College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Honors Program

Form, Foster, Develop, Integrate

Our Program is founded on four pillars:

Forming a vibrant, close-knit intellectual community
Fostering community and scholarly collaboration
Developing close student interaction with faculty and community members
Integrating intellectual and community work to achieve social change

With only five advanced honors courses required, and the option to turn any course into an Honors Course, you’ll pursue your passions in close consultation with expert faculty. Through community-engaged practice you’ll learn how to work with communities to fight the injustices kept in place by inequities in power and privilege.

Some of our students have interviewed policymakers about domestic violence shelters, written research papers on holistic healing, and even created original theater pieces.

You’ll graduate with lifelong friendships among students and faculty, as well as meaningful relationships with community partners. You’ll also be an experienced, independent, and critical scholar, a skilled practitioner in your chosen career, and—most importantly—an ethically engaged community member with the capacity to be an agent of meaningful social change.

All students who are accepted into the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Honors Program are granted an additional $1,000 honors scholarship.

Apply to CLAS Honors Program

Here's what we are:

The Honors Program brings together students from across majors to push ideas and concepts further.

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 just as committed to personal and academic growth as you are
All with an accent on social justice!

Here's how to apply:

Incoming first-year students should follow these steps:

Indicate your interest in the Honors Program on your Lesley application
Once accepted, you'll receive a link to the online Honors Program application, which includes a 200-300 word writing prompt
Complete and return your essay
Keep your fingers crossed—you'll have our decision within 10 days! Students admitted to the Honors Program are eligible for a $1,000 scholarship!

Meet Honors Student Caitlin Hanley ’19

A future teacher in the making, Caitlin became an honors student because she wanted to be more engaged and challenged at Lesley University.

Read Caitlin Hanley's Q&A

48 Honors Students

That's how many new students joined the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Honors Program in 2017-18. You can enter as a first-year, transfer, or current student at Lesley.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Honors symposium group picture

Honors Symposium 2019

Ceremony celebrates 19 graduating seniors in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Honors Program

View a list of the Honors Program graduates

Here's what your honors experience might look like:

- Year 1: 2 linked Honors Courses
- Year 2: Honors Seminar
- Year 3 (or any year): 2 Honors Courses of your choice, at least one of which involves developing an honors project in consultation with your professor
- Year 4: Senior Capstone

Learn more about the CLAS Honors Program.

Phi Eta Sigma Honors Society

To be eligible for Phi Eta Sigma, undergraduate students in any disciplines must earn at least a 3.5 GPA in their first year in college. Founded in 1923, Phi Eta Sigma is the nation's oldest and largest honor society for first-year students. Inspired by the past and dedicated to the future, the Society's mission is to encourage and reward academic excellence. Talk to your advisor for more information.

A photo of Henry Katzman presenting his Honors research project in Alumni Hall at the 2022 Honors Symposium

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.