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Who We Are

We’re more than a community of students with outstanding academic records. We’re a vibrant and diverse group of students with a shared passion for learning. With the help of Honors Program faculty and staff, you’ll be joining a supportive environment, developing knowledge, and stimulating critical thinking. You’ll find small and engaging classes, seminars that span multiple disciplines, and a variety of on-campus and off-campus cultural and social events.

Who is in the Honors Program?

More than 400 students from all five of Bradley’s colleges are part of the Honors Program community. We currently represent 90 majors from a wide range of programs.

What does it mean to graduate from the Honors Program?

When you complete the requirements of the program, you’ll receive special recognition on your academic transcript and a medallion to wear at graduation. But, you’ll also join our large network of Honors Program alumni. Leading up to graduation, you’ll receive guidance to ensure admission to graduate programs and successful job placement.

The Honors Advisory Council is a group of students, selected each August by the Director, Assistant Director, and current Council members. The Council meets regularly with the Directors of the Honors Program to discuss all aspects of the Program and to plan social, cultural, and intellectual events for Honors students. The Council consists of first-year students through seniors who participate in four or five meetings each semester and take an active—often leadership—role in Honors offerings. They are dedicated to giving their time to enhance Bradley’s Honors Program with fresh ideas and the implementation of them.

Students interested in applying to be on the Honors Program Advisory Council can apply each year in August. Please check the Honors Program Canvas site for more details. Please send any questions to [email protected].

Current Council Members:

  • Payton Campbell
  • Ryan Dodd
  • Lauren Duell
  • Emily Everett
  • Autumn Haberkorn-Mendez
  • Annabel Lomeli
  • Heberto Martinez Acosta
  • Maddie Norman
  • Wardiyah Rammazy
  • Robby Smith
  • Jenna Zeise
Honors Advisory Council photo

Classes

As part of the Honors Program, you’ll complete five Honors classes that:

  • Are dedicated Honors sections that allow you to engage meaningfully with other members of the community.
  • Fulfill one of the eight areas of inquiry you’re required to complete for Bradley’s Core Curriculum.
  • Can also be taken as electives if you complete your Core Curriculum early.
  • Emphasize active learning and discussion, but don’t require additional work or a more demanding grading scale.

A wide range of Honors courses are available each semester, and while the exact offerings vary, the list below highlights some of the Honors courses you can expect to find. In addition to these classes, it’s common for a few upper-level Honors electives to be mixed in each semester. We designed the Honors Program to complement your major so you can easily complete the program and graduate on time.

CHM 110 – General Chemistry I (3 hours)

Core Curr. NS

Course designed to provide chemical concepts for students majoring in the physical or biological sciences, engineering, or related disciplines. Topics include: measurements; basic inorganic nomenclature; atomic structure; stoichiometry; types of reactions; thermochemistry; periodic properties; molecular structure and bonding; properties of gases, liquids, solids, and solutions; acids and bases.

COM 103 – The Oral Communication Process (3 hours)

Core Curr. CM OC

Theories and skills of oral communication. Emphasis on basic principles of thought, content, organization, style, delivery, and the interaction of communication and culture.

CIV 113 – Unified Fine Arts and Western Civilization I (3 hours)
Core Curr. FA, MI, HU
Combination of Western Civilization with Fine Arts. Study of characteristics of individual art forms and shared elements across a representative selection of the Fine Arts, in combination with a conceptual approach to intellectual, cultural, political, economic, social, and technological elements that have formed the spirit of the various ages from the ancient Near East to the Renaissance, with a geographical focus on the European continent. Students must take both semesters (113 and 114) to satisfy University Core Curriculum requirements in Fine Arts and either Multidisciplinary Integration or Humanities, and for one Writing Intensive requirement.

ENG 101 – English Composition (3 hours)

Core Curr. W1

Principles of clear and effective writing; analysis of essays as models for writing. Required for all freshmen.

ENG 125 – Literatures of Identity (3 hours)

Core Curr. HU MI

Literature about identity formation studied in a multidisciplinary context. The Honors section typically focuses on the topic of vulnerability.

