Honors Programs

You deserve a university that recognizes your talents and gives you the opportunity to enhance them. Participating in honors courses or programs provide outstanding preparation for careers and graduate school.

Binghamton University offers honors in nearly every major and a host of honor societies. We also have several exclusive honors programs that are by invite only.

First-year Research Immersion (FRI) Program

FRI provides first-year students with an authentic research experience in sciences and engineering. Over the course of three semesters, students conduct research with faculty recognized around the world for their work on important problems and build valuable skills to prepare them for future research opportunities and the workplace. Previous streams have included topics like biogeochemistry, community and global public health, and neuroscience.

Benefits of FRI include:

• Community (mentoring, building relationships, forging long-term bonds with faculty and peers)

• Transferable workforce skills (collaboration, communication, project management, analytical thinking, science literacy)

• Personal impact (take ownership of your research experience, become reflective, resilient, confident, independent; clarify self-direction, catalyze future success)

• Discovery (drive interdisciplinary research to tackle urgent global challenges, disseminate findings among professionals to fuel innovation)

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Binghamton University Scholars Program

Scholars live and learn with a group of talented students who have a wide range of experiences and interests, and shared aspirations for academic excellence. The Scholars Learning Community, located in one of the newest residential communities, is welcoming and tight-knit; upperclassmen Scholars act as peer mentors and help with the academic and social challenges of college life. Scholars also have opportunities to be mentored by top-level administrators and faculty, showcase their work locally and nationally, and enjoy unique access to graduate assistantships and specialized internships. Scholars have their choice of any major in any school at Binghamton until the latter part of their first year. Professional mentors and career counselors provide guidance on a choice of major, internship opportunities, and advise in a pre-professional capacity while providing networking opportunities.

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The Source Project

The Source Project is among the very few programs in the nation that offer research experiences in the humanities and social sciences to first-year students. Students work on issues such as food insecurity, gender discrimination, public health campaigns, labor rights, government propaganda and sense of belonging in schools.

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PricewaterhouseCoopers Scholars

The PwC Scholars program is one of two School of Management honors programs. It provides students with unparalleled leadership and networking experience. After four years as a PwC Scholar, students enter the business world as distinguished leaders and professionals.

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EY Student Leaders program

This program is one of two School of Management honors programs. It provides opportunities for emerging leaders with a focus on technology and innovation. The emphasis is on statistical and data-driven decision making, data visualization, programming, modeling, machine learning and other advanced analytic methods. Students will develop a mindset to analyze, innovate, and think and act globally.

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Transformational Leaders Program

This leadership development program within the School of Management (SOM) builds leadership and professional skills, in addition to helping with academics, career services and networking. This professional development journey includes interacting with world-renowned faculty fellows, successful alumni and business mentors, meeting with visiting recruiters and attending individual sessions with the SOM dean.

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Watson College Scholars Program

This initiative within the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science connects talented students from historically and economically underrepresented communities with academic and professional opportunities to help them become future leaders and innovators in engineering and computer science.

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Innovation Scholars 

This program is for students seeking to tackle challenging real-world problems. Through academics, experiential learning, networking and mentorship, students learn how to implement their innovations through experimentation, creativity and problem solving. Students have opportunities to learn from and network with successful alumni, leaders from various businesses, start-ups and agencies, and practicing innovators and entrepreneurs.

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Summer Scholars and Artists Fellowships

The Summer Scholars and Artists Program allows undergraduates to engage in special research, scholarship or creative activities during the summer. This program supports the student’s original research or creative project through a stipend, enabling recipients to engage in primary research or creative activities with guidance from faculty mentors and to formally present their research at Research Days.

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