The Honors Program is designed for students whose high school accomplishments indicate superior intellectual ability, motivation, and openness of mind. To encourage these students in inquiry, creative thinking, and high scholarship, the Honors Program emphasizes breadth and depth of knowledge by nurturing intellectual independence. Class discussion, question and answer sessions, organized debates, student-initiated research projects and presentations by groups and individuals help Honors Program students become self-directed. Students are encouraged to develop their personalities and to pursue non-academic interests.

The goal of the Honors Program is to provide students with the ultimate learning experience while enrolled at Clark Atlanta University. The goals are:

• to nurture and foster intellectual independence;
• to awaken and intensify the learning experience;
• to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence;
• to encourage institutional commitment and leadership development;
• to provide a challenging academic curriculum throughout all levels; and
• to provide experiences that promote lifelong learning.

Honors courses are offered to supplement the regular course offerings. They are more than accelerated; they are designed with the gifted student in mind. Typically, 15 to 20 students are enrolled in an honors course taught by a program-approved professor. Students participating in this program have special opportunities to participate in scholarly projects, studies abroad, internships, conferences, and special research.

Requirements:

• Score at least 1000 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT.
• Have a good command of oral and written communication.
• Have a high school GPA of at least 3.25.
• Submit a completed application form and biographical essay.
• Receive strong recommendations from teachers familiar with his/her intellectual ability and character traits.

Graduation Requirements

Honors Program students take at least eleven (11) Honors Program courses and write and defend a senior thesis project in their major field or across two or three academic disciplines. Non-science majors must complete three (3) colloquia in addition to the eleven (11) courses and senior thesis. Science and engineering majors must take two (2) colloquia in addition to the eleven (11) courses and senior thesis.

Contact:

• Dr. Isabella Jenkins, Director
  Telephone: (404) 880-6101