Honors Program

The Bluefield University Honors Program offers students the opportunity to engage in exclusive, specially focused, and academically-rigorous classes and seminars.

Personal Growth Through Academic Challenge

The Honors Program offers students a challenging academic experience, opportunities for travel to meet other honors students across the country, and the means to expand their horizons. The program features an interdisciplinary seminar that integrates different areas of knowledge and culminates in a significant research project. Innovative courses lead to lively discussions that hone students’ analytical thinking, writing, and research skills.

As students move through their time at BU, they develop a strong bond with fellow honors program students. They may also choose to become active in Alpha Chi, an international honor society, or by attending regional and national conferences. Students also have the opportunity to pursue honors-enhanced courses for a richer academic experience. These courses do more than require extra work. They provide active and creative learning that enhances the student’s depth of knowledge of the course’s content. Depending on the discipline, instructor, and course, the honors-enhanced course may also require that a student:

  • Deliver an oral presentation or lecture to the class on a special topic or research effort.
  • Submit a research paper or project to a scholarly organization for presentation or publication.
  • Complete a special research project or laboratory experiment.
  • Submit a term paper.
  • Attend scheduled outside-of-class meetings with the course instructor to discuss course readings.
  • Complete a community service project.

No matter what activities or additional assignments are required, these opportunities give students in-depth and hands-on learning. Ideally, the work completed in honors-enhanced classes connects to the larger projects they pursue, including their senior seminar project.

Whether you plan to enter graduate school or a profession, the honors program will help you develop superior skills in independent and creative thinking that can help make this world a better place. We invite you to learn more about our program by completing the online application below.

Program Information

Admission Requirements

 

Students must:

  • Have an ACT score of 25 or SAT score of 1150 (Math and Critical Reading sections)
  • Are eligible for the Bluefield University Presidential Scholarship
  • Have a high school class rank in the top 20%
  • Have a high school GPA of 3.5 or above
  • Submit the application below, including the four essays.

Program Requirements

 

As a member of the Honors program, you are required to take:

  • Honors general education courses (18-19 credit hours): chose six from English, social science, history, communications, fine arts, Christian studies, natural science, and health.
  • Honors Junior Seminar (3 credit hours): an in-depth interdisciplinary investigation of issues in the student’s major, culminating in a term project of the student’s design.
  • Honors Senior Seminar (1 credit hour): discussions of a jointly agreed upon ‘Great Book.’

Examples of Past Honors Courses:

 

  • Honors Biology – Biology Lives
  • Honors Christian Studies – Who was Jesus?
  • Honors English – Literature of the Quest
  • Honors English – Literature & Healing
  • Honors English – Mythology
  • Honors History – Playing History: World Civilization, Ancient to 1500
  • Honors Psychology – Search for the Heart of Modern Man: the Psychology of Religion
  • Honors Speech – Artful Speech from Aristotle to Zizzy Zoomers

Bluefield University Honors Program Application

Contact Information - Step 1 of 3

Contact Information

Do I only apply once?

  • No. Students must apply each academic year for the fall semester and submit the necessary documents.

Do I have to take the classes specified in the Associate's Degree tracks as they are listed on the information sheet?

  • No. Students may take any of the courses that are offered in a given term.

Where do I find the textbook listing, and where do I purchase the books?

  • Log in to myBU, and under the "Student" tab, you will find a list of the textbooks required (if any) for each course. Students are responsible for purchasing their own textbooks.

How long is a semester?

  • Our semesters are divided into two 8-week terms.

Is there an orientation?

  • Yes. Students can attend an orientation session that explains how to access courses, how to register for classes, and answers other questions.

Where can I find a course description?

Does the student need to take the SAT or ACT in order to take Dual Enrollment classes?

  • No. If a student decides to study at BU full time, BU is currently test-optional for the 2021-2022 admissions cycle.

Are the classes live? Do students need to log in and participate at certain times?

  • Classes are offered online, so a student can log-on and study at their convenience and their own pace. Students have assignments due each week; you can complete your assignments at any point in time before the deadline.

Does an Early College student need to come to campus for anything?

  • No. However, we would love to have you visit our campus if you are interested in continuing with traditional on-campus study. Students who complete their associate's degree have the option to walk at our commencement ceremony.

Are Early College students able to receive Financial Aid?

  • No. However, Early College courses are very affordable compared to other options. The cost for an online Dual Enrollment course is $100 per credit hour.

How do transferring credits work?

  • Each College or University completes a transcript review in order to decide which courses transfer. Sticking to general education classes generally makes transferring credits simple. All Early College courses at Bluefield University are general education classes that should transfer to another accredited institution.

Is an Early College student considered, and treated, as a transfer student when they become a full-time college student if they have earned enough credits to be a Junior?

  • No. Since they have not graduated from high school, they are considered a first-time college student regardless of how many credits transfer. However, by transferring credits when they enroll as a full-time student, they will have to take fewer classes to receive their bachelor's degree, which shortens the length of time to earn the degree.

Can I speak to someone if I have more questions?

  • Yes. Please contact the Office of Admissions by email or you can call them at 276.326.4231

 

Meet our core Counseling faculty

Dr. Challen Mabry

Assistant Professor of Counseling

Dr. Kristen Moran

Associate Professor of Counseling

Brandy Smith

Assistant Professor of Education & Counseling,
Director of the Master of Arts in Counseling Program,
Title IX Confidential Counselor

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