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Honors Program

Explore our dynamic Honors Program

College should be a transformative experience—a journey of discovery undertaken among friends and mentors you’ll remember forever. The Mount Union Honors Program is dedicated to serving students with the curiosity and commitment to get the most out of this journey.

Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring an equally wide range of talents and interests. All are welcomed into our community-within-a-community, a collaboration between students and faculty for creating opportunities in the areas of social life, service work, and scholarship.  

There are two different ways to participate in Honors at Mount Union, University Honors and Honors in the Major. You can even do both, if you wish.

There are also many perks that Honors students enjoy during their time on campus. And yet the greatest benefits may be those that come after graduation. The distinction of having Honors on a resume or graduate school application definitely matters—everybody knows that it signifies exceptional promise—but the habits of mind that an Honors student brings to those next stages will pay off for a lifetime. So will the inspiration that comes from working with fellow Honors students, and the support of Honors mentors who are here to help you along the way. 

This webpage is designed to provide helpful information for prospective students, current students, and the Mount Union community at large. More than this, we hope that it will also give you a feel for the Honors Program here at Mount Union. If there is anything you can’t find here, please do not hesitate to contact us!

  • University Honors


    University Honors

    The University Honors track is a learning community for students that provides academic and social support to engage in a different kind of learning, encouraging open inquiry, empathetic engagement with diverse perspectives, and safe spaces for intellectual risk-taking. The curriculum parallels the Integrative Core with specially designed honors sections and exciting experiential learning opportunities. Professors in the Honors Program are innovative teachers and dedicated scholars who come from a variety of disciplines and are devoted to supporting their students, even frequenting events hosted by Honors Council. Honors courses emphasize intellectual contexts, student autonomy, and connections among fields of study.

    Curriculum

    Honors First Year Seminar (FYS) (first year): FYS focuses on a specific topic and develops skills in writing, oral communication and critical thinking.

    Honors Foundations (first and second years): These courses focus on four major areas of human knowledge – humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and arts, building on the skills students learned in FYS. Students should take the Honors section of any Foundations areas they need whenever possible. CCP and/or AP exam credit can cover up to two Foundations areas, which is the same for non-Honors students. Any student who has a conflict between the Honors section of a Foundations course and another course that is required for their major should contact the Honors Program Director for a solution.

    Honors Explorations (third or fourth year): Students take an honors course related to the theme of human differences in which they develop a proposal for a project related this theme to be completed in conjunction with a course or other educational experience. Recent projects have focused on such subjects as neurodivergence in the computer science industry, the challenge of finding demographically representative groups for medical trials, and a history of underrepresented groups in modern theatre.

    Honors Capstone (fourth year): Students engage in collaborative work around a complex issue with real-world applications. They draw upon knowledge, skills and thought processes acquired throughout their educational experience. In recent years this has included “The Idea of College” and “What is an Educated Person?”

    University Honors Curriculum

  • Honors in the Major


    Honors in the Major

    The Honors in the Major track offers the opportunity for intensive, individual study in a major. Although the nature of honors work will vary, it should involve intellectual creativity and may take such forms as research, investigation, or artistic effort. The student initiates and plans the honors project and works closely with one or more faculty members in carrying it out. At the conclusion of the study, superior accomplishment should be demonstrated in some appropriate way. Depending on the department’s specifications, students will complete either an honors thesis or honors projects in three courses in the major.

    Curriculum

    Prerequisites: While academic departments determine their own criteria for Honors in the Major eligibility and pathways to earning Honors in the Major, eligibility usually requires a 3.5 GPA and the successful completion of one or more projects within the major that are clearly beyond standard requirements in scope and rigor. Students must be of junior (60+ credits) or senior (90+ credits) standing, and obtain approval of the instructor, the department chair and the Honors Review Board. Credit variable, 4-8 Semester Hours.

    For more information contact the Honors Program directors at honors@mountunion.edu  and department chairs for more info on major-specific requirements. 

    Honors in the Major Curriculum

  • Social


    Social

    The Honors Council hosts social events every month to help Honors students connect and form friendships. Some events are exclusively for Honors students and their guests such as the Holiday Party, Be Mine Bash, Game Nights and the End-of-Year Picnic, but Honors Council also hosts campus-wide events such as Haunted Harvest and an Egg Hunt. Honors Council also hosts Pop In with Your Professors to allow students to connect with faculty to build relationships and First Year Representatives plan at least one exclusive First Year event per year as well.

