Mar 19, 2024  
Mercy College 2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
Mercy College 2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Global Honors Program


 

Irina Ellison, Ph.D., and K. Patrick Fazioli, Ph.D., Co-Directors
honors@mercy.edu

Mission Statement

The mission of the Mercy College Global Honors Program is to transform highly motivated and intellectually curious students into critical and reflective future leaders in a global society through an integrated curricular and co-curricular program that emphasizes interdisciplinary, collaborative, and experiential pedagogy. The Global Honors Program promotes the core mission and values of the college in its commitment to fostering diversity, social responsibility, and lifelong learning.   

Program Advantages

Advantages of participating in the Global Honors Program include, but are not limited to:

  • Enrollment in small, engaging seminar-style classes that allow for close interaction with hand-picked Honors faculty as well as other highly motivated students;
  • Priority registration;
  • Opportunity to participate in unique learning experiences and established High Impact Practices, including Living Learning Communities, Study Abroad and Alternative Spring Break, common reads, community-based learning, self-directed research, and attendance or presentation at undergraduate conferences;
  • Opportunities to participate in a variety of special extracurricular activities and events, including receptions, invited speakers, and trips to local cultural and historical attractions;
  • Mentorship from students and faculty in the honors program;
  • Official recognition at Commencement.

Admission to the Mercy College Global Honors Program

Admission to the Mercy College Global Honors Program is through application only and is highly competitive. Students are evaluated holistically on their application as well as their history of academic success, rigorous curriculum and commitment to service and engaged leadership.

In order to be eligible to apply for admission to the Global Honors Program, students must be full-time and be registered for a majority of their classes at a physical on-campus location (fully Distance Learning students are currently not eligible for admission to the Global Honors Program).

Freshmen: Students applying to the program after High School must have a minimum High School GPA of 86.

Transfer Students: Student applying to the program after completion of credits at another undergraduate institution must have a minimum GPA of 3.2 and must be transferring 12-75 credits towards their Mercy College degree completion. Students transferring more than 75 credits towards their Mercy College degree are not eligible for application. Students transferring fewer than 12 credits will be evaluated on their High School GPA.

Continuing Students: Continuing students at Mercy College may apply for admission to the Program after a minimum of 12 credits and up to a maximum of 75 credits, have been completed at Mercy College. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.2. Students must submit two letters of recommendation, at least one of which is from Mercy College faculty.

Maintaining Satisfactory Progress

Global Honors Program students must make adequate progress in achieving program expectations to remain in the Mercy College Global Honors Program. Satisfactory progress is defined as:

  • Maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above
  • Maintaining an Honors course GPA of 3.2 or above
  • Registered as a full-time student and registered for a majority of their classes at a physical on-campus location
  • Completing a minimum of twenty hours of community service per academic year
  • Attending a minimum of four Global Honors Program-approved Mercy College academic events per academic year
  • Demonstrating the academic and behavioral standards of Mercy College students
  • Completing approximately one Honors course per semester

If adequate progress is not maintained, a student will be placed on Honors Program probation for one semester. If satisfactory progress is not resumed, the student may be dismissed from the Honors Program thereafter.

Successful Completion of the Global Honors Program

In order for students to be recognized at graduation as successfully completing the Mercy College Global Honors Program they must:

  • Complete their degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 of above
  • Complete their Global Honors Program curriculum with a GPA of 3.2 or above
  • Earn a grade of C or above in all Global Honors Program courses
  • Complete all service and engagement requirements of the program
  • Complete an Honors Capstone project

Students who entered the program as Freshmen must additionally:

  • Complete a minimum of 27 credits of Honors courses (no more than 6 credits can be completed as Honors contracts)

Students who entered the program as Transfers or Continuing students must additionally:

  • Complete a minimum of 15 credits of Honors courses (no more than 6 credits can be completed as Honors contracts)

Honors Courses

Honors Courses foster a unique learning environment where students are given focused opportunities to deepen their learning and develop skills in collaboration and self-directed learning. Honors courses are reserved for students admitted to the Global Honors Program. All Honors Courses will share a common set of learning outcomes (in addition to the other course student  learning outcomes) that are included on the course outline and that are assessed in these courses.

Students who complete Honors Courses should be able to:

  1. Examine an issue or theme related to course material through two or more distinct disciplinary lenses (Interdisciplinarity)
  2. Demonstrate effective collaboration with peers in pursuit of a shared goal (Collaboration)
  3. Reflect upon how experiential learning has deepened their understanding of course material (Experiential Learning) Honors courses are generally reserved for students admitted to the Global Honors Program and by virtue of their priority scheduling get first admission to the courses. However, students who have completed at least 15 credits at the College and who have a Mercy GPA of 3.2 or higher may enroll in Honors courses, if space is available.

* N.B. The Honors Program has undergone a major revision. Students who entered the program prior to Fall 2018 are strongly encouraged to consult the catalog in the year in which they entered and/or reach out to the program Co-Directors for further guidance.