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Honors Program

Dive deeper into your academic passions.
The Honors Program at Montreat College invites high-achieving students to pursue wisdom through a Christ-centered lens. Supported by dedicated faculty mentors and a vibrant community of peers, Honors students are challenged to think deeply, grow spiritually, and live faithfully in pursuit of truth.
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Why join the Honors Program?

Designed for those who are curious, motivated, and eager to integrate faith and intellect, the Honors program offers a transformative journey of learning and leadership. The program draws students from across Montreat’s majors, creating an interdisciplinary community that participates in small, discussion-based classes that invite students to think deeply about how Christian faith informs ethics, creativity, and the pursuit of truth. Honors students work closely with dedicated faculty mentors who guide them in academic and personal growth. Through independent study, research projects, and presentation opportunities, students develop advanced skills that prepare them for graduate study or professional leadership.

Apply to the Honors Program

Career Opportunities

  • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
  • Physician
  • Business Executive (CEO)

Degree Highlights

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Integration of Faith and Scholarship

Explore the relationship between faith, reason, and vocation.

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Discussion-Based Classes

Develop your voice in an environment of intellectual curiosity and respect.

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Personalized Mentorship

Receive one-on-one guidance.

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Christian Community

Be part of a supportive cohort that studies and worships together.

Choose Your Path

Choose from two tracks (Scholars Track – 22 hours or Fellows Track – 18 hours), which replace general education courses.

*Please note: Course credit brought to Montreat from AP, dual credit, or community college may not be substituted for honors courses. The rationale for this policy is that honors course credit requirements are relatively low and that our curriculum is designed to interlocking for the purposes outlined above. We also believe that our Christian liberal arts college honors courses are rigorous and will continue to develop even the most college-prepared student.

Spiritual and Intellectual Development

  • Cultivate humility in both individuals and our community.
  • Deepen our love for the Creator.
  • Cultivate a properly ordered love for His creation, including humans, creatures, and the world around us.

Academic Excellence and Engagement

  • Emphasize a conversational pedagogy.
  • Build students’ confidence in critical thinking, writing, and oral expression.
  • Dive deeper into complex topics.
  • Foster a community grounded in humility, charity, and empathy.
  • Offer unique opportunities for students to interact with visiting speakers.
  • Create a rich interdisciplinary learning environment where science and arts students engage together.

Fast Facts

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Required credit hours
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Honors Scholars Credits
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Honors Fellow Credits
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Designated honors professors
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Scholarships

As part of our commitment to intellectual inquiry, Montreat College awards specific scholarships to new students in the Honors Program. Honors Scholarships are awarded in addition to other earned merit scholarships. Scholars Day participation is required for Honors Scholarship consideration.
Honors Scholarships
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Community

Honors Program students enjoy the unique opportunity to live in our dedicated Honors Residence Hall, a vibrant living and learning community designed to enhance your college experience. This shared space is the perfect environment to study, relax, and build deep lifelong connections with peers who share your academic drive. Through built-in community events and collaborative spaces, McGregor Hall provides an intentional foundation where incoming students can seamlessly transition to college life, support one another’s goals, and thrive together from day one.

Honors Housing

Montreat’s Living-Learning community in Montreat’s Honors Program complements your academic pursuits and helps you flourish as a whole person. Students living in these houses enjoy:

  • Monthly home-cooked family-style meals
  • Access to the private honors program library
  • Bi-monthly book studies with Montreat professors
  • Services days in the Montreat mountain cove
  • Community spaces for entertainment, study, cooking, gardening, stillness, and conversation!

Housing:

Study Abroad

At Montreat College, learning extends beyond the classroom, giving students meaningful opportunities to engage with the world, grow in their academic disciplines, and deepen their calling. Where will your journey take you?

Oxford, England

Engage in upper-level literary research focused on C.S. Lewis. Visit key sites such as the Kilns (Lewis’s home) and conduct research at the renowned Bodleian Library, one of the oldest libraries in the world.

Peru

Conduct field research in the Amazon on dart frogs, rainforest conifers, and crocodilian diets. Other students have assisted in veterinary clinics, providing care for pets, including monkeys, owned by local indigenous communities.

Student Testimonial

“Montreat College has been a huge blessing in my life. The Lord has provided so many opportunities for growth, development, and learning. From honors classes to special friendships to late study nights, I have felt God’s hand on my life.” – Abby B. (’26), English Literature and Psychology

Start your success story at Montreat.

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Why Montreat?

Transcript
Whether you’re finishing high school or transferring from another institution, where you go to college is a big decision, and we believe that Montreat College is the perfect place for you to grow, learn, and thrive. Our vibrant campus at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, our dedicated faculty, rigorous academic programs, and our talented student body create a unique and inspiring environment where you can develop a clear sense of identity and affirm your sense of purpose to honor God and serve others.

Student and Alumni
Stories

At Montreat College, our students and alumni have a passion for knowledge and a genuine desire to always keep learning and be agents of transformation, renewal, and reconciliation.
Matthew Jones

Meet
Matthew '25

You look around at this building, you look outside at the mountains, the trees, and all these beautiful people at Montreat. Everywhere you look, it’s God’s creation and His glory. My thing is that life is too short to have a bad day. So try and have fun, but have fun through Jesus. Find little ways to shout out, jump for joy, and do whatever you want to do.
Program of study:
Cybersecurity
Read Matthew's Story
Madeline Sides

Meet
Madeline '19

"Montreat transformed me into who I was. They invested in my life and helped guide me. If I had gone to a public university, I think my life and some of the choices I made may have looked quite a bit different.”
Program of study:
Cybersecurity
Read Madeline's Story
All Student Stories

Meet Western North Carolina

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Thrive Center

The Thrive Center supports you in your academic career by helping you improve your study skills, manage your time, learn strategies to complete class projects. You can meet with peer tutors at the Writing Center or the Math Center.

It also supports you beyond your academic career with resources for finding your calling, researching careers, finding internships, building your resume, applying to graduate school, and finding a job.

Start your success story at Montreat.

ApplyGet Info

Visiting Speakers

2024 Spring Honors Lecture
Dr. Jinah Yoo Knapp, Timothy Lutheran Church (St. Louis, MO)

2023 Fall Honors Lecture
Dr. Meghan Sullivan, Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study

2023 Spring Honors Lecture
Dr. Nathan King, Whitworth University

2022 Fall Honors Lecture
Dr. J. Daryl Charles, John Jay Institute

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Find 4-year-plans and degree requirements in the academic catalog.