Honors Experience
The Honors College at Grand Canyon University offers access to a variety of leadership and professional development programs, national honors societies, student clubs and organizations, global study experiences and mission-focused programs, including a community devoted to promoting excellence in all endeavors.
The Honors College offers an extensive list of enriching opportunities for students in all programs. The following list is not all-encompassing but does include an overview of our most popular programs, events and activities.
- No additional fees or tuition charges
- Freshmen-only honors housing in The Grove's Juniper Hall and priority housing selection for continuing honors students in good academic standing with the Honors College
- Exclusive honors events including the annual Next Generation Leadership Conference, the Honors Banquet and the Honors Showcase
- Dean's speaker series
- Public Square Series for government, pre-law, political science and related majors
- Inside Entertainment Series for all arts, media and business majors and for all creatives
- PAC Professional Development and Peer Mentoring Program
- Graduate School Comprehensive Advising Program
- Honors leadership programs including the Leadership in Action Fellowship, Young Athena Leadership Development Program and Men of VALOR Leadership Development Series
- Opportunities for domestic and international internships and community service learning projects
- Annual short-term domestic and international global studies programs, honors-exclusive mission trips and traditional study abroad
- Local chapters for two national honors societies: National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) and Alpha Chi National College Honors Society (AX)
- Purposeful and intentional assistance with career planning
- Supportive community and special group of like-minded, high-achieving peers
- Honors research and project-based opportunities with faculty, staff, professional advisory board members and industry leaders
- Private meet and greet networking and hiring events with various employers and companies
- Free printing in ENG 1-220
The Honors College offers global studies programs, providing students an opportunity to engage in both their local and global community.
The Honors College collaborates with prominent global education partners that connect our students to international cities and programs around the globe. Whether pursuing an abbreviated global experience during your spring or summer break, or looking for an extended six- to 12-month experience abroad, the Honors College has partnerships established to support your venture.
As an honors student, you can customize your global experience with any combination of academic coursework, internship experience, ministry, community engagement or service-learning projects, vocational training by local professional, language partners and more.
- Traditional Study Abroad
- Honors Global Fellowship with Living & Learning International
- Short-Term Medical Mission Trips with Well Child International
- Short-Term Global Education Tours with EF College Tours
- Short-Term Global Study Tours with Living & Learning International and Contiki
- International Internship Programs with The Intern Group
The Honors College sponsors the GCU Chapter of NSCS, which is devoted to supporting high achieving underclassmen committed to scholarship, leadership and service. Our diamond status chapter offers a strong network and community of scholars.1 Learn more at nscs.org.
The Honors College sponsors the GCU Chapter of Alpha Chi, which is devoted to supporting upper class undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral learners ranking in the top 10% of their graduating class. This organization is founded on the pillars of truth and character and encourages creativity, service in action, compassion leadership, mentorship and making scholarship effective for good. Additionally, GCU’s chapter of Alpha Chi received the president’s cup in 2024.2 Learn more at alphachihonor.org.
The Honors College offers students to earn the GLD honor at the time of graduation. Honors students serving in prominent leadership positions at GCU and earning more than 350 hours in professional development, applied leadership experience, community engagement and service opportunities may be eligible for this additional distinction.
The Honors College at Grand Canyon University offers the unique opportunity to earn a "Graduation with Professional Development Distinction" honor. This distinction provides an opportunity for traditional undergraduate students actively engaged in professional development opportunities to earn recognition for the hours and applied experiences acquired throughout their program of study.
In the Honors Symposium, honors students are placed into cohorts together by discipline and paired with faculty from the respective discipline. This course takes place during freshman year and offers students an unmatched opportunity to gain valuable insight into their desired career field. Learn how to research and investigate local and global topics as they relate to this field and strategize how to acquire the experience needed during your undergraduate career and through your transition beyond GCU.
The Honors College offers ample faculty-mentored, interactive undergraduate research opportunities for all majors and disciplines, including the opportunity to publish in the Canyon Journal of Undergraduate Research. Honors students can compete for additional scholarship funding through the annual Honors Showcase and can apply for grants to travel and present research at various academic conferences around the country.
The Honors College prioritizes the professional development of strong, servant leaders within the honors community. Honors students can apply for positions within the Leadership in Action Fellowship (LIA) and serve as a program ambassador and beyond. For questions and more information on LIA, please contact gcuhonors@gcu.edu.
The Honors College employs a team of student workers that support our department in the areas of project management, event planning and hosting, social media management, marketing and brand management, global programs management and beyond. View our student worker employment opportunities and more.
Make an impact on the local community and become a responsible servant leader by participating in GCU’s outreach programs. From Serve the City Day to GCU’s CityServe, GCU is committed to improving lives throughout our neighborhood. Additionally, the Honors College promotes various service days and local community outreach opportunities throughout the year as an added benefit of our program.
Internship Opportunities and Resources
The Honors College encourages practical application through experiential learning opportunities, internships and project-based initiatives. Internships, part-time employment, fellowships, collaborative research programs, job shadowing and volunteerism are advantageous in preparing you for the workforce. Additionally, as an honors student, you can earn honors course credit for courses completed alongside an internship, global studies programs or professional service-learning activity.
The Honors College and Student Success Center (SSC) are here to help you during your practical experiences or internships throughout your program of study. Explore the career resources provided by Career Services, and access Career Connections, an online job and internship board for GCU students. As an honors student, you will also have exclusive access to private meet and greets, networking events and career fairs that can prepare you to engage with future employers and graduate programs.
1 The National Society of Collegiate Scholars. (n.d.). Announcing the 2022 Diamond and Platinum Chapter Award Winners. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
2 Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. (2024). President’s Cup. Retrieved Oct. 14, 2024.