Fritz Honors College
The new Fritz Honors College is a collaborative, diverse and inclusive community of motivated and high-potential learners and doers pursuing intellectual, personal and professional development at the highest possible levels.
Come help build honors at LR. True honors education is both student-centered and largely student-directed. Since the Fritz Honors College is new, you have the extraordinary opportunity to help build a unique and distinctive honors college here starting in fall 2024. You'll collaborate with fellow honors college students, professors and Jeff Vahlbusch, Ph.D., dean of the Fritz Honors College, to create your own outstanding future. Learn to lead transformative change!
Benefits
The Fritz Honors College provides many benefits, including:
- Interdisciplinary honors courses
- A vibrant and diverse intellectual and social community
- Opportunities for research, scholarship and creative activity
- Close collaboration with fellow students and faculty members
- Opportunities for civic engagement, service and leadership
- Social events and professional development activities
- Great mentoring and advising
- Unconditional support — during your time at LR and after you graduate
Apply
We encourage all highly motivated, high-potential and high-achieving students—both high-school seniors and transfer students—to apply to join the Fritz Honors College. We aim to create a world-class honors educational institution and experience for students from all backgrounds and in all majors.
-
Incoming Student Application Process
- Please submit a completed application for admission and a completed “Scholarship Programs and Fritz Honors College" application via your admission portal by December 15.
- If you are not yet academically eligible, please send an email to Dean Jeff Vahlbusch at jeff.vahlbusch@jishuoba.com to start a conversation.
-
Applicant Information
- In keeping with best practices of honors education nationally and internationally, the Fritz Honors College’s approach to admission is inclusive, holistic and supportive. We read every word of your application materials, and our decisions don’t privilege national test scores (ACT, SAT), class rank or GPA.
- We are looking for motivated students eager to pursue and contribute to world-class educational opportunities and a thriving honors college community.
- If we invite you to join the Fritz Honors College starting in the fall, wonderful: we will celebrate! And if, after reading your application, we want you to complete a semester of courses at Lenoir-Rhyne and then reapply to the Fritz Honors College, Dean Jeff Vahlbusch will send you an email invitation to meet with him once you arrive on campus in early fall to help you prepare your application.
Scholarship Opportunities
All incoming students are eligible to receive scholarships associated with Fritz Honors College. Typically, students who receive these awards have a 3.0 GPA or higher, are involved in their school and community, have completed service hours and have demonstrated a vision for their future.
-
The Presidential Scholarship
All high-achieving, highly motivated students should apply for LR’s prestigious Presidential Scholarship, which offers automatic admission to Fritz Honors College and covers the cost of tuition at Lenoir-Rhyne for eight regular semesters. All recipients are required to live on campus.
Apply by submitting the “Scholarship Programs and Fritz Honors College Application” via your admission portal. All application material is due by December 15.
-
Fritz Honors College Scholarship
Many applicants invited to join the Fritz Honors College will also be awarded a Fritz Honors College Scholarship valued at $2,000 per year.
Apply by submitting the “Scholarship Programs and Fritz Honors College Application” via your admission portal. All application materials are due by December 15.
Requirements by Major
-
Art
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
Art majors may elect to pursue honors work with the approval of the Art faculty. One three hour ART course taken as in-class honors and ART 499 - Senior Honors Thesis
- Biology
-
Business
Major GPA 3.5
Cum. GPA 3.2
Successful completion of ACC 231; BUS 300, BUS 340, BUS 360; and CSC 175, or have been invited to apply by the faculty. BUS 320 and BUS 344 must be taken as in- class honors. BUS 499 Senior Honors Thesis must be taken concurrently with BUS 450 for the completion of the thesis.
-
Chemistry
Major GPA 3.50
Cum. GPA 3.05
No Chemistry grade lower than a B-/2.7 is allowed. Students must present their research in setting outside the chemistry department.
-
Communication
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
Communication majors may elect to pursue honors work with the approval of the Communication faculty 8 hours of COM courses are taken as in-class honors. COM 499 - Senior Honors Thesis or Project is taken to complete the thesis.
-
Computing
-
Economics
-
Education
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
- EDU 430 - Field Experience in Secondary/K-12 Education
- EDU 431 - Field Experience in Elementary/K-6 Education
- EDU 432 - Field Experience in Middle Grades Education
- EDU 440 - Student Teaching in the Secondary/K-12 School
- EDU 441 - Student Teaching in the Elementary School and B-K Settings
- EDU 442 - Student Teaching in the Middle Gradesmust be taken as in class honors.
- EDU 499 - Senior Honors Thesisis taken to complete the thesis concurrent with student teaching.
-
English
Major GPA 3.25 (A grade no lower than "B" must be in all ENG courses)
Cum. GPA 3.0
English majors may elect to pursue honors work with the approval of the English faculty.
ENG 498 and ENG 499 are required to complete the thesis.
-
Health , Exercise, and Sport Science
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
HES 410 is taken as in-class honors in, preparation for the thesis. HES 499 - Senior Honors Thesis is taken to complete the thesis. The student is expected to earn a minimum grade of "B"
-
History
-
Human & Community Service
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
- HCS 498 - Senior Honors Research
- HCS 499 - Senior Honors Thesis
-
Math
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
6 hours of MAT courses taken in-class honors.
- MAT 498 - Senior Honors Research
- MAT 499 - Senior Honors Thesistaken to complete the thesis
-
Modern Languages
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
6-8 hours of FRE/GER/SPA courses taken as in-class honors. FRE/GRE/SPA 499 Senior Honors Thesis taken to complete the thesis.
-
Music
Major GPA 3.2 (3.5 GPA in honors courses)
Cum. GPA 3.0
Music majors may elect to pursue honors work with the approval of the Music faculty. 8 total hours in MUS: 3 hours in MUS 499 - Senior Honors Thesis or Project and 5 hrs in MUS courses carrying honors designation
-
Nursing
-
Philosophy
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
6 hours of PHI courses taken as in-class honors. PHI 499 - Senior Honors Thesis is taken to complete the thesis
-
Physics
-
Political Science
-
Psychology
-
Religious Studies
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
6 hours of REL courses are taken as in- class honors and REL 499 is taken to complete the thesis
-
Sociology
-
Theatre
Major GPA 3.2
Cum. GPA 3.0
Theatre majors may elect to pursue honors work with the approval of the Theatre faculty. 6 hours of THR courses taken as in-class honors and THR 499 - Senior Honors Thesis or Project taken to complete the thesis.