The Honors Program has existed at Saint Louis University since its establishment by Rev. Wilfred M. Mallon, S.J. in 1938, placing it among the oldest collegiate honors programs in the country. In its original form, the program was limited to upperclassmen in the College of Arts and Sciences. The so-called “Honors Men” followed a prescribed curriculum that combined “Great Books” courses with more rigorous study in academic courses.

Following a five-year suspension during the Second World War, Fr. Reinert decided to expand the program to include University College students in addition to Arts and Sciences students. This action led to the first women being admitted into the program. The Reverend Maurice B. McNamee S.J. headed the program through the 1950s and was responsible for turning the experience into a four-year course of study. By the late 1950s, the program evolved to incorporate math and science requirements that complemented the traditional liberal arts curriculum.

By the 1970s, admission procedures focused more on the applicant's individual qualities and accomplishments than on test scores or grades. The program began to prefer enthusiastic, hard-working students rather than simply academically successful students. The rapid expansion of the program led to some growing pains, such as shortages on Honors course offerings and inefficient organizational structure. These shortfalls led to a revamping of the program’s organization and curriculum, which helped to alleviate the criticism that Honors students were removed from the rest of campus and were elitist in nature.

Until 2007, the Honors program was housed under the College of Arts and Sciences. The program is now organized under the Office of Academic Affairs as its own separate entity, and has been for the past decade. In 2012, the Honors program redeveloped its