Discover joy in the quest for truth.

For too long, academically excellent Catholic students had to choose between attending an elite school that is not Catholic and a faithfully Catholic school that is less rigorous. Not anymore.

Apply for Honors Donate to the Honors College

I. Our Mission

Catholic fidelity. Exceptional academic quality.

The Honors College at Ave Maria University combines Catholic fidelity with exceptional academic quality. We educate a highly selective group of the nation's top undergraduates who desire academic excellence at a faithful Catholic university.

Your intellectual, cultural, and spiritual growth is our top priority. You will form authentic friendships with talented peers who challenge you to be your very best. Under the personal guidance of outstanding professors, you will be nourished by the treasures of the Catholic faith, Great Books, and state-of-the-art laboratories. You will be offered opportunities for cultural and artistic enrichment, leisure and contemplation, and excursions in the exceptional natural beauty of Southwest Florida. And in collaboration with The Institute at Ave Maria University, you will receive premier access to career discernment and the acceleration of your professional skills toward the fulfillment of your calling after graduation.

II. Our Work

Three labors of the Honors College.

Curriculum

The Honors College provides the best of AMU's core curriculum: enriching and stimulating Honors core courses that are smaller than regular sections and taught by select professors. HONS 101 is an exclusive Honors freshman seminar in rhetoric and literature. In the HONS 401 Honors capstone seminar, seniors engage deep questions in philosophy, science, the humanities, and their own academic project. Throughout their four years, Honors students also choose at least four Honors core curriculum courses in History, Philosophy, Politics, Rhetoric and Poetics, and Theology. They can also take Latin, Chemistry, and Physics for Honors credit. Honors students may receive academic credit through the Honors Research Internship, in which Honors students gain real-world skills by working one-on-one with a professor on his or her research in any discipline.

“

At the Honors College, seek sanctity through study and friendship. Love work as prayer. Discover joy in the quest for truth.

The Honors College — Ave Maria University

The Colloquia

Lectures & debates across the year.

The Honors College hosts a year-round series of interdisciplinary lectures, debates, and seminars with distinguished guests. Honors students participate in eight colloquia across their four years.

Past events.

New Date Forthcoming

Annual Michael Sugrue Lecture

Reassessing Historical Progress: Western Christianity, Consumption, and Climate

Guest Speaker: Professor Brad Gregory , University of Notre Dame

Time: New Date Forthcoming

Location: O'Bryan Performance Hall, Thomas and Selby Prince Building

Sponsors: History Department, Honors College, and Michael Sugrue Legacy Fund

Co-Sponsors: Collegium Institute and the Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society, University of Pennsylvania

About the Speaker

Professor Brad Gregory is the Henkels Family College Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame. His pathbreaking research has shown the effects of religious and political disagreement from the Reformation era to the present. He is the author of several books, including the prize-winning Salvation at Stake: Christian Martyrdom in Early Modern Europe (Harvard University Press) and the critically acclaimed Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society (Harvard University Press), which has been translated into four languages.

For Prospective Honors Students

Benefits, eligibility, and how to apply.

Benefits of the Honors College

The Honors College carries many benefits:

Honors Scholarship that helps defray the costs of tuition
Exclusive Honors Housing on premium floors in the residence halls with new amenities
Special early registration for all classes
Dedicated Honors Lounge for Honors courses, colloquia, and a place of study for Honors students
Opportunity to compete for internal nomination for graduate scholarships to study at Oxford
Recognition of Honors on transcript and diploma
Priority access to tutoring jobs on campus

III. The Faculty

Meet the faculty.

Dr. Michael Breidenbach

Dean of the Honors College

Get in Touch

Staff & contact.

Teresa Ledesma

Administrative Assistant of the Honors College

Email: teresa.ledesma@avemaria.edu

Phone: (239) 304-7178

General Inquiries

Questions related to the Honors College

Email: honors@avemaria.edu

Support the Honors College

Preserve a tradition for the next generation.

Your support funds Honors Scholarships, colloquia and lectures, formation activities, and the Honors College's ongoing work of intellectual and spiritual formation rooted in the Catholic tradition.

Give Now Apply for Honors