The Pennoni Honors College

About the College

The mission of Drexel University’s Pennoni Honors College is to enhance the University experience for talented and ambitious students from all majors. The Pennoni Honors College delivers innovative and interdisciplinary academics, student-centered experiential learning, and serves as a space for courageous conversations that welcomes students as their authentic selves. The College cultivates intellectual agency, motivated curiosity, and a conscientious community. 

The Pennoni Honors College is made up of the following units:

Through these offerings, the Pennoni Honors College will shape the future of higher education as a guiding light for interdisciplinary learning, institutional collaboration, and integrative experiences that emphasize student agency and enhance the Drexel experience.

The Pennoni Honors College was endowed by Annette and C.R. “Chuck” Pennoni, CEO of Pennoni Associates. Mr. Pennoni, a Drexel graduate, was a two-time interim president of the University. He embodies the qualities of leadership, integrity, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to Drexel and the larger world that the College seeks to imbue in its students. With the help of a gift from Greg Bentley, CEO of Bentley Systems, and his wife Caroline, Drexel University opened Bentley Hall in 2020, a combined residence, programming, seminar, and office space.

Honors Program

Overview

The Honors Program is a unique layer to the Drexel student experience in that it offers a multitude of opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom for students to explore their academic interests. Through the Honors Program, students engage in coursework outside of their major plan of study in pursuit of additional breadth and depth to their education. Students interested in applying to the Honors Program may do so as incoming first year students, current Drexel students in their freshman or sophomore year, or through the Transfer student admissions process. All other programs and initiatives in the College are open to all students at the University with the appropriate interests and record of achievement.

Program Requirements

The program and coursework requirements below apply to students who have joined the Honors Program in Fall 2019 to present. To view program requirements for Honors admit years prior to 2019, please visit our website at https://drexel.edu/pennoni/academics/honors/academics/requirements/

  • The Honors Program requires a total of 16.0 credit hours of coursework.
  • Students must maintain a 3.2 cumulative GPA
  • Students must receive a minimum of "B" grade in each undergraduate course applied to satisfy Honors Program Requirements

Required Coursework

HNRS Coursework5.0
Students must complete 5 credit hours of coursework in the HNRS subject code. Options may include:
Introduction to Honors Program
Honors Seminar
Honors Seminar in Civic Engagement
Honors Colloquium
The Symposium
Honors Colloquium: Arts and Culture
Honors Colloquium: STEM
Honors Colloquium: Sociological and Behavior Studies
Honors Colloquium: History and Philosophy
Honors Colloquium: Business
Community Engagement
Independent Study in Honors Program
Independent Study in Honors Program
Independent Study in Honors Program
Independent Study in Honors Program
Special Topics in Honors Program
Special Topics in Honors Program
Special Topics in Honors Program
Elective Coursework11.0
Students must complete 11 credit hours of Honors elective coursework. Options may include:
• Any courses in the HNRS subject code
• Honors Sections within other disciplines
• Honors Option Projects
• A maximum of 6 graduate credits may be applied to satisfy Honors elective coursework requirements.
• For any courses not on this list, students must seek prior approval from their Honors Academic Advisor.
Total Credits16.0
  1.  

Honors with Distinction

Overview

The Honors with Distinction path within the Honors Program is an opportunity for students to further enhance their education through coursework that emphasizes citizenship, global perspective, and self-reflection. Honors with Distinction exemplifies the breadth and depth of the Honors Program by offering a balance between flexibility for students to take courses that pique their interest and the intellectual rigor of requirements that deepen their learning across diverse perspectives.Students interested in applying to the Honors Program may do so as incoming first year students, current Drexel students in their freshman or sophomore year, or through the Transfer student admissions process. All other programs and initiatives in the College are open to all students at the University with the appropriate interests and record of achievement.

Program Requirements

The program requirements below apply to students who have declared Honors with Distinction in Fall 2023 to present. To view Honors with Distinction program requirements for admit years prior to 2023, please visit our website at https://drexel.edu/pennoni/academics/honors/academics/requirements/.

  • Honors with Distinction requires a total of 24 credit hours of coursework.
  • Students must maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA.
  • With the exception of the Civic Foundations course series, students must receive a minimum ‘B’ grade in each undergraduate course applied to satisfy Honor with Distinction requirements. Courses in the Civic Foundations series follow the university grade minimum requirements of ‘D’ or above. 

