Honors Program

Quinlan Honors students take honors-only sections of the business core curriculum in all semesters. Our business honors courses are smaller in size and challenge honors students to think critically about the various subjects that are taught in the business core curriculum.

Quinlan Honors students also take honors sections of non-core business curriculum including Business Management: A Global and Social Perspective (BHNR 338), Integrated Analytical Decision Making (BHNR 343), and Research Practicum (BHNR 353). These three courses were developed specifically for the Quinlan Honors program.

To complete the Quinlan Honors curriculum requirement, 13 Quinlan Honors courses are required (6 from Group A and 7 from Group B). Students must take BHNR 343 or BHNR 353 to complete the program and to ensure fulfillment of the senior year co-curricular project. Many Quinlan Honors students take both BHNR 343 and BHNR 353.

Quinlan Honors courses are offered once per academic year (with minor exceptions) and currently on this schedule: 

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

In the Quinlan Honors program, one semester of study abroad is encouraged but not required. Typical but not required timing for a Quinlan Honors student to study abroad is one semester during the sophomore or junior year. 

Quinlan Honors students design and present an annual co-curricular project during all four years to fulfill this important program requirement.

Each year, students design a project proposal and partner with the program director to ensure the project proposal meets program requirements. Projects are due in April and are presented to all Quinlan Honors students. 

• First year co-curricular project: Leadership focus
• Sophomore co-curricular project: Campus service focus
• Junior co-curricular project: Focus on off-campus service
• Senior co-curricular project: Research focus extending from one of the Quinlan Honors courses, Research Practicum (BHNR 353) or Integrated Analytical Decision Making (BHNR 343). A key component of the senior project is participation in the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium.

Every Thursday, Quinlan Honors students meet for a weekly seminar. Quinlan Honors Seminar (BHNR 300) is led by the program director and occurs at the Schreiber Center, unless an offsite event is planned for the week.

Quinlan Honors Seminar provides students with opportunities to learn from and network with leaders at major companies and organizations. See what a seminar class looks like. Quinlan Honors Seminar is primarily a speaker series and our students engage with senior-level guest speakers from the Chicago business and nonprofit communities. Recent seminar speakers represent firms such as Abbott, McDonald’s, Salesforce, Grant Thornton, Baxter, Leo Burnett, KPMG, and JPMorgan Chase.

Quinlan Honors Seminar programming also presents honors students with opportunities to attend corporate and organizational site visits, social activities, and other events. See photos from Quinlan Honors programming.

Through seminar, students have the opportunity to network with each other and build community in ways beyond year one in Francis Hall and honors coursework.

Quinlan Honors students must complete the required honors coursework, complete all four co-curricular projects, attend and engage in Quinlan Honors seminar, and achieve a minimum cumulative 3.5 GPA at the conclusion of their undergraduate career to graduate from the Quinlan Honors program.

Acceptance into the Quinlan Honors Program is competitive and spaces are limited.

Loyola University Chicago has a test-optional admission policy. Incoming business students with ACT/SAT scores (ACT 30+ or SAT 1360+) and minimum 3.8 GPA will be invited to apply to this competitive program via the application portal. Prospective business students with top-tier academic performance and rigorous course loads without ACT/SAT scores will also be invited to apply to this competitive program via the application portal. An essay is required and all applications are assessed on an individual basis.

Timing and process

Applications are shared with qualified individuals via the application portal in early January, with a deadline in mid-March. Acceptance, waitlist, and non-acceptance begins in mid-March and concludes by mid-April. All applicants are notified via the application portal.

Accepted students must opt-in via the application portal by May 1 to secure a space in the program. All accepted students who submit a housing application are assigned to the Quinlan Honors learning community for their first year in Francis Hall.

For non-incoming first-year applicants

Students with at least 80 credit hours to earn for degree requirements and a minimum 3.65 GPA are encouraged to apply to the Quinlan Honors program at the conclusion of their first year. To begin the application as a non-incoming first-year student, please email Bjorn Berg, Quinlan Honors program director.

A course planning review with Quinlan Advising is required as a non-incoming first-year student applicant. To schedule this course planning review, contact Quinlan Advising to request an appointment with Cole Maltsberger. An interview may be required with the program director.