Freshmen Honors Program FAQs | Neumann University

The Freshman Honors Program is an offering of courses, all of which count toward the completion of the Neumann University Core Experience, part of the degree program for all Neumann students. Participants are encouraged to take an active role in the direction of the discussions. You will have the chance to improve your critical thinking and writing skills so that you can express your ideas and opinions more clearly, and consider the ideas and opinions of others more thoroughly.

The Neumann University Honors Program will:

Create community
Focus on academics, but not only on academics
Improve your critical skills
Allow you to work closely with professors in your chosen field
Offer opportunities to present your work, both here and elsewhere
Build your résumé
Give you a solid foundation from which you can grow, explore, and succeed

We look at High School GPA (3.5 or higher) and--if submitted--SAT/ACT scores (Combined Math and Evidence-Based Reading & Writing [EBRW] SAT score of 1120, including EBRW score of 520), but we realize that those numbers do not tell the whole story. We also look for candidates who participate in activities both in and outside school, who have strong and varied interests, and who want to make the most of their time at Neumann.

That depends on why you ask. If you like to get by while doing the minimum amount of work, then perhaps the honors program is not for you. But if you want all your work to be of the highest quality you are capable and are therefore conscientious about the number of responsibilities you take on, then the honors program is precisely for you. “Honors program” means a different kind of work. It means challenging yourself academically, participating actively in your education, and contributing what you know, what you think, and what you believe for the good of your fellow honors program students.

This is certainly a valid concern. If we did not think it was a good idea, however, we would not offer an honors program specifically designed for first-year students. The smaller class size of the Freshman Honors courses, and the connections you make—not only with the other first-year students, but also with sophomore-, junior-, and senior-level honors program participants—can contribute to your successful transition to college life.

The focus on critical thinking and writing skills ensures that you will derive benefits that you can apply to any major. They will be useful, as well, if you decide to shift career paths or look beyond the specifics of your major.

During the first year, students in all majors take some courses that are part of the Core Experience, a component of the curriculum that includes courses in Math, Science, English, History, Philosophy, Theology, World Languages, and the like. Completion of this curriculum is a requirement of every major. All the Freshman Honors courses count toward the completion of this requirement. Participants usually take 7 credits of honors coursework in the fall, and 6 credits in the spring. The Fall 2023 Freshman Honors courses include:

HNR 105, Freshman Honors: Theological Foundations (equivalent to THEO 104)
HNR 112, Freshman Honors: Rhetoric and Writing (equivalent to ENG 102; students in the Freshman Honors Program do not take ENG 101)
INT 101, The Neumann Experience (honors section)

These courses are integrated into the normal course load for a first-semester student. The remainder of your course load (usually a total of 15-18 credits each semester, including the honors courses) is made up either of courses required of your major field of study, or additional core courses.

That depends on how NHS worked at your school. Generally, though, think of Neumann’s Honors Program as an academically oriented community with social and service dimensions. It is not necessary to have been a member of NHS to participate in Neumann’s Honors Program.

If your AP courses featured a lot of student interaction, if you were expected to come to class prepared to discuss a reading you were assigned to complete, if the students were expected to contribute to class at least as much as the instructor, if you were asked to present your ideas in oral and written formats, and if you felt comfortable asking questions and offering insights, then yes. It is not necessary to have taken AP courses to participate in Neumann’s Honors Program.

Simply contact Dr. Richard Sayers by phone, 610-361-5454, or by email, sayersr@neumann.edu.

Of course! Contact Dr. Sayers and one of our students will be happy to talk to you.

Contact:

Dr. Richard Sayers
Honors Program Coordinator
Neumann University
1 Neumann Drive
Aston, PA 19014-1298
610-361-5454
sayersr@neumann.edu