Undergraduate Honors Program

• Honors versions of required courses provide expanded subject content and opportunities for project-based and applied learning without additional course requirements.
• Honors students can pursue coursework or concentrations in the Humanities or NLU’s Graduate College of Business and Leadership.
• Some UHP students choose to complete independent research projects with faculty oversight, participate in the winter research cohort, or present at academic conferences. 
• UHP-sponsored workshops, facilitated by guest speakers such as resident poet Timothy Rey and the Chicago Poetry Center, enhance classroom learning. 

The UHP offers yearly, faculty-led global learning trips with partial scholarships available. Many students can apply unused grants toward the experience.

Our most recent trip to Costa Rica focused on economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability. Students planted trees in a cloud forest, visited a butterfly sanctuary and coffee farm, taught at a rural elementary school, and participated in homestays in La Paz. They attended an art class with the Maleku Indigenous community, toured an animal sanctuary, met with sustainable tourism experts, and explored waterfalls, volcanoes, and hot springs while learning about the region's geology and conservation efforts.

Next year's trip is to Puerto Rico with further details to follow!

UHP students hold university leadership positions and participate in community service learning experiences.

The UHP sponsors outings each term to local cultural destinations, including the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Lyric Opera, and the Goodman Theater.

Career exploration and networking are integrated into UHP learning through early internship events and meetings with professionals. Most recently, students met with a Clean Power Lake County organizer to discuss environmental justice issues and opportunities for volunteerism, internships, and employment.

UHP Program Learning Outcomes follow the National Collegiate Honors Council standards:

• Research and Creative Scholarship – Students engage in rigorous research using critical analysis, self-reflection, and ethical inquiry.
• Learning Communities – Students appreciate diverse perspectives and develop interdisciplinary solutions through collaboration.
• Experiential Learning – Students gain insights and personal growth through hands-on activities, articulating discoveries through academic and creative outputs.
• Intercultural Competence – Students develop skills to navigate intercultural contexts at home and abroad.
• Service Learning and Leadership – Students apply academic concepts to service experiences, addressing community needs and developing civic responsibility.
• Breadth and Enduring Questions – Students develop intellectual curiosity and ethical reasoning to approach complex problems creatively using interdisciplinary perspectives.