About the Honors College

A Message From The Honors College Director

Excelere Ultra.

Recently, our Honors students chose a new slogan for the Lipscomb Honors College. They unanimously agreed that “Excelere Ultra” captures the spirit of what we are trying to accomplish. To excel beyond…

Beyond what?

Well, that part is up to our students and alumni with their exceptionally wide variety of interests, passions, and callings.

In myriad ways, they are excelling beyond… beyond expectations – both their own and others’, beyond their current potential, beyond their cultural and societal borders.

Jesus calls us to excel beyond. We are to be “in the world, but not of the world.” At an institution like Lipscomb, where our mission is to be “a Christ-centered community preparing learners for purposeful lives through rigorous academics and transformative experiences,” the Honors College is poised particularly well to capitalize on the university’s resources and provide such a transformative experience to our highest achieving students.

The Honors College offers many courses within the Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum, which encourages our students to excel beyond standard general education courses, taking courses specifically focused on the Liberal Arts, courses like Moral Philosophy, Medieval European History, and African American Literature. In addition to the elevated academic experience, our students also enjoy unique cultural learning opportunities, and they engage in top-level academic research as part of their Honors College experience at Lipscomb. Our students have recently won prestigious awards for their work in journalism, in the sciences, and in leadership and public service; they continue Lipscomb’s long tradition of prestigious scholarship with awards like the Fulbright; and they continue to win spots in our nation’s most prestigious graduate and professional schools.

Alan Bradshaw, Director of the Honors College

To sum it all up, it is an exciting time for the Honors College at Lipscomb. We are well-poised to excel beyond, as we prayerfully pursue our goal to be a top-tier Honors College among American academic institutions. And we know that the only way we can reach this goal is to have YOU involved… whether you are a current student, an alumnae, a parent, or just a friend of the Honors College, we welcome your active participation in our mission! So thank you for taking the time to learn more about YOUR Honors College!

Warm regards,

Alan Bradshaw
Director, Honors College

More about the Honors College

What is distinctive about the Lipscomb Honors College?

Excelere Ultra

“To excel beyond” – that’s the motto our Honors College students have chosen to designate our mission. Students in the Honors College have already proven their ability to excel beyond the expectations of the academy, and we want to catalyze that spirit of academic adventure! As a part of the Lipscomb Honors College, our students “excel beyond” – academically, spiritually, in service, in research, and in just having fun!

A unique, faith-based honors curriculum

Our Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum exposes students to the liberal arts, which form the foundation of the tradition of the academy. In addition to our attention to the great ideas, thinkers, writers, and philosophers of our history, we explore the Christian intellectual tradition, to examine how a Biblical worldview may address our society’s most wicked problems.

Outside-the-Box Learning

Honors courses go beyond the standard lecture course to convey knowledge. Our curriculum targets experiences that capitalize on unique didactic strategies, particularly with small, discussion-based or project-based classes, global learning, and service-learning. We also provide students with the opportunity to compete for prestigious scholarships like the Fulbright award that can extend an immersive educational experience in a different culture.

What are the tangible benefits of membership in the Honors College?

Deeper Engagement

Students in the Lipscomb Honors College take courses in the Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum, in which they explore the Ancient World, the Modern World, Literature, The Sciences, Society & Perspectives, and Faith & Reason. Although these courses provide general education credit, they invite our students to excel beyond the typical gen ed curriculum, with content typically covered by majors in the respective disciplines these courses cover. Class sizes are smaller with greater access to the world-class Honors faculty who teach them. And learning pedagogies in these courses are cutting-edge and engaging.

A Focus on the Liberal Arts

In the tradition of the academy, liberal arts are the subjects that one was expected to have mastered to be considered an “educated person.” The word “liberal” connotes that such education liberates one from the constraints implied by a lack of education; the liberal arts liberate a person to be the fullest expression of themselves. The liberal arts can be contrasted with the servile arts (primarily trade-based knowledge) and share common ground with the fine arts (knowledge for creative and artistic expression). Although different classification schemes exist, the liberal arts originated with the trivium, consisting of rhetoric, grammar, and logic – with the quadrivium of astronomy, arithmetic, geometry, and music added later. In modern usage, the liberal arts are usually understood to mean the humanities, sciences, mathematics, social sciences, and fine arts that form many general education curricula at higher education institutions.

The Lipscomb Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum allows students to explore the liberal arts through six core areas of study: The Ancient World, The Modern World, Literature, The Sciences, Society & Perspectives, and Faith & Reason.