Required Coursework

Honors Civic Foundations5.0
First Year Admits:
All incoming First-Year students must complete the following course sequence within their first year at Drexel:
Introduction to Civic Engagement (Honors section required; Taken in Fall of first year)
Honors Seminar in Civic Engagement (Taken in Winter of first year)
Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres (Honors section required; Taken in Spring of first year)
Current Student and Transfer Admits:
Students who join the Honors Program in either their Sophomore or Junior year must complete 5 credits of any HNRS courses with the Honors Civic Foundations (HCIV) attribute in lieu of the Civic Foundations first-year course series.
Honors Experiential Learning3.0
HNRS 430Community Engagement1.0-3.0
Students may enroll in an Honors Section or complete an Honors Option Project of any of the following course types:
• HNRS courses with the Honors Experiential (HEXP) attribute
• Community Based Learning (CBL)
• Alternative Spring Break (ASB)
• For any courses not on this list, students must seek prior approval from their Honors Academic Advisor.
Honors Reflection3.0
HNRS 455Honors Reflection Seminar3.0
Students must complete 3 credit hours of Honors Reflection coursework in either the Fall or Spring of Junior or Senior Year *
Honors Global Perspective3.0
Students may enroll in an Honors Section or complete an Honors Option Project of any of the following course types:
• HNRS courses with the Honors Global Perspective (HCLO) attribute
• Intensive-Course Abroad (ICA)
• Global Classroom Courses
• Study Abroad Honors Option Project **
• Foreign Language Courses
• GST courses
• IST courses
Elective Coursework10.0
Students must complete 10 credit hours of Honors elective coursework. Options may include:
• Any courses in the HNRS subject code
• Honors Sections within other disciplines
• Honors Option Projects
• A maximum of 9 graduate credits may be applied to satisfy Honors with Distinction elective coursework requirements.
• For any courses not on this list, students must seek prior approval from their Honors Academic Advisor.
Total Credits28.0-30.0
*

See Honors Academic Advisor for options

**

To discuss study abroad Honors Options, please contact HonorsProgram@drexel.edu for additional information.

Undergraduate Research and Enrichment

Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Programs (UREP) is a unit in the Pennoni Honors College that engages students across the University in the process of intellectual and self-discovery through research, fellowships advising, and enrichment programming. We support students in their personal, academic, and professional growth at Drexel and beyond. 

 

Undergraduate Research 

UREP supports student participation in faculty-mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative work. UREP helps students find research, do research, and share research. 

First-year and transfer students can apply for the STAR Scholars Program - an opportunity for highly motivated students to engage in a paid, full-time, faculty-mentored research, scholarship, or creative experience during the summer after their first year at Drexel. 

Students currently involved in research can apply for the SuperNova Undergraduate Research Fellows Program, which allows them to document, reflect on, and be recognized for their engagement in undergraduate research. 

UREP also offers Undergraduate Research Mini-Grants to support Drexel student and faculty pairs working on research projects, and travel grants to support students presenting their work at conferences. 

 

Fellowships 

UREP supports students and alumni applying for externally funded, competitive fellowships, and offers advising to help candidates develop competitive applications. UREP hosts a fellowships database where students and alumni can search for awards relevant to their interests and goals. 

 

Enrichment Programs 

UREP provides workshops, resources, and programming to help undergraduate students develop personal and professional skills and engage in self-reflective learning. 

Rising sophomores can apply for the Aspire Scholars Program, a year-long program to help them develop and clarify their academic and professional goals in a small community of peers. 

Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry

The Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry (CII) is a Unit in the Pennoni Honors College that promotes intentional and integrative approaches to working across disciplines for all students, faculty, and staff at Drexel. The Center emphasizes collaboration, communication, critical analysis, and creative thought in order to foster more holistic understandings of the world. The Center’s founding in 2011 was in conjunction with the launch of the Custom-Designed Major – an individualized major program that enables students to create their own plans of study by incorporating courses from disciplines across the University. The major is unique in that students can pursue a path of self-directed and interdisciplinary learning that goes beyond a traditional major or double major. Students work closely with advisors to create a plan of study to support their vision, and high-touch advising supports and guides them throughout their time in the major.

The Center is also home to the Symposium, an interdisciplinary course series organized around a central annual theme. Each class within the series is designed by co-instructors representing different fields of knowledge, enabling a wide range of interpretations of engaging topics related to the overarching theme. All Symposium courses are open to all students regardless of affiliation with the Honors Program. 

For students who want to augment their major with coursework that allows them to address complex, real world problems through an interdisciplinary approach, the Center’s Interdisciplinary Problem-Solving minor is an excellent opportunity to synthesize ideas, methods, practical skills, and experiential learning from across multiple fields. The minor provides opportunities for students to explore and develop interdisciplinary thinking and problem-solving in ways that will assist them navigate situations in any disciplinary context.