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.
Distinguished Honors Scholar
The requirements for this designation include:
- FYS 100H Honors First Year Seminar- 3 credits
- 4 honors designated courses in the Hallmarks Core:
Course List Code Title Credits WRIT 201H Honors Writing Seminar 2: Multimedia Comm 3 ETHC 201H Honors Moral Philosophy 3 GCIS 300H Honors Contemporary Global Issues 3 PHIL 499H Honors Philosophies of the Good Life 3 - 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
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. This minimum GPA applies to all current and incoming students.
Students successfully completing all Honors requirements with a GPA of 3.25 or higher receive the Honors Stole, Certificate and Honors Institute Medallion. The designation, Distinguished Honors Scholars will also appear on the final official transcript.
For more information, see the Philadelphia University Honors Institute website