You’re the type of person who gives 120% to everything you do.
Why should your college experience be any different? At Lesley University, we’ve created our Undergraduate Honors Programs for people like you.
Our Honors Programs bring together students from across majors to push ideas and concepts further. As an honors student, you’ll work closely with faculty and peers to take your learning to the next level.
Dig deeper into topics that interest you. Gain additional career-building skills. Meet professionals and thought leaders in your field. Surround yourself with people who are just as committed to personal and academic growth as you are.
- Self-motivated, with a record of strong academic performance
- Excited to engage in classroom discussions and/or critiques
- Interested in enhancing learning through additional projects, professional experiences, or research
- Indicate your interest in your application to Lesley University
- Once you’ve been accepted to Lesley, you will receive a link to the online Honors Program application, which includes a 200-300 word writing prompt
- Complete and return your essay using the online form
- Keep your fingers crossed—we’ll be in touch within 10 days with a decision
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Honors Program
Our Honors Program is designed for students with a drive to do more, with a special focus on social justice and critical community engagement. We train students to break the reins of power in communities that oppress, rather than take the reins of power. You’ll learn how differences in power and privileges affect the practice of community organizing, as well as gain skills to become agents of change.
If you’re a student with a high school record of academic promise and leadership, we encourage you to apply for the program when you apply to enter the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Or, based on your academic record, you may be invited to join after you’ve started here at Lesley.
Our Honors Program seeks to create a strong intellectual community from the start, and is separated into four pillars: forming a close-knit intellectual community, fostering scholarly and community collaboration, developing close student interaction with faculty and community members, and integrating this intellectual and community work into achieving social change.
You’ll have the option of turning any of your regular coursework into an Honors Contract by proposing to complete an Honors Project. You’ll pursue your passions in close consultation with experts and faculty. Some of our honors students have interviewed policy makers for domestic violence shelters, written research papers on holistic healing, and even created original theater pieces.
You’ll leave senior year having built lasting friendships among students, close relationships with faculty, and meaningful partnerships with community members. You’ll also have developed the skills and practices of an independent and critical scholar, a skilled practitioner in your chosen career, and—most importantly—an ethically engaged community member with the capacity to bring meaningful change in their communities.
Learn more about the honors program in our College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The Sociology of Disaster: Hurricane Irma and Maria
by Lesley Ells
From the Dining Halls [documentary]
by Najifa Tanjeem
Does Size Matter: Investigating the Correlation Between Food Size and the Catching Behavior of the Eastern Grey Squirrel
by Kasriel Linzer
Psychological and Emotional Trauma Experienced by Latino Immigrant Children
by Mia Depalo
Tackling topics of global importance
From the role social media plays in sexualizing young women, to the responsibility of businesses to foster environmental and socioeconomic sustainability, seven students presented their honors research projects at the annual Honors Research Symposium.
Meet Honors Student Caitlin Hanley ’19
Honors Symposium 2019
Here's what your honors experience might look like:
College of Art and Design Honors Program
You’re determined to find your way in the professional art and design world. As an honors student, challenge yourself to grow as a critical thinker and a creator. Engage in seminars and critiques with artists and designers who push you to think differently and take bigger risks. During your time in the program, tackle a series of collaborative projects that build your ability to conceptualize and pitch ideas to professionals in the local arts community.
Starting during your First Year Experience, connect with peers from all departments in the College of Art and Design. With seminars that serve as incubators for solutions to real-life problems, hone your abilities to think and learn collaboratively while generating concepts for local organizations.
For example, during the first-year Honors Seminar, students worked together to respond to a proposal for a floating art installation in South Boston’s Fort Point Channel. After generating and critiquing ideas, honors students selected concepts to present to Fort Point Arts Community, Inc. (FPAC) at the end of the semester.
As you progress, go deeper into a series of studio projects, with more focus on risk-taking and experimentation. Your final year in the program focuses on completing a thesis and body of work for exhibition, while also setting goals to continue your artistic practice after graduation.
Throughout your honors experience, take trips to New York City, visit world-class museums like the Museum of Fine Arts, and meet design professionals, gallery owners, and curators in Boston and beyond. Infuse your studio practice with the real-world experiences and perspectives you’ll need to succeed, as a student and an artist.
Meet Honors Student Jessica Mahoney ’21
Lunder Arts Center
- 617.349.8800
- admissions@lesley.edu
- Contact a counselor
- Undergraduate Admissions
101 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 - Mailing Address
29 Everett Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
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Virtual or in person - Weekends by appointment only