First-years in Honors 100 practice networking and articulating their academic interests with their peers.

There are roughly 240 students in the Moreau Honors Program. While there is no fixed number, we typically accept about 60 students each year.

The Moreau Honors Program offers courses in a wide array of disciplines so that students can select topics that interest them while also being encouraged to explore new areas. Many of our courses also fulfill General Education requirements that all Stonehill students need to take, making it easier for Honors students to weave Honors courses into their schedules.

Honors courses are designed to be rigorous, engaging, and participatory. They are not designed to pile on assignments just for the sake of adding more work. Rather, thanks to their small class size and skilled faculty, they are designed to help students challenge their assumptions, sharpen their thinking, and voice their ideas in a supportive environment with motivated peers.

Students must take five Honors courses during their time at Stonehill, starting with one course in their first semester. After that, students select when and which Honors courses to take. In addition to those five courses, students take Honors 100, a one-credit seminar, in the spring their first year and Honors 400, another one-credit seminar, in the fall of senior year. Both seminars are taught by the Honors Program Director.

Absolutely! In fact, the majority of Honors students have more than one major and/or minor, and students in all majors are welcome. We value the interdisciplinarity that having students interested in diverse fields brings to our program and our conversations.

Yes! Most students in the Honors Program study abroad, participate in an off-campus internship, and/or student teach, etc. Careful planning and discussion with your academic advisor and the director of the Honors Program can help students meet all their requirements while engaging in these valuable experiences.

In the first year, Honors students live together in the same dorm. Most students have roommates in the Honors Program, though this is not required. Living together during the first year helps forge a close-knit community within the larger Stonehill community and provides students with a welcoming environment that is both social and supportive of their academic efforts. Beyond the first year, there are options for Honors students to continue to live together if interested.

The Honors Program offers a wide variety of opportunities for learning, socializing, and contributing outside of the classroom. Each year, field trips might take students to see a play in Boston, an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, and/or a Red Sox game at Fenway. On campus, students on the Honors Advisory Council have a large role in designing and planning events, such as the annual Welcome Back BBQ and Murder Mystery event. Other recent events have included a Food Justice presentation with four invited speakers, an Alumni panel and networking event featuring seven accomplished Honors alums, student-led discussions of films for Black History month, and volunteering at Stonehill’s Farm.

Yes. While the majority of students apply and are accepted into the Honors Program when they apply to Stonehill as high school seniors, we do have a small second-chance admissions process. Students who do extremely well in their first semester at Stonehill are invited to apply over winter break. A committee reviews their applications at the start of the spring semester. Students who are accepted join the program in Feb. so they can participate in Honors 100 and other Honors experiences; since they are entering the program after registration for fall and spring courses, these students have need to take only three Honors courses rather than five.

Contact Information

Edward F. McGushin

Edward F. McGushin

Professor of Philosophy, Director of the Moreau Honors Program