The PUC Honors Program is an alternate general education program comprised mostly of interdisciplinary seminars and is a modern interpretation of the classical learning model. It can unite with most undergraduate degrees. 

Milbert Mariano, dean of arts, humanities, and professions, is the director and teaches and guides the capstone project courses. He kindly answered some questions for those interested in PUC’s Honors Program. 

Who can be considered an honors student, and how can they join the program?

Honors students are usually higher achieving students who appreciate group discussion-based learning. They usually have strong reading and writing skills, are highly motivated, and sometimes recommended. Students who are Maxwell Scholars have done all the work to apply to the Honors Program, so they can easily opt-in, and most students who are interested can apply online at puc.edu/honors.

Can transfer students join honors? 

Yes. Absolutely. We look at transcripts on a case-by-case basis. One of our values in the honors program is diversity of thought, and if a student is transferring from another honors program, we value those perspectives as well.

Does being an honors student make a difference in tuition? 

It is the same and doesn’t cost any more.

What are the benefits of being an honors student at PUC?

• Students can be well-prepared for graduate or professional school. Many of our honors students are accepted and thrive in graduate settings.

• Students can take an honors seminar in another country. 

• Students can graduate “with honors.”

• Students can have social opportunities with like-minded students.

What classes do honors cover? 

Visit the honors program courses for information. 

What makes PUC’s honors program unique compared to other colleges and universities? 

We (my predecessor and I) have done a lot of work to make our program available to all students, including our nursing students. Recently, in talking with administration from other colleges, they have not found ways to remove certain roadblocks, which don’t allow them to have nursing students take Honors- PUC has been able to remove those roadblocks. If you look at the students in the program, you will see that they come from a diversity of majors, including nursing. So that is something we are very proud of. 

We are also very proud that while we still follow the classical model of learning, we have also been able to modernize and diversify how this is done. We also have expanded our enrichment courses in our curriculum (Students would choose from three upper-division topics courses that have been curated to our honors students’ academic needs, and fit within the honors curriculum nicely). We are also constantly looking at ways to innovate our Honors 380 seminars. Winter quarter, we are even teaching a brand new Honors 380 seminar called “Hybridity” which will be taught by Professor Emily Logan. 

Visit the honors page for more information or email honors@puc.edu.