At Chatham, we think an Honors Program should engage you, not just give you more work to accomplish. That's why the Chatham Honors Program is designed for you to distinguish yourself professionally and personally with authentic, interdisciplinary experiences.
The Honors Program Living Learning Community (LLC), located in The Julia and James Rea House, hosts around 30 students who are enrolled in the Chatham Honors Program. Students who are selected to reside in an LLC are required to help develop and participate in programming and to be an integral part of the community. However, all Honors Students are invited to the LLC to continue to learn outside of the classroom through the use of programming, daily interactions with other residents, and connection with faculty, staff, and community resources.
In addition to completing three Honors course contracts during their time in the Honors Program, each year, Honors students are required to focus on various aspects of the program’s mission to maintain membership: CHP Reads & Serves, CHP Researches, CHP Leads, and CHP Launches. These experiences genuinely set you apart in your professional aspirations, whatever they might be.
First-year Honors students are required to attend a common reading orientation event. The interdisciplinary text everyone reads ahead of time sets the tone for their expectations as Honors students on campus through students being in conversation with each other and faculty about current issues in higher education. During Homecoming, first-year Honors students are required to attend and participate in the Day of Service. Each spring, the first-year cohort attends an engaging event in the rich cultural districts of Pittsburgh.
Sophomore Honors students are required to attend workshops presented by faculty, current students, and alumni on developing and funding research projects. After writing a grant application for a CHP Researches grant, students complete their project and present it at the Spring Honors Research Symposium.
Junior Honors students are required to take a leadership role in the CHP Reads or cultural outings with their first-year Honors peers. Leading up to the Spring Honors Research Symposium, Junior Honors students guide their sophomore Honors peers in preparation for presenting their scholarship.
Senior Honors students are required to attend workshops where they share their experiences of developing their Capstone projects with their Sophomore Honors peers during the fall term. For the Spring Honors Research Symposium, every Senior Honors student showcases their capstone research for the Chatham community.
Honors Program participants attend cultural and educational events throughout Pittsburgh as a group. Past outings have included The Mattress Factory, Phipps Conservatory, Contemporary Craft, and an LGBTQ+ film festival.
Honors students will be eligible for a limited amount of funds that will be set aside each year for Honors Travel Fellowships to offset the expenses associated with travel, lodging, and conference fees for students who attend research conferences.
To successfully graduate with an Honors distinction, students must complete three Honors Course Contracts during their time at Chatham. In collaboration with their course instructors, Honors students develop a project beyond course expectations to have a meaningfully rigorous and professionalizing experience. Students have completed Honors projects for courses including “What is Evil”, “Africa, Past and Present”, “Social Welfare and Social Justice”, "Feminist Theory", "Protest Literature", and “Negotiation and Decision-Making”.
Chatham University is now a proud member of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC). The NCHC provides workshops and funding opportunities for our Honors students.
