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The Honors Program

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Where learning comes to life.

The Honors program at William Woods University fosters the growth of students who are dedicated, imaginative, and enthusiastic about making the most of their academic experience. They are excited about learning in a community of students who share their love of knowledge and drive for excellence.

Why Honors at The Woods?

Community

  • Dedicated honors housing for freshman
  • Monthly dinners with all honors students and faculty
  • Unique cohort model where lifelong friendships are formed
    • Take one or two honors classes per semester with the same group of students from orientation to graduation
  • Priority selection for housing second year and beyond (honors dedicated housing first year)
  • Move in early and receive a dedicated honors orientation

Academics

  • Relevant courses for an enhanced general experience
    • Specially designed courses only for honors students 
    • Hands-on engagement with creative, collaborative outcomes
    • Smaller class size 
    • Space to feel seen and heard
  • Early course registration
  • Honors exclusive funding for travel and research
  • Honors thesis with one-on-one mentorship from a faculty member in your field
  • Recognized at graduation with honors regalia

Career Readiness

  • Honors exclusive opportunities for campus leadership
  • Honors notation on your transcript
  • Conduct original research to contribute to your field
    • Great for applications to graduate school and future employment

If you would like to learn about the program, contact admissions@williamwoods.edu and your counselor can connect you with a current Honors student or faculty leader.

Honors Award

Honors program students are offered a $1,000 scholarship. This scholarship may be in addition to other scholarship or aid offers depending on your unique scholarship package offer. Ask your admissions counselor for details.

Requirements and Application Process

Courses

To build community among the participants and make connections with faculty, students complete the program as a cohort, taking the required 24 hours of gen ed courses (taught by members of the honors committee) together and in sequence.

Freshman Year

Fall Semester:
WWU 150 Intro to Research and Scholarship/Honors Connections
PHL 107 Honors Critical Thinking

Spring Semester:
PSY 102 Honors Gen Psych 2
PHL 116 Honors Biomedical Ethics

Sophomore Year

Fall Semester:
HIS 212 History of Race in America

Spring Semester:
ENG 234 Shakespeare & the Devil

Junior Year

Fall Semester:
ART 203 Art Applications

Spring Semester:
HUM 102 World Religions

Senior Year

Fall Semester:
WWU 475 Honors Thesis I

Spring Semester:
WWU 476 Honors Thesis II

The priority deadline for WWU's Honors Program is March 1, 2023.

Students will need to meet the following eligibility requirements and supply the following information to apply for the Honors program for Fall 2023.

Please use this scholarship application to submit your application and provide necessary documents.

Apply Today!

  • Application to William Woods
  • Minimum high school GPA of 3.25 unweighted
  • High school transcript
  • Resume (summary of academic and extracurricular achievements)
  • Writing Sample (500-750 words; students may select one topic below as their writing prompt).
    • In the path to success, it can be easy to lose track of the joy of learning. Where do you find joy in learning when outside of a classroom?
    • Imagine you were given an essay prompt that said this: “Write anything you want, but tell a story and be persuasive.” How would you respond to (or cope with) these vague instructions?
    • Do you think social media has brought the people of your generation closer together, or driven them further apart?
  • Sample of your best academic work. This could be your best essay or report or a work of art. (If your submission is not a written piece, provide some accompanying written context. Contact  admissions@williamwooods.edu if you have any question about what will qualify.)

We look forward to receiving your application.