students to discover and pursue academic and pre-professional interests, as well as develop leadership skills within an intellectually dynamic and socially vibrant community.

The Honors Goals/Core values promote the development of:

  • Curiosity to pursue your own Questions,
  • Empathy to Adapt with respect to diverse perspectives,
  • Confidence to Act and apply knowledge in real-world conditions, and
  • Courage to Contribute ideas that make a difference.

Students in the Honors Institute are required to complete designated Honors courses in the Hallmarks Core and in the major, as well as co-curricular experiences fulfilling the Honors Cornerstones: Contribute, Act, Adapt, Question.

Through the Jefferson admission process, qualified students are selected to join the Honors Institute in one of three curricula based on their degree program:

  • Distinguished Honors Scholar
    • The requirements for this designation include:
      • 5 honors designated courses in the Hallmarks Core:
        FYS 100H3
        WRIT 201HWrit Sem 2: Multimedia Comm3
        ETHC 201H3
        GCIS 300H3
        PHIL 499H3
      • 4 honors specified courses in the major
      • Documented co-curricular activity in each of the 4 Cornerstones (20 hours per Cornerstone)
      • A student completing all of the above requirements and maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 will graduate with the Distinguished Honors Scholar designation
  • Honors Scholar
    • This designation is available to students in 2+ programs such as Medical Imaging & Radiation Science and Medical Lab Sciences & Biotechnology
    • Curricular requirements include:
      • 3 designated courses in Hallmarks Core:
        FYS 100H3
        WRIT 201HWrit Sem 2: Multimedia Comm3
        ETHC 201Honors Moral Philosophy3
      • 2 honors specified courses in the major:
        HSCI 231H3
        HSCI 225Applied Statistics (with Honors Common Assignment)3
      • Documented co-curricular activity in each of the 4 Cornerstones (20 hours per Cornerstone)
    • A student completing all of the above requirements and maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 will graduate with the Honors Scholar designation
  • Honors Associate
    • This designation is available to students in the 2+ Pre-Pharmacy program. The curricular requirements are:
      • 3 courses:
        FYS 100H3
        WRIT 201HWrit Sem 2: Multimedia Comm3
        ETHC 201H3
      • Documented co-curricular activity in 2 co-curricular Cornerstones (20 hours per Cornerstone)
    • A student completing all of the above requirements and maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 will graduate with the Honors Associate designation

The Honors Institute also offers an internal admission process for qualified students currently in their first year at Jefferson who are interested in joining the Honors Institute. In the spring semester of their first year, first-year students (excluding transfer students) who have achieved a first-semester GPA of at least 3.5 will be eligible to apply to the Honors Institute. Internal admission is not available to transfer students or students in 2+2 programs. Students in 3+2 or other accelerated programs are advised to meet with an Honors Institute advisor to review the feasibility of completing the honors requirements prior to submittal of an application. Students who are internally admitted are required to follow the Honors Institute curriculum for internal admits.

Honors course offerings are listed each semester in the University’s course schedule. Enrolled students must take the course for a letter grade. The pass/fail or CR/NC option is not available for Honors courses.

Enrollment in Honors courses is designated on the University transcript and remains part of the student’s permanent academic record. Honors students’ academic records are reviewed annually to assure that participants are making satisfactory academic progress in the Honors curriculum and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher in order to remain in the Honors Institute.

Students successfully completing all Honors requirements with a GPA of 3.25 or higher receive special recognition at graduation, as well as the Honors Stole and Certificate. Distinguished Honors Scholars will also receive the Honors Institute Medallion. This minimum GPA applies to all current and incoming students.

For more information, see the Philadelphia University Honors Institute website