MBU St. Louis Honors engages a diverse population of highly motivated students with scholarly and creative challenges that empower and equip them to be expansive, innovative thinkers, conscious global citizens, and curious, committed followers of Christ. We ask that students take intellectual risks; that they hold themselves to high standards; that they act as servant leaders on campus and off; and that they engage the big questions of today and yesterday with rigor and charity.
The program not only prepares students for careers and graduate school, but also trains them to become compassionate leaders, both in the Christian community and in the world.
Students who have been accepted and admitted to MBU as freshmen or transfer students for Fall 2018, click the link below and complete the online application as soon as possible. Early applicants may be invited to an interview in the fall semester. Online applications should be completed by February 15, 2018. Applicants who are accepted will be invited to participate in on-campus interviews on either January 20 or February 17, 2018. (Applicants who are unable to make the trip to St. Louis may attend via Skype or Facetime to participate in the interviews.) The next class of 15 MBU Honors students will be selected from the interviews.
Students who have completed the Honors Program at St. Charles Community College may also apply for membership in MBU Honors. The same application and interview process will be used for transfer students.
Each student must complete at least three Honors Contracts
All Honors students will take part in at least one of the following travel options during their time at MBU:
– Best Semester
– Study Abroad
– Travel Studies
A tangible award will be presented to all who complete MBU Honors. This may be in the form of a medallion, stole, hood, or academic cap. Special awards may be presented to students who go “beyond” the minimum requirements of MBU Honors or have exceptional work that merits additional recognition within the University and community.
HONR 111 – Honors Seminar I
This course provides new Honors students with an orientation and introduction to the MBU Honors Program, providing information on the entire course of study along with practical experience in the seminar-learning, creative presentation, and writing skills required for success as independent thinkers, researchers, and authors. Meets Collegiate Seminar requirement for Honors students.
Prerequisite: Acceptance into Honors Program
HONR 112 – Honors Seminar II
Spring Freshman year
This course will conceptually explore a spectrum of Big Ideas, delving into Christian and human thought and creativity. Students will engage in daily discussions with other students and faculty regarding the contents of reading and other course materials and be expected to provide both oral and written reflection on the topics considered. PREREQUISITE: Acceptance into Honors Program, HONR 111.
HONR 313 – Conducting and Presenting Research
Fall Sophomore Year
This course provides students with skills for conducting and presenting research at an advanced level. Students will be introduced to bibliographical resources, appropriate materials and procedures for conducting independent and collaborative research, and proper presentation of findings at a professional, post-baccalaureate level. PREREQUISITE: Acceptance into Honors Program.
HONR 323 – Creating and Publishing Independent Research
Spring Sophomore year
This course provides students with guidance in planning a program of research within a particular discipline. Students will complete a search for an appropriate topic and objective much like a graduate thesis topic and design a process to achieve and realize that objective through the use of Honors Contracts, culminating in their Senior Project. PREREQUISITE: Acceptance into Honors Program, HONR 313.
HONR 413 – Senior Seminar
Fall Senior year
The Senior Seminar provides students with a time to discuss and prepare proposals for Senior Projects, discuss and learn from one another and faculty in defining and developing Senior Projects, and sharing discoveries made in research with one another in a seminar discussion/workshop setting. Students will also engage ideas from earlier Honors seminars to integrate their worldview with scholarship in their major and general education courses taken throughout their college experience. Meets the World Citizen requirement for Honors students.
Prerequisite: HONR 323
HONR 421-423 – Senior Project
The Senior Project is a culminating research project that brings together student’s previous work in the Honor classes and Honors Contracts. This may be combined with a Capstone project in the student’s major or in a separate area of interest. If the Capstone Course in the student’s major is to be used as the Senior Project for Honors, then an Honors Contract will be issued to define the requirements for the Honors credit. The Senior Project must be approved by the Honors Director and, if combined with a Capstone course in a particular discipline, a supervising faculty member from that discipline.
Prerequisite: HONR 323
If you are ready for a more intense intellectual experience, MBU Honors is ready for you. For more information, contact Dr. Larry Smith at Larry.Smith@mobap.edu. Online applications should be completed by the Jan. 31, 2018. Applicants will be invited to participate in an on-campus interview on Feb. 25, 2018.