    "Being in the Honors community doesn’t isolate you from the rest of campus but actually plugs you into it! Our events, like game nights, holidays parties, and bonfires draw students who are involved in so many other student organizations and creates a unique blend of people who may not have connected outside of the Honors Program." - Ashton Knappenberger '25

     

    students cooking smores on fire

  • Service


    Service

    The Honors Council participates in at least one service event per month, typically partnering with other on campus organizations or offices like the Regula Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement, but also is active in the surrounding community through volunteering at the Alliance Commons.

    The Honors Program has given me many opportunities to work with several other clubs and organizations that I am involved in to do service for the community. Being able to do service with other students in the Program is such a special experience, and the Honors Council hosts a service event every month to ensure we have this opportunity. We have been able to do very amazing acts of service, including Sew4Service, doing activities with kids at the Commons Educational Events, Disaster Drill, and many more! I'm very passionate about service, so it has been so amazing and rewarding to combine my love for the Honors Program with my love for service!  - Adrianna Brass

     

    students holding handmade blankets

  • Scholarship


    Scholarship

    The program provides many opportunities to enhance your scholarly experience at Mount Union. Many professors take their students on trips to museums and historical spots. Also, the program provides means to attend conferences such as the Mid-East Honors Association (MEHA) Conference and the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference. These conferences allow students to present, engage with discussion panels, and become better leaders and better Honors students. Mount Union is also a member of the MEHA, allowing students to seek scholarship opportunities and utilize resources through the organization.

    The Honors Council also sponsors campus-wide Alumni Panels each semester that allows our students to engage with distinguished alumni who have gone on to do incredible work in various fields. These are great opportunities for students to network with alumni and build beneficial connections. In order to set students up for success, we have also hosted events with our Center for Career Development (link) to help students with resume building, interview prep, and more!

      

    National Collegiate Honors Council Conference

    three students posing at conference

    "One of my most treasured experiences in regard to scholarship includes the Honors Alumni Panel, a moving and truly inspiring event hosted by the Honors Program every semester. The panel allowed me to hear from incredible alumni who ranged from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Each individual genuinely embodied the truth of Mount Union’s mission statement, emulating what it means to lead fulfilling lives, devote themselves to meaningful work, and demonstrate responsible citizenship in their post-collegiate careers. The Mid-East Honors Association (MEHA) Conference was another extraordinary opportunity where I along with countless others convened in an effort to recognize and celebrate research among honors colleges and programs in the mid-east. The experience was unforgettable, allowing me to learn and appreciate a variety of disciplines and create meaningful connections with other celebrated scholars." - Lukea Pitinii '26

     

    MEHA Conference

     students and faculty member posing at conference

    student displaying poster project

Alumni Panel Series

The Honors Program has held three panels featuring alumni who have gone on to do incredible work in various fields. Some of those include:

  • Sarah Behal '12 - Band and Orchestras Director
  • Alecia Bencze '12 - Law School Director of Career Services
  • Kaylyn Bennet '21 - Ph.D. candidate in Pharmacology
  • Mikayla Doepker '16 - Methodist Pastor
  • Kyle Dreger '14 - CEO, Patriot Software
  • Devin Farmiloe '18 - Environmental Journalist

Spotlights

Abigail Franks '25 Accounting major Alaina Metzler '25 Chemistry major Wengerter '24 Avery Wengerter '24 Intake Caseworker

Abigail Franks '25

Accounting major

The fact that everyone on campus—the students, the faculty—seems to genuinely care about my growth and wellbeing. I don’t feel like just another number here.

See Spotlight

Alaina Metzler '25

Chemistry major

The faculty members at Mount Union have had the biggest impact on my collegiate experience, helping me build my skillset.

See Spotlight

Wengerter '24
Wengerter '24

Avery Wengerter '24

Intake Caseworker

My extracurriculars as a student were instrumental in teaching me how to effectively communicate and how to handle situations in which people may disagree.

See Spotlight

Wengerter '24

students holding t-shirts in front of honors house
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students volunteering
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students sitting on rock in dr seuss "thing" shirts
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students in rare books room
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honors group
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