An Engineer's Perspective on the Purdue Honors College

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    There are many ways to make a big school feel small, and one of the ways I was looking to do that when I was applying to college was applying to Honors College programs. These programs look different depending on the school, but pretty universally, they involve smaller class sizes and honors courses, opportunities for undergraduate research, and a live-in experience for first-year students. The John Martinson Honors College (JMHC) at Purdue was still very new when I applied in 2019, but the young program was extremely attractive to apply to because of the four pillars upon which the program was built: interdisciplinary learning, community and global experiences, undergraduate research, and leadership development. As a supplement to my engineering education, I applied to the Honors College to take advantage of the programming provided by each of these pillars throughout my four years.

    Each year in honors has been different–starting with participating in Goss Scholars as a first-year engineer. You can learn more about my experience in that program and what it is in this blog post here–, but each year I took advantage of multiple different pillars to make the most of my Honors College experience. Also, I found that a lot of my engineering coursework would count towards my honors degree, making it easier to complete and fully participate in the program. As I finish up my Honors College experience this year, here is how I leveraged the JMHC as an engineer.


Undergraduate Research: The Scholarly Project and Research Generators

In order to graduate through the JMHC, all students are required to partake in a “scholarly project” of some sort. While this does not necessarily need to be a scientific research project, that is the route I took to complete this part of my experience. If you decide to take independent research as a course, not only will this count towards your “honors elective” curriculum requirements, but you can use the project you are doing as a means to complete your project. For example, I completed 3 semesters and one summer fellowship of independent research in my major and presented my work at a public symposium, and I had all of that count for a scholarly project and honors elective credit. This incentivized me to try research as I knew it could also count towards my Honors College degree. The JMHC also recently started a Research Generator program that is meant to help expand on current research or jumpstart new research ideas for students. I have taken advantage of the Interdisciplinary Sports Studies Generator as a way to stay current in an industry that I have interest working in! I’ve been able to attend talks from industry professionals put on by the program, and they provide opportunities to engage further with Purdue Athletics from an academic lens. If you’re interested in pursuing research as an undergraduate student, the Honors College can help facilitate getting into this space as well as encourage its students to seek out research opportunities.

Leadership Development: Honors Retreats and Courses

The JMHC offers courses and study away opportunities to learn not only what it means to be an effective leader but helps you learn more about your strengths and how to improve as a leader yourself. I took a leadership seminar course which brought in different speakers who are leaders in their industries–examples including Stacey Burr who is a former VP at Google or Martie Burris who is a Senior Director for Product Development at Salesforce just to name a couple–as well as facilitated discussion around self-reflection about your personal leadership style. I learn a lot in this course, both about myself and leadership as a concept. I also took advantage of an honors leadership retreat which helped me to learn more about working in interdisciplinary teams and, again, effectiveness as a leader. These courses are designed to be fairly low-stakes so you can get the most out of them, and they are specific to the Honors College and its students. It is a great way for you to learn more about how you too can become a better or more self-aware leader.


Community and Global Experiences: Honors College Study Away Programs

To finish up my last few honors course credits and because I had been wanting to study abroad, I took part in an Honors College Study Away program during the month of May (which is called a “Maymester”). This program took place throughout Northern Italy! Through the three weeks we were there, I took the equivalent of two Honors College courses which studied the work of Leonardo Da Vinci in the context of the Medieval and Renaissance eras as well as the transition from the Modern to the Postmodern era. It was incredible to be studying these eras in the place where they happened. This program again reinforced the element of interdisciplinary learning through our study of Leonardo Da Vinci as the true Renaissance man. I also walked away from this experience having learned so much about Italian culture and felt more connected with the world. The Honors College has so many opportunities for students to learn and experience the world in these unique contexts through its curriculum which reinforces a deeper cultural understanding.

Interdisciplinary Learning: Taking Honors College Classes

All first-year students are required to take an honor’s seminar class each semester, so you are introduced to the idea of interdisciplinary learning right away. This 8-week class is designed to facilitate engagement with unique, multifaceted topics with a group of students outside of your major! My first semester, my seminar topic was about food and ended up diving into food practices in different cultures. Second semester, my topic was on sound and our surrounding acoustical environment. The two courses were very different topics and both very much outside my scope as an engineer. However, I really enjoyed these courses for the exposure to different ideas which challenged me to think outside of my own perspective. The Honors College offers numerous interdisciplinary courses after your first year to take as well, focusing on special topics from different academic angles. You can find a list of current course offerings for this upcoming spring here. I found that having the opportunity to take these courses helped me gain a more well-rounded academic perspective, and they were very enjoyable to take! If you’re looking for unique course offerings that challenge you to think outside the scope of engineering, the Honors College is a great way to do that.


This was how I used my time in the JMHC to get the most out of it for myself that I wanted. If you’re interested in this type of learning environment and these opportunities, be sure to apply to the Honors College when you apply to Purdue by Nov. 1. If you have any questions about this program, don’t hesitate to reach out to us through our social media or email!

Becca Jennings, MSE '24

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