ENG 305 – Advanced Writing–Technical Writing (3 hours)
Core Curr. W2
For engineering and science students: techniques of exposition and report writing. Prerequisite: ENG 101, or CIV 111 and 112; junior standing

ENG 306 – Advanced Writing–Business Communication (3 hours)
Core Curr. W2
Principal types of business letters and reports. Prerequisite: ENG 101, or CIV 111 and 112; junior standing

ENS 110 – Environmental Science (3 hours)

Core Curr. MI, NS

This course examines the science and social implications of environment. Emphasis will be on basic science, social, economic and political implications of human interactions with natural systems and understanding environmental issues and sustainable resource use. Prerequisite: Students with credit for BIO 300 may not enroll in ENS 110.

MUS 109 – Music Appreciation (3 hours)

Core Curr. FA

Detailed study of elements of music, and music notation; general survey of music and composers. How music expresses and communicates feelings and ideas: listening to compositions from various periods. Performance by faculty artists in class, and outside listening experiences. Satisfies fine arts general education requirement. Prerequisite: Non-music majors only.

PHL 103 – An Inquiry Into Values (3 hours)

Core Curr. HU

Major value issues addressed by the world’s most influential philosophers.

PLS 105 – Introduction to American Government (3 hours)

Core Curr. SB

The American political system: constitutional principles, political processes, and governmental policy making.

PSY 201 – Brain and Behavior

Core Curr. NS

An introduction to the scientific study of the nervous system and its relation to behavior. The underlying biology of learning, memory, language, sensation, emotion, reproductive behavior, psychopathology, and other topics.

Seminars are 1-credit courses that meet for one hour per week for the 15-week semester or two hours per week for just the first seven weeks of the semester.

You need to take at least three seminars to complete the program, but because these are so popular, many students take more than what’s required.

You can take up to one seminar per semester, and you won’t be charged additional tuition for seminars when you have more than 16 hours.

We offer at least 10 seminars each semester that span a wide range of topics. We encourage you to take seminars on topics outside of your major. The list below represents some of the recent seminar offerings.

Housing

If you plan to live on campus, you can choose to live in special Honors housing. While it’s not required, many program students opt for Honors housing.

Learn more about housing at Bradley.

During your first year, you can select the first, second, or third floor of Williams Hall, which are reserved for Honors students. The first floor is designated gender inclusive housing. These floors are part of the Honor Living Learning Community: as a first-year student, you’ll select one of the Honors Seminars dedicated to the Living Learning Community, which means you’ll have at least one course with someone you know from your housing. In many cases, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in optional floor events outside of class time with your classmates and faculty members in the Living Learning Community. Living on an Honors floor means you’ll build a strong connection with other students in the program as soon as you get to campus.

You can also take advantage of the other perks of Honors Housing in Williams Hall:

  • Move in one day early to avoid the rush on Saturday morning when the residence halls open.
  • Attend special floor programming and extra social events coordinated by your Residential Advisors, who are also members of the Honors Program.
  • Have an assigned Honors Program roommate or if you have a preferred roommate who isn’t an Honors student, they can still join you in Honors housing.
  • Stay in Honors Housing as a returning student, where many of our second-year students are mixed in on these floors. 

Honors Housing in Williams Hall is available on a first-come, first-served basis. There are approximately 165 students living on the Honors floor. If you’re interested, please visit the Bradley Bound site to access the housing application to indicate your preference for Honors Housing and the Honors Living Learning Community.

To reserve your spot as a new student:

  • The link for the Housing application will appear at your Bradley Bound site after submitting your enrollment fee
  • Select Honors Housing
  • Complete the Honors Housing application
  • Rank Honors Housing as your first choice in the Housing Application.

If you are a returning student, you’ll receive instructions to sign up for Honors Housing in your Bradley email.

As a junior or senior, you can also choose to live in the St. James apartments where we have one building reserved for Honors Program students. These are apartment-style buildings owned by Bradley University. Each unit houses four students with a kitchen, living room, four single-bedrooms, and two bathrooms.

Unlike the other St. James apartments, the Honors building has a community space. One of the units has been renovated to create a space you’ll share with the other Honors students in St. James. It includes a kitchen, living room, study rooms, and a game room. We’ll host special events such as game nights and potluck dinners in this space throughout the year. Similar to Williams Hall, you’re welcome to include roommates who aren’t part of the Honors Program.

Honors Student Opportunities