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MCLA Honors

Elevate yourself. We'll support you.

On This Trail

The Honors Program supports MCLA’s liberal arts mission by creating a community of curious, engaged students who love learning across disciplines. Honors isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing work that’s more meaningful and engaging.

Elgibility & Requirements

Any MCLA student may apply at any time to join the Honors Program by meeting with the director. To remain in good standing and receive program benefits, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 and complete at least one honors course each academic year.

Completion of the Honors Program and graduation with All College Honors require at least six honors courses (18 credits, at least half at the 300 level or higher), with a grade of B or better in each course, and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2.

Faculty & Courses

Honors is an academic program, similar to an academic minor, and is compatible with any major or, with careful advising, a double major. Many courses are cross-listed with departments, but each is designed specifically as an honors course—reading-intensive, writing-intensive, small, participatory, interdisciplinary, and offering opportunities for individual and collaborative research.

Research & Scholarship

Commonwealth Scholar

Commonwealth Scholar Thesis Option: By researching, writing, and defending an approved honors thesis and fulfilling the above requirements, honors students may graduate as Commonwealth Scholars. This yearlong independent research project will culminate in a public presentation and defense of a thesis. It provides an excellent opportunity for students to explore a topic of interest at a deep level, and is outstanding preparation for graduate studies. Guidelines for Prospectus and Thesis here (*.pdf). Project Timetable and Schedule (*.docx).

Research Opportunities 

Scholarship Information

Honors Mentors

Victoria Papa

Co-director and associate professor of English
victoria.papa@mcla.edu

Mohammad Junaid

Co-director and associate professor of sociology, anthropology and social work
mohammad.junaid@mcla.edu

Honors Student Representative Council

Shannon Prouty

President

Emery DeMartino

Vice President

Anna Rynkowski

Secretary

Emma Marino

Treasurer

Tarah Valin

PR & Community Outreach

Advisory Board Faculty

Michael Birch

Communications

Ingrid Castro

Sociology

Eric Doucette

Biology

Zack Finch

English

Hannah Haynes

Mohamad Junaid

Anthropology

Philip McKnight

Victoria Papa

Nicole Porther

J. Antonio Templanza

Ruby Vega

Tom Whalen

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Many honors courses, especially at the lower division, are designed specifically as CORE courses. Some honors courses can also be used to fulfill requirements for your major and minor programs, with departmental permission. You will need to consult your department chair or advisor to determine this on an individual basis.
Some honors students choose to graduate as Commonwealth Scholars in addition to All College Honors. This option involves a year-long process of researching and writing an interdisciplinary thesis, culminating in a public presentation and defense in the Spring. The Commonwealth Scholar makes an additional presentation at the Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Conference in Amherst. If this challenge interests you, start a conversation about the possibility sometime early in your junior year. 
Part of the point of the program is to get students out of their comfort zones, doing intensive intellectual work in areas beyond their specialties (and bringing the investigative tools of those specialties to other subject-matters). Thus it is actually best to select most of your honors courses outside your major or division.
None. The MCLA Honors Program is an academic program (a bit like an interdisciplinary academic minor). We have no induction ceremonies, no keys, no dues, and no national directories to buy.
Only if you choose to. As an honors student, you may take whatever honors courses you like, in consultation with the honors directors, who serve as secondary academic advisors (after your major advisor). It is a very good idea, however, to succeed at a 100-level honors course before diving into the deep end.
Honors work is not designed to be more work, but rather more interesting work, which is to say more challenging and engaging, and hence also more fun. Specific course requirements vary from course to course, and some courses will have a specific honors project. Either way, honors students are generally expected to do background and supplemental reading on their own initiative, and to take the lead in class in drawing the other students out and steering the discussion in intellectually stimulating directions.
This varies a bit with different courses and professors, but in general honors courses are reading intensive (with a preference for primary-source material), writing intensive, interdisciplinary, collaborative (most are small seminars), and present opportunities for independent research. All are designed specifically to take students who want to be challenged and push them to new levels, in fascinating areas of inquiry.
Part of what it means to be an honors student is to participate fully in your own larger learning process, seeking out intellectual and cultural experiences to attend and discuss with friends. We encourage you to do this as much as possible, and to try things you know nothing about rather than sticking to what you are already interested in. Another important principle in honors learning is autonomy--making your own choices, as an adult, about what events to attend and when. Thus we have the strong expectation that you will participate in Honors-sponsored and many other events, but we have no formal requirement, and do not take attendance. 
The honors directors, in consultation with the honors students and faculty, develop the schedule of honors courses. We regularly develop or repeat specific courses in response to student interest. As an honors student, you will be invited to a gathering at least once a semester, one purpose of which is to brainstorm about the future honors schedule. Of course, if you can't make those meetings, the honors directors always welcome your ideas and suggestions at any time.