Honors programs, though not required, encourage all students to expand their studies in exciting ways, through global exploration, breadth of coursework and high academic standing. All honors will be noted on a student’s final transcript.

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Eliza Wheaton Scholars & Latin Honors

The Eliza Wheaton Scholars program recognizes and celebrates Wheaton’s roots and the breadth of the liberal arts. All students are  encouraged to declare this pathway and Latin Honors are tied to the successful completion of the program..

Students will be designated Eliza Wheaton Scholars when they earn at least one credit each in:

  • Quantitative Analysis
  • Writing (at the 100-level or above)
  • Structures of Power and Inequality
  • Natural and Physical Science
  • Creative Arts
  • Humanities
  • Social Sciences

And two courses in:

  • The same second language

The designation Eliza Wheaton Scholar will appear on the student’s transcript. The Eliza Wheaton Scholars program provides a map for students to explore the breadth of the liberal arts and encourages engagement with modes of thinking across the disciplines.

Only students who complete the Eliza Wheaton Scholars program and meet the minimum cumulative grade point average at the point of graduation are eligible for Latin Honors.

At Wheaton, we believe that Latin Honors includes not only high academic achievement, but also a dedication to an exploration of the liberal arts and the values associated with the College. To earn the designation of Latin Honors, students must earn the GPA associated with the designation and complete the Eliza Wheaton Scholars program.

Taylor and Lane Scholars Program

The Taylor & Lane program asks students to address questions of social justice, inclusion, equity and diversity through engagement within and beyond the classroom. The program provides a pathway of courses and experiences for students who are focused on social change and social justice from any major or discipline.

One core course, Imagining a Just World, anchors the program and allows students to meet one another. Additional courses, participation in dialogue across difference, immersive experiences, a capstone project, and reflection prepare students to work competently, sensitively, and effectively toward social justice.

The Taylor and Lane Scholars program is named in memory of Alice Elizabeth Taylor and Nadine Widgeon Lane, the first two Black women formally admitted to Wheaton College in 1946. After graduation, Alice worked as a teacher and school psychologist in the Boston Public Schools. She was a lifelong member of the NAACP and remained committed to the arts. Alice married her childhood sweetheart Harvey Sanford, with whom she had one daughter. Like Alice Taylor, Nadine Lane and her family shared a lifelong commitment to social justice and civil rights. She was raised in Roxbury, MA, where her father co-founded Freedom House and fought for equal access to housing. After graduation, Nadine spent her professional career as a social worker.

The Global Honors Program

The Global Honors program signals our College’s commitment to global citizenship and engagement with the world. The requirements are meant to provide a deep and meaningful engagement with the intersection of languages, cultures, and structures across the globe.

Global Honors asks students to discover and experience cultures outside of the United States, learn a second language, and reflect on their place in the world. Through a combination of course work, study abroad or global project, capstone project or creative work, and reflection, students learn to situate their experiences within a global context.