How does the Honors College at the Belmont Abbey College help our students open up a life well-lived? By opening up the Great Books!

The uniqueness of the Abbey Honors College experience is found in our Great Books curriculum — unlike most educational programs, we don’t rely on your typical textbooks. Instead, we turn our attention to books that impart wisdom on us about the most important matters in human life.

Our Honors College curriculum emphasizes Ancient, Christian, and Modern authors – authors at the roots of Western civilization – while still permitting the pursuit of a traditional major. With careful study, our students investigate the fundamental questions of human and divine realities and explore the contemporary crises that shape the world in which we live.

The sum total of the Honors College experience at the Abbey is a liberating education that leads our students to excellence in not only professional life, but also gain the foundation for a joyful life. Just see what they have to say!

“I really chose Belmont Abbey because of the Honors College. The Great Books curriculum—reading the Republic, Homer, Virgil just in my first semester—appealed to me. I really liked the idea behind it—to learn to think critically by pursuing the realm of great books in a way that would develop these skills and will help me in any umber of career paths.” 

“Through the Honors College, I have met wonderful friends and mentors, grown in knowledge, and experienced an overwhelming sense of purpose and belonging. I am repeatedly amazed by Honors College faculty and students as we strive for excellence both in and outside the classroom. Our shared pursuit of truth creates a close-knit community that allows for a unique and rewarding education.”

Of course, our students also speak of their extracurricular experiences like concert and dance performances, visiting museums and hiking North Carolina mountain trails, a beach retreat and studying abroad in Ireland as memorable moments of their Honors College experience.

As Saint Augustine said: “We have been knocking on the doors of great and hidden questions.” If you’re ready to open up a life well-lived, the Honors College at the Abbey is where you will learn, seek, and thrive!