For nearly a decade, the honors program at Nyack College has been offering students with exceptional intellectual curiosity an accelerated and enhanced academic experience. In the past, the program has centered on a variety of lectures, field trips, and retreats intended to augment the collegiate experience. There are presently honors sections of several Bible classes as well as a honors section for the freshman course, Foundations for Excellence.

The honors program is currently being restructured to increase its scope and depth. By the fall of 2007, the honors program, in addition to its many activities that take advantage of our proximity to the museums, theaters, and other cultural attractions of New York City, will offer a core curriculum designed specifically for the honors student. Students admitted to the honors program will substitute a 16 credit interdisciplinary humanities core for five courses from the traditional core curriculum. Four semesters of Global Humanities, to be taken during the freshman and sophomore years, will replace Introduction to Philosophy, Fine Arts, World Literature, and World History I and II. Each course will examine the history, philosophy, literature, and art of the 1) Ancient world, 2) Medieval world, 3) Early Modern and 4) Contemporary era. The study of each period is designed to provide the student with the kind of comprehensive and interdisciplinary, liberal education essential to producing outstanding Christian leadership for the 21st Century.

In addition to the Humanities core, Honors students will take Honors Bible courses as well as Honors Writing, Honors Seminar, and Honors Research. Students will have the opportunity to show competency in the areas of math and science to fulfill the college requirement. The Honors curriculum is rounded off with two symposiums to be taken in the Junior and/or Senior years.

Honors student will have a core curriculum of 47 credits instead of the standard core curriculum of 52 credits, allowing the student more liberty and individual choice in the creation of the remainder of the curriculum. (Click here for the honors core curriculum)

The professors who will teach sections of the honors courses are:

• David Turk, Ph.D., New York University (Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of English);

• Jonathan Gates, Ph.D. Drew University (Professor of English and Head of the English Department);

• Lyndell O’Hara, Ph.D., Fordham University (Associate Professor of History and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences);
• James Danaher, Ph.D., CUNY (Professor of Philosophy and Head of the Philosophy Department);
• Elio Cuccaro, Ph.D., Drew University (Professor of Theology);
• Frank Chan, Ph.D., Westminster Theological Seminar (Associate Professor of Bible and Head of the Department of Biblical and Theological Studies),
• Larry Poston, Ph.D., Northwestern University (Professor of Religion, Head, Department of Intercultural Studies);
• Stephen Maret, Ph.D., Drew University (Professor of Psychology).
• Dr. Josue Perez, PhD, Drew University (Associate Professor of Theology)
  

The Director of the program on the Nyack campus is Jonathan Gates. The contact on the Manhattan campus is Lyndell O'Hara. In the fall of 2007, Dr. Josue Perez will direct the Honors Program at NCMC.

Application to the program can be make by anyone with a high school Grade Point Average of 3.5 or better, and a combined SAT score of 1000. (Click here for application)