Dedicated Honors Courses

In addition to the courses in the Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum required for graduation from the Honors College, we offer dedicated honors general education courses in Lipscomb Experience, Bible, English, the Sciences, Communication, and Engagements. These courses offer in-depth, discussion-based, and experiential learning opportunities with Lipscomb’s outstanding Honors Faculty.

Honors Housing

Honors College freshmen may elect Honors Housing, a block of rooms on a specific floor of the freshman dormitories. While your immediate neighbors will be fellow Honors College students, you’ll also live with other non-Honors freshmen allowing you to build a strong campus community. Additionally, we are piloting a program that provides Honors Housing for juniors and seniors in one of our newest dorms.

Advance Registration

Honors College students enjoy priority registration for courses, so you can be sure you’ll get the courses you need to stay on track!

Activities and Events

We host a wide variety of activities and events both on- and off-campus throughout the year. Join us for International Dinner night, Movies on the Lawn, a trip to see the Nashville Symphony, or Broadway shows that come to town. You’ll also enjoy stimulating lectures, poetry readings, and other intellectually satisfying events.

Opportunities for Leadership

We have an active Honors Student Council that leads our academic, social, spiritual, and service endeavors. Membership on the council is an excellent opportunity to develop leadership skills that follow you for years to come!

Opportunities for Service

Lipscomb Honors College students have a heart for service, and we find and develop many opportunities both on- and off-campus to serve our community. The Service Committee of the Honors Council offers several such opportunities each semester.

Undergraduate Research Support

The Honors College offers financial support on an application basis for research, including support for projects and travel support to present research at national and international conferences. Learn more about Undergraduate Research.

Post-graduate Scholarship Support

Our students are very likely to go on to graduate school or even become a Fullbright Scholar abroad. Many scholarships are available and our staff offers the guidance and support to make your future goals a reality. See our competitive scholarships page for more information.

Student Mentoring Program

Peer-to-peer mentoring is priceless as a student moves through everything from choosing courses to managing stress/perfectionism, spiritual growth and setting professional goals. We pair upperclassmen with younger students to help guide them through four years in Honors College.

The Honors House

Our students love to study, converse, play, and just “hang out” in the Honors House – a home away from home!

Spiritual Life

In addition to the mentoring opportunities we provide, we sponsor a breakout chapel for Honors College students, and we enjoy worship evenings together on the Honors House lawn. Learn more about spiritual life at Lipscomb University.

What is the process for admission to the Honors College?

If you’re a new student applying to Lipscomb, just check the box on your application to indicate your interest in the Honors College. Current students may contact the Program Director to begin the application process to apply.

For new students, admission to the Honors College requires a high-school GPA of 3.85 or above; along with a minimum ACT score of 28, or a minimum SAT score of 1310. Transfer students who bring a strong academic record from their previous institution are also eligible. And we make exceptions for exceptional students with other notable qualifications! Just honors [at] lipscomb.edu (contact us) if you have concerns about admissions requirements.

What is the current student process for admission?

What are the requirements for graduation from the Honors College?

What is the Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum?

The Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum recognizes an expectation that Honors College students are engaged across the academic and intellectual spectrum, and so offers the opportunity for in-depth exploration of disciplines outside one’s chosen major. Many Honors College students matriculate at Lipscomb having already satisfied a significant portion of a standard general education curriculum, so the Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum invites them to a methodical exposure to the significant thoughts, ideas, and problems covered in many “Great Books” or “Great Ideas” programs.

In short, Honors College students emerge with a well-grounded liberal arts education by satisfying six Liberal Arts Heritage Cores, selecting courses that address: The Ancient World and the Modern World (history, politics, and philosophy), Literature (English and modern languages), The Sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, space science), Society & Perspectives (social sciences, psychology, law, economics, diverse perspectives), and Faith & Reason (ethics, vocation, religion).

The Curriculum Specifics:

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Liberal Arts Heritage curriculum

What are Honors College courses like?

Often, we meet prospective students who are reluctant to apply for the Honors College because their Honors experience in high school meant simply that they did more work than non-Honors students. At Lipscomb, that’s not the objective. Lipscomb Honors courses may well be more challenging, more intellectually engaging, and certainly more in-depth, but they’re not just more work. They’ll invite you to excel beyond an ordinary approach to education – to learn to educate yourself – to be an independent critical thinker ready to tackle the wicked problems we all face.