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We accept applications from incoming first-years in the spring. Application materials and more information can be found here.
Please note that the application process to the Honors Program is separate from the application to LMU.
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Depending on whether you apply early action/early decision or regular decision, you will be notified of the decision between February and April.
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Yes. There are two application periods for current LMU students, one in the fall and one in the spring. The application deadline dates and more information can be found here.
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Yes! Honors can be a wonderful source of community, support, and institutional knowledge for first-generation college students. Navigating college can be daunting, and having a smaller team of dedicated faculty and staff ready to help can make all the difference in your experience.
Honors works closely with First To Go, TLC, ACE, Ignacio Student Support Services, McNair Scholars, Upward Bound, and other groups on campus to ensure you can get the most out of all of your communities of support.
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The University Honors Program is one of the most diverse programs at LMU, offering a variety of interdisciplinary courses designed to make you think, question, and create in ways you never have before. Professors are handpicked, classes are smaller, and students are encouraged to reach their full intellectual and creative potentials. While any student at LMU gets a first rate education, students in the Honors Program receive a unique experience and perspective as part of a community of scholars striving to solve the problems of the 21st century. Other Honors benefits are unique co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, priority registration, and opportunity to live in Honors Housing, access to honors advising, and special opportunities like research fellowships and awards. More information can be found here.
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Admittance into the University Honors Program does not guarantee a scholarship and applying for Honors does not qualify you for more financial aid in terms of University tuition and fees. It does, however, open up possibilities for future scholarships and funding for undergraduate research. Honors students are encouraged to apply for Honors scholarships and grants during their time at LMU in order to allow them to pursue their intellectual interests. For example, the Honors Program offers Summer Research Fellowships and Ambassadorial Awards, which students can apply for while enrolled in the program. Additional information on these types of funding opportunities can be found here.
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The Honors Program should help your GPA. Courses are challenging, but they are doable. Honors faculty are dedicated to your success; they will not only push you to reach your potential, but also support you to overcome challenges.
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No. The Honors Program has its own Core course requirements that replace the University Core. The total number of courses in the Honors core is actually lower than the University Core. More information and a comparison of the LMU Core and Honors Core can be found here.
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Because Honors courses require active engagement, self-motivation and effort on your part, you may find them more demanding than some other LMU courses, but also more fulfilling. Courses are designed to push you to realize your full potential. They are taught as discussion seminars similar to what you’d find in a graduate program. In general, Honors classes require you think critically in different ways. For example, although you may be an English major, you learn how to think like a scientist, an economist, or a historian. Connections between various classes and your own experience are emphasized. As an active participant, you will directly contribute to the content and outcomes each Honors course.
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Honors courses are typically smaller than the average University course. This gives students the opportunity to have a more personal academic experience. Honors classes are usually discussion-based seminars, and although they are interdisciplinary, professors give you opportunities to submit projects and papers on topics you are interested in. Honors courses challenge you to think more critically, express your ideas more clearly, and make connections between ideas to create new knowledge. Also, professors in Honors get the chance to teach their specialties, subjects they may not have had a chance to teach before. No two Honors courses are alike.
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All Honors students must complete a standard major and almost all Honors students graduate in 4 years. The Honors Program does not add additional courses to the curriculum as it replaces the regular LMU Core (in fact, the Honors Core is smaller than the LMU Core, allowing more room for second majors and minors, if you wish). The University Honors Program staff and faculty frequently work with students in order to make sure that they will fulfill all requirements within the designated time. Of course, your time to completion depends on how well you manage your time and the number of classes you choose each semester.
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They are completely separate entities. Although many departments (e.g., Business, Biology, English, Engineering) have Honors societies, they are not related to the University Honors Program. Likewise, the Honors Program is not an honor society; it is a separate core curriculum, an opportunity to engage in extracurricular intellectual events, and a curious community of scholars. It is possible to be a part of multiple honor societies and the Honors Program, if you so choose.
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Our approach is aimed to develop whole persons with a genuine concern for others and global issues. The Honors Program assists students in finding research positions, jobs, grants, scholarships, travel and publication opportunities, assistance with graduate school applications, priority registration, and Honors Housing. You will be introduced to the most innovative and dedicated faculty on campus and have opportunities to explore various fields in panels, talks, and events. Honors is a guaranteed community as soon as you enter LMU and provides the chance to meet great people outside of discipline—all in all, a truly unique LMU experience.
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Honors students do not live in a separate residence hall, but Honors students who opt for the Living Learning Community are grouped together to create a community. For example, first-year Honors students are housed together in a Living Learning Community in Del Rey North. second- third- and fourth-year students live in the O'Malley Apartments overlooking the Bluff.
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Yes. However, Honors students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to live in the Honors Living Learning Communities (LLC), especially during the first year. Because you will most likely take the same core classes as other Honors students your first year, it is helpful to have supportive community there, working on the same projects, papers, etc. Living in the Honors LLC maintains that community. Additionally, Honors has a dedicated Faculty Fellow who organizes programming and events for the Honors LLCs.
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Many students in the Honors Program are able to study abroad. Honors encourages its students to travel and be true global citizens. In the past, students have studied in the United Kingdom, Argentina, Germany, Mexico, Spain, China, and many other countries. Honors does not organize its own study abroad programs; rather Honors students coordinate study abroad through the LMU Study Abroad Office. Occasionally, Honors offers Honors core courses in a study abroad destination.
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There is ample time to be involved. In fact, Honors students are typically some of the most involved students on campus and off, whether it’s through a service organization, sorority or fraternity, Campus Ministry, sports teams, ASLMU, The Loyolan, KXLU, clubs, and many more. It all depends on how you manage your time and what programs and organizations you want to be involved with. In your first semester, you will take Introduction to Honors, part of which will also help introduce you to the many ways to get involved around LMU.
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Current Honors students and faculty have access to a dedicated page on Brightspace, LMU's learning management system. That page contains a wealth of information and resources, as well as discussion forums to connect with members of the community.