University Honors Program
Marquette’s University Honors Program is designed for intellectually curious, academically engaged students who want to learn in a close-knit community of their peers at the heart of a vibrant research university. Its broadly based, interdisciplinary curriculum addresses our most pressing contemporary challenges with cutting-edge knowledge and research and the wisdom of centuries of Jesuit values and pedagogy. Our Honors values and learning outcomes emphasize curiosity and open-mindedness, active listening and dialogue, breadth of learning and experience, and a commitment to equity, justice, and human rights.
The UHP offers two ways to participate in Honors: Core Honors, in which students follow an Honors version of the Marquette Core Curriculum throughout their undergraduate career; and Disciplinary Honors, in which students do Honors work in their majors. Students may participate in either program or both. Core Honors is open to incoming first-year students, who apply after being accepted to Marquette; students apply to Disciplinary Honors programs in their sophomore year. For more information on both programs, view our values and learning outcomes, browse our website, or contact us!
HONORS NEWS
Honors Study Abroad Award Winners 2025
Marquette’s Office of International Education and the University Honors Program have designated six particularly outstanding Study Abroad Programs as Honors-specific. Students who enroll in these programs for regular semester study and commit to taking special Honors options within them are eligible for competitive Honors awards. Congratulations to recent winners: Emily Fairgrieve and Hannah Gerwing both won $1000 awards for the SLU Madrid program in spring 2025, and Kamaria Gragston won a $1500 award for the Sibanye Cape Town program in spring 2025. Congratulations!
New Honors Leadership Council
The University Honors Program welcomed nine alumni to campus with the goal of furthering the mission of the program and to support positive alumni relations. The Council participated in two days of events which included a Civic Dialogue on the topic of the value of education, with Honors students faciliating table discussions. The second day included an overview of the program; Q&A with Honors students, director, faculty and staff; tours, and a workshop on fundraising and building alumni-student relations.
Honors students attended Civic Dialogues with the new Honors Leadership Council.
Spring 2025 Classes Posted:
Honors classes for Spring 2025 are posted
to the courses webpage.
Honors Program Mentor Program
Honors student Lois Dahlman hosted a collage vision board session with her mentees. The Raynor Memorial Library donated archived magazines as collage supplies.
Honors Faculty Jon Metz and Scott Reid receive Honors Graduating Class of 2024 Outstanding Faculty Awards
Graduating Honors students nominate a shortlist of faculty who have been their strongest teachers and mentors and then vote for their top two. Dr. Metz, Teaching Assistant Professor of Theology, regularly teaches Honors CORE 4929H, the Marquette Core Curriculum capstone. Dr. Reid, Professor of Chemistry and currently the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in Arts and Sciences, teaches a range of Chemistry courses and has mentored many Honors students in his lab.
Honors Research Fair to Celebrate Research Award Winners
Congratulations to the Honors Research
Fellowship Awards Winners for Summer 2024! Student awardees received up to $3500 for research or creative projects carried out June-August 2024. Awardees will present their research findings at the Honors Undergraduate Research Fair
Tues, Nov 19, 4 - 5:30pm
Sensenbrenner Atriums
Learn more about the summer projects.
Legal Empowerment Brigade
Applications open! Last March the Brigade went to rural Honduras to educate and empower a local community about their right to a violence-free life. Applications are open for new members to continue this important work. For more information contact Ava Ketterman.
Photo Opportunities:
Honors Students working at this semester's first Creative Writing Workshop
The product of late-night studying in the Honors Program Suite.
HONORS EVENTS
Near West Side Bus Tour
Honors students explored Milwaukee’s near west side neighborhood by bus. They met community members and enjoyed lunch. Near west side: a neighborhood of neighborhoods.
Creative Writing Workshop
Tuesdays, 5 - 6:30pm.
Honors Creative Writing Workshops offer three writing events open to everyone with an optional open workshop for feedback. Each workshop will cover a different topic. While each month’s session will build upon the last, feel free to come to one, two, or all three! Snacks,provided.
Sep 17: World-building
Oct. 22: Character-sketching
Nov. 19: Dialogue
Open Study in the Harry Potter Room
During the busyness of midterms and finals, the Eisenberg room (Harry Potter, 3rd floor of Sensenbrenner) is open for quiet study.
Sunday Studies
Sundays Sept. 29, Oct. 6, and Oct. 13.
Hosted in the Honors Suite (Sensenbrenner 002). Come during one of the designated times (10am-12pm Biology; 12pm-2pm Chemistry; 2pm-4pm Physics; 4pm-6pm Math & Computer Science; 6pm-8pm Accounting; 8pm-10pm General Study) to co-work for particular classes. Or, if you have work to do for other classes, come anyway!
Honors Curriculum Info Session and Schedule Planning Workshop
Wed, Oct. 23 6 to 7:30pm
Cramer Hall, Room 104J
Restorative Justice Conference
Fri, October 25, 9am to 3pm
The Marquette Law School is hosting a conference on Restorative Justice. In collaboration with UW-Milwaukee, Dr. Zurcher and Dr. Daigle will bring together a limited number of students from both the MU Honors Program and the UWM Honors College. Activities will include: three conference talks/panels, participating in two discussions with students and faculty from both universities, and a free lunch.
Honors Clothing Swap
Tues, Nov. 12 4 – 6 pm
Honors suite + lower level garden hallway. A collaboration with the Art Club and the Sustainability Club.
Tiny Desk Concert
Tue, Oct 29 7 - 9 pm
Eisenberg Reading Room,
Sensenbrenner Hall
For more information, please contact event organizer Jace Ocker.
Straz Registration Event
Mon, Nov. 16 5:30 - 7pm
Primary advisees, emphasis on HPMP students, mentor volunteers, with food.
Intellectual Joy
Mon, November 18 4 - 4:50pm
Tues, November 19 3:30 - 4:20pm
Fri, November 22 3 - 3:50pm
This is a follow-up to workshops that Dr. Melissa Shew (longtime instructor in Honors Core classes, now in the Center for Teaching & Learning) facilitated in October with the peer mentor program. In these follow-up sessions, we’d like to include their instructors in the conversation to share their experiences with joy in their lives, educations, and as educators.
