Classical Christian Honors College

The Classical Christian Honors College is an undergraduate liberal arts college at the University of Northwestern. Its programs seek to honor Christ by cultivating wisdom and virtue by pursuing the true, the good, and the beautiful. Read more about our approach.

The CCHC offers a secondary major in Great Books & Ideas — a three-year, 40 credit program consisting of six credits of unique honors courses each semester and a four-credit international study experience course. The honors courses satisfy 36 credits of UNW’s 55 core (general education) requirements, including courses in Bible, Leadership & Professionalism, Global and Cultural Engagement, and Creative Expression categories. Students will complete other general and major-specific education courses as required for their program. 

The Great Books & Ideas program is designed for incoming undergraduate students who are intellectually curious, eager to go deep in the faith, enjoy a discussion-oriented classroom environment, and who want to grow as thinkers and leaders. The program is a sequential, cohort-based, text-driven, discussion-oriented college experience grounded in historic Christian orthodoxy. Students will be challenged to advance the Christian intellectual tradition by putting the wisdom of the past into conversation with the most controversial issues of the present. Program enrollment is intentionally limited to cohorts of sixteen in order to provide students the opportunity to engage one another in robust discussion. Admitted students will work with their academic advisor to customize the program with their primary major. 

Because the Great Books & Ideas program is a three-year program designed to satisfy many of the requirements for UNW’s core (general education) curriculum, it can be completed without adding additional time to your undergraduate degree. 

Absolutely! This program is designed to enable students to participate in the fine arts, athletics, student government, and other activities.  

Post-Secondary Education Option (PSEO) and Post-Secondary-On-Campus (PSOC) students can learn more about conditional early admission for the PSEO pathway in August 2025.

We consider your entire academic portfolio and encourage you to apply if you’re interested in the program. Historically, UNW honors students have had an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.92 or an average ACT score of 28. 

Applying to the Classical Christian Honors College is a two-part process. You will need to start your application to the University of Northwestern – St. Paul and follow the instructions for the Classical Christian Honors College Application.

The Great Books & Ideas program is designed to be transfer–friendly. Find out what courses you can apply to the remaining core (general education) requirements by contacting an admissions counselor or PSEO advisor.  

The CCHC builds on the fruitful legacy of the Eagle Scholars Honors Program. While the Eagle Scholars Honors Program is no longer admitting new students, current Eagle Scholars (including the Fall 2024 cohort) will continue in the program until graduation.

Current Eagle Scholars may choose to apply for admission into the CCHC.