COVID-19: INFORMATION FOR THE MANHATTANVILLE COMMUNITY
We are looking forward to welcoming students back for the spring semester. Safety policies and protocols can be found here and our dashboard can be viewed here. Email COVID-19@mville.edu with questions.
Castle Scholars Honors Program
The Castle Scholars Honors Program at Manhattanville College seeks to challenge high-achieving students and encourages them to explore new areas of interest beyond the usual intellectual parameters during their entire undergraduate career. This highly selective program limits admission to the top ten percent of each incoming class. Castle Scholars Honors Students benefit from rigorous, intellectually stimulating, interdisciplinary seminars, all of which are taught by our full-time faculty. Castle Scholars can also apply for special funding to complete independent Honors research and creative projects, allowing them to design, implement, and achieve the ambitious goals they set for themselves.
The Castle Scholars Honors Program offers students of exceptional ability a broader and more intensive program of study than the usual college curriculum. It provides motivated students in any major field with challenging, cross-disciplinary courses that encourage their academic and personal growth. Participation in the Castle Scholars Honors Program encourages intellectual exchange among students and faculty and fosters independent initiative in academic and creative realms. Castle Scholars are well prepared for success in graduate and professional schools as well as in the professional world.
Honors seminars are the core of our program. Manhattanville’s most engaging faculty offer innovative and often interdisciplinary seminars that are limited to 15 students, a format that ensures in-depth discussion and exploration of the subject matter. In addition, many of our seminars incorporate experiential learning through trips into New York City and other sites in the tri-state region. These classes provide high-achieving students with the opportunity to explore areas within and outside of their intended major, and all of them fulfill at least one of Manhattanville College’s General Education Requirements.
Our Honors students also learn how to become effective leaders and give back to the Manhattanville community by organizing Human Rights Awareness Day each fall, and the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Fair each spring. For Castle Scholar Irena Curanovic (class of 2016), organizing Human Rights Awareness Day “provided an opportunity for personal and professional growth. In planning this event with a group of people, I think we all learned leadership skills, teamwork, and how to be better global citizens.”
We also provide funding for selected Castle Scholars to complete ambitious research and creative projects. Recently funded projects include:
- Authenticity in literature – David Nielsen, English
- Testing Leptospira biflexa susceptibility to salt and osmotic stress – Polin Petkova, Biology
- Effects of green tea on preventing Pseudomonas aeruginosa – Mariah Bigaud, Biology
- Anti-biofilm activity of pomegranate extract against the bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis – Charlene Caoili, Biology
- DEET effectively repels the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, in a novel ex vivo bioassay – Philip Meade, Biology
- Native and European interaction during the Pequot War – Denise Martinchek, History
- Democratic Transitions in Myannmar – Alexis Moore, History, International Studies, and Asian Studies
- Break the First Impression? – Shuzi Meng, Psychology
Program requirements consist of five components in the following categories:
- An Honors First Year Seminar (students who join the program after their first year will substitute an additional 3000-level CSCH seminar for this requirement)
- Two 3000-level CSCH seminars (for sophomores, juniors and seniors)
- An Independent Research Project OR an Internship, both subject to approval by the Castle Scholars Honors Director
- An approved, credit-bearing service project, which can be fulfilled in one of two ways (students may take both)
-CSCH 4500 - fall semester Castle Scholars service course organizing Human Rights Awareness Day (1.5 credits)
-CSCH 4501 - spring semester Castle Scholars service course organizing the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Fair (1.5 credits) - CSCH 3080 Capstone (1.5 credits): This capstone course, utilizing Manhattanville’s signature Atlas pedagogy, assists Castle Scholars in integrating and synthesizing their honors experiences and relating them to their future academic, professional and personal plans.
In addition, Castle Scholars must:
- Earn a grade of B or better in Honors courses in order to receive Honors credit
- Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.6 or higher
- Participate actively in the Castle Scholars Honors Program by attending at least two events per semester
- Remain in good standing in their non-academic activities
- Be positive role models for academic integrity
- Meet certain “milestones” in the form of a certain number of honors credits completed at the end of each academic year, as below:
- By the end of the freshman year, complete 3 CSCH credits. Most students will be able to meet this milestone by completing the honors First Year Seminar.
- By the end of the sophomore year, complete 6 CSCH credits cumulative.
- By the end of the junior year, complete 9 CSCH credits cumulative, plus the capstone.
- By the end of the senior year, complete all the required CSCH credits.
Revised 03/20/2019. The above information provided serves as a guide, which will be updated periodically.
Current information about degree program requirements can be found in the official College Catalogs.
Current admissions requirements can be found here.
Castle Scholars in good standing are accorded the following privileges:
- Priority registration privileges (early registration to ensure optimal course selection)
- Permission to register for up to 21 credits per semester without financial penalty
- Opportunities to apply for special funding for research projects
- Participation in on-campus Castle Scholars social events, including regular dinners with the president of Manhattanville College
- Contribution to the intellectual and social life of the college through the organization of college-wide events, such as Human Rights Awareness Day and the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Fair
- Participation in Castle Scholars field trips to New York City and beyond
- Mentoring by the Castle Scholars Director and Faculty Committee members
- Access to the Honors Commons student lounge and study area in the library
- Recognition at college-wide awards ceremonies
- Recognition of successful completion of the program on college transcripts and on all printed graduation materials
Fall 2019
Castle Scholars Dinner with the College President- Monday, October 28th, Ophir Room, 6:30 p.m.
Trip to the Rubin Museum, NYC - Saturday, November 9th, 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Human Rights Awareness Day-Wednesday, Nov.13th
Advising Hours for spring 2020 registration
- Monday, October 21, 11 a.m. – 12 noon, Professor Saleeby-Mulligan, Honors Lounge (LIB 001)
- Tuesday, October 22, 3 to 4 pm, Professor Mehta, Library café
- Wednesday, October 23, 4-5 p.m., Professor Mehta, Library café
- Thursday, October 24, 11:00 a.m. 12 noon, Professor Saleeby-Mulligan, Honors Lounge (LIB 001)
- Friday, October 25, 3-4 p.m., Professor Mehta, Library café
Spring 2020
Trip to The Museum of Modern Art, NYC, Saturday, February 29th, 10:30 am -3:30 pm
Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Fair, held online because of COVID-19