Aquinas Scholars must take at least four courses as honors sections. (Honors courses are often referred to as honors “sections” because they are specifically designated honors sections of broader university courses [e.g., an honors section of THEO 100].)

Honors sections are distinctive from non-honors sections:

• a substantially smaller class size
• taught by faculty recognized for excellence in teaching
• an increased focus on student participation and in-depth examination of topics

To learn more about these courses, visit the Honors Sections page.

Aquinas Scholars are required to take three honors seminars. These seminars are two-credit, usually team-taught, interdisciplinary courses that allow Aquinas Scholars to study more creative and experimental topics.

There is no additional tuition cost for Aquinas Scholars seminars. Certain honors seminars may also fulfill the university's Integrations in the Humanities core requirement, the Writing to Learn (Writing Across the Curriculum) core requirement, or both.

To learn more about these courses, visit the Honors Seminars page.

Scholarly events include the Scholars Symposium each spring, which consists of a student art exhibition, faculty presentations, and many other social activities around campus.

There is also a monthly Pizza with a Prof, where students invite a professor to share and discuss their current research over a free lunch of pizza and pop. Some recent topics have included "Using Exercise to Boost Your Grade Point Average" (by a Health and Exercise Science professor), "The Communication Secrets to Healthy, Happy Relationships (and thus a healthy, happy life)" (by a Communications and Journalism professor), "Using Economics to Inform Public Policy" (by an Economics professor), and "Bugs and Drugs: What's in Your Water" (by a Chemistry professor).

Social events have included Twins baseball games, theme dinners, bowling, and the highly popular First-Years Retreat. These activities are all subsidized by the program, so they are either free or offered at a significantly reduced-price.

Social spaces like the private Aquinas Scholars student lounge and reserved group study rooms are enjoyed by scholars for relaxation and work alike.

Service opportunities abound through the Aquinas Scholars program, offering many events to build community by helping others. Scholars have participated in neighborhood cleanup, tutoring services, serving food at Dorothy Day Center, and constructing homes with Habitat for Humanity.

The Mentorship Program pairs new Scholars with third- and fourth-year Aquinas Scholars to help them adjust to college life and succeed in the program.

The Scholars Journal is a newsletter that draws contributions from members of the Aquinas Scholars. The newsletter publishes essays, reviews, art, and more, and serves to communicate past and upcoming events.

Designated First-year Housing in the Living and Learning Community allows new Honors Scholars to live on a floor with other first-year Honors residents, take Honors classes with students on their floor, and participate in a variety of co-curricular events designed to enrich their academic and residential experience.

The Honors LLC also counts toward the learning community requirement of the university's First-Year Experience core requirement. To learn more about the LLC, please visit the Aquinas Scholars Honors Living Learning Community page on Residence Life’s website.