Honors College

What if your classes were designed around the concept of helping you practice the habit of thinking? Of helping you develop an authentic writer’s voice so that—as Irish poet Seamus Heaney once remarked—your words have "the feel of you about them?" Of helping you challenge yourself to such a degree that you learn new things about yourself? If these questions appeal to you, then you’ve come to the right place.

Westminster’s Honors College—one of only two honors colleges in Utah—offers a distinctive course of study for academically and intellectually prepared students who want to challenge themselves within a supportive environment. While the core of the Honors College is a specially designed menu of team-taught classes that serve as an alternative pathway through Westminster’s general education program, the Honors College provides its 200 students with other enriched opportunities like leadership training, mentoring and funding for research; meetings with visiting speakers; and access to unique study abroad opportunities. Most importantly, these high-achieving students feel a sense of shared purpose and community that grows out of a distinctive learning environment focused on compelling conversations about issues that matter.

"One of the best honors programs in the country."

—Dr. John Zubizarreta, Columbia College
Past President, National Collegiate Honors Council
Carnegie Foundation/CASE US Professor of the Year

Honors College Curriculum

The Honors College core curriculum consists entirely of team-taught, interdisciplinary seminars, making Westminster’s program one of the most comprehensive in the country. These engaging courses encourage active learning, personalized attention, and critical thinking. The curriculum is designed to help students discover their own identities as thinkers, speakers, and writers in a classroom environment that emphasizes practicing conversations across difference – a key skill in today’s contentious world. While Honors students are represented in all majors across campus, because they take their core Honors courses together and have access to a robust co-curricular program, they feel an especially strong connection to each other. A vibrant and award-winning co-curriculum also supports student belonging, leadership development, and wellness.

"The honors college develops compassionate, articulate undergraduate leaders equipped with these mission-essential competencies through an impressive curriculum tied thoughtfully to institutional learning outcomes. This outstanding curriculum, along with a strategic plan for diversity and intentional peer and faculty/staff advising, grounds the honors college’s vision of cultivating a ‘community of diverse voices’ at the heart of Westminster University and distinguishes this honors college as a local and national leader in honors education."

—Dr. Kristine Miller
Director of the Utah State University Honors Program

As I head out into my post-graduate life, I am confident that I have learned powerful skills in the Honors College and at Westminster to help me overcome any challenge. I don’t think I could have chosen a more perfect place."

Vanessa Eveleth
‘'23

Vanessa Eveleth

Vanessa Eveleth

'23

The Honors College’s emphasis on diversity, writing and communication skills, and interdisciplinary approaches has helped me develop confidence in who I am and what I bring to the classroom."

Juanita Galvis
‘'25

Juanita Galvis

Juanita Galvis

'25

My conversation skills gained in the round-table seminars supported my successful interview for medical school, and the intensive writing development over the past 4 years translated into a polished personal statement."

Amanda Lee
‘

Amanda Lee