Sep 13, 2025

2025-2026 Academic Catalog

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2025-2026 Academic Catalog

HONORS COLLEGE

WAU Honors College
Richards Hall, Room 205
301-891-4065 | honorscollege@wau.edu

Bradford Haas, M.A. | Director
Richards Hall, Room 205
301-891-4065 | bhaas@wau.edu

Jonathan Scriven, D.IR. | Associate Director
jscriven@wau.edu

Information

hcadmin@wau.edu

Faculty

INTRODUCTION

The WAU Honors College administers academic degree areas and general education courses in Honors, English, Modern Languages, History, and Political Studies, and works on collaborations with disciplines across the academy. The Honors College is able to offer a wide range of degree options to meet the needs of individual students, and supplies degree areas and general education courses for the entire university community. Many of the minor programs administered by the Honors College (such as ENGLISH MINOR , HISTORY MINOR , POLITICAL STUDIES MINOR , Modern Languages, and WRITING MINOR ) along with the PRE-LAW preprofessional program are open to all students at WAU.

The WAU Honors College curriculum option centers on a learning community for high-achieving students who apply and are accepted into the program. Its interdisciplinary framework allows for flexibility to offer a wide array of distinctive niche educational experiences that emphasize:

Experiential, relationship-based learning to encourage a growth mindset
An interdisciplinary approach that allows for dynamic cross-listing of courses
Cultural literacy and global citizenship
Unique resources of the Washington, D.C. region
Customizable degree tracks, options for original research, and expedited pathways to completion
Leadership & Service opportunities

Through these educational offerings the Honors College seeks to create well-rounded and engaged graduates who will be ready for a variety of career and graduate school choices.

HONORS COLLEGE CURRICULUM

The Honors College curriculum at Washington Adventist University strives to provide high achieving students with the opportunity to engage in and explore subject material in greater depth and breadth, inspiring them to excel as independent learners within a collaborative learning community.

An emphasis of learning-on-location gives students the opportunity to study in Washington, D.C. as well as options to take courses featuring learning-on-location in the United Kingdom. The Honors College also focuses on service learning by requiring students to participate in activities that serve communities at university, local, national and international levels.

The Honors College curriculum is designed to work with any field of study. Honors courses differ in design, as they often explore topics from interdisciplinary perspectives and often employ learning strategies designed specifically for the Honors learning community.

Being an Honors College Student Means:

Taking Honors-designated interdisciplinary courses that are designed to be interesting, provocative and stimulating
Having access and exposure to many of WAU’s most innovative professors
Participating in smaller classes. Honors courses will normally consist of 15 or fewer people, allowing the opportunity for more in-depth discussions and making social connections with fellow Honors students
Learning on-location in the Washington, D.C., area and beyond
Engaging in a learning environment composed of motivated and thoughtful students
Having the opportunity to develop an Honors thesis, thus enhancing professional opportunities or the likelihood of admission to graduate or professional schools
Challenging yourself to grow as a person through leadership and service

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Students who meet the eligibility criteria and have been accepted for regular admission to Washington Adventist University are encouraged to submit an application to enter the Honors College.

An application will be processed only after a completed application is received by the Honors administration. Applications will be reviewed to determine if membership is granted.

Early application is highly recommended, because membership in the Honors College is competitive and limited.

APPLICATION AND INFORMATION | hcadmin@wau.edu
INFORMATION ONLINE | wau.edu/wau-honors-college

Selection Criteria

Admission to the Honors College is competitive and based on a limited number of openings each year. Following are the current criteria:

FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS - Most successful applicants will have the following:

A minimum composite ACT score of 24 or SAT composite score of 1680
A cumulative high school GPA of 3.5 or higher
Superior writing skills, as demonstrated in the letter of intent and writing sample portions of the application process

Students who do not meet the minimum selection criteria may still be considered on an individual basis.

TRANSFER AND CONTINUING STUDENTS - Most successful applicants will have the following:

A cumulative college GPA of 3.4 or higher
Superior writing skills as demonstrated by a submitted writing sample
A letter of recommendation from a college or university faculty member.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

The Honors College is an active academic and social community. To remain a member of the Honors College in good standing, it is expected that members attend at least 80 percent of all scheduled Honors events. Included in this 80 percent are mandatory major events such as the President’s Dinner, the Honors Retreat and the Honors Commiseration Brunch.

STUDY-ON-LOCATION REQUIREMENTS

Honors College students are required to have at least six credit hours of designated study-on-location courses. Study-on-location courses will be offered using the WAU campus as a base, and in special arrangement with our sister institution in the United Kingdom, Newbold College of Higher Education.

The study-on-location courses including a trip to the U.K. will occur each spring semester as a suite of two hybrid courses. Students will remain in residence at WAU and participate in distance learning courses.

After the end of the spring semester, students will then travel to the U.K. for the learning-on-location elements of the two courses.

Note: It is best to do the study-on-location option before your last semester if you are intending to be a spring graduate. If a potential spring graduate takes courses in the study-on-location program they will need to resubmit a graduation application for any given upcoming term in which a degree conferral is given.

To participate in these hybrid courses, Honors College students must be in good academic, financial, and social standing. Students must also be at least 18 years of age at the start of the excursion to the U.K.

Learning-on-location credits may also be earned by taking at least six credit hours of a second language through Adventist Colleges Abroad. Other international coursework or significant international experience (such as serving as a student missionary) that may meet the requirements will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

While six credit hours is the minimum requirement for learning-on-location, students are encouraged to participate in as many of these courses as possible.

GRADUATION RECOGNITION AND REQUIREMENTS

Students completing either of the Honors College tracks will:

Wear a medallion, a red graduation robe, and a gold tassel
Receive a diploma with an Honors Interdisciplinary designation
Be given recognition during the commencement ceremony
Have Honors Interdisciplinary curriculum completion reflected on their transcript

Students completing the Honors Interdisciplinary Minor will:

Wear a medallion and a red graduation robe
Be given recognition during the commencement ceremony
Have Honors Interdisciplinary minor curriculum completion reflected on their transcript

Students must have a 3.4 GPA in the Honors College curriculum in order to receive the Honors designation on their degrees.

Students taking either of the Honors College tracks need to have a 3.4 in their major(s) or in their pre-professional program to also meet the Honors curriculum requirements.

HONORS COLLEGE TRACKS

Honors College curriculum must conform to one of the following two tracks:

TRACK 1: HONORS INTERDISCIPLINARY.

This track combines the depth of a major area of study (such as Religion, Biology, Psychology, English, et al.) or a pre-professional program (such as Pre-Law, Pre-Physical Therapy, or Pre-Dentistry, et al.) with the breadth and flexibility of the Honors Interdisciplinary curriculum, which includes the Honors Core general education requirements.

This track offers the most options for custom tailoring the student experience.

TRACK 2: HONORS INTERDISCIPLINARY FOR DOUBLE MAJORS.

This track is for students who choose to complete two degree programs (Bachelor of Arts + Bachelor of Science; Bachelor of Music + Bachelor of Science), or a degree program and a select pre-professional program approved by the Honors College (such as Pre-Med), along with the Honors Core General Education requirements as well as required Honors elective hours beyond the Honors Interdisciplinary Minor.

Students taking this track will have a more defined curricular path conditioned by the degree areas they have chosen. Examples of combinations of degree programs are: Music Performance + Pre-Med; Biology + Religion; Music Performance + English, et. al.

Both tracks require students to complete the Honors Core general education, study-on-location, leadership and service, capstone thesis, and Honors religion course requirements.

ACCEPTANCE INTO THE HONORS COLLEGE

Students accepted into the Honors College in their first year enter as Honors Interdisciplinary minors. At the end of the first year, students interested may apply for either of the Honors Interdisciplinary tracks.

Acceptance is based on success in the Honors Core curriculum, good standing in the Honors community, recommendation letters from two university professors, and on overall GPA at the college level (minimum considered: 3.25).

Students who are not accepted into either of the Honors Interdisciplinary tracks may continue in the Honors College as an Interdisciplinary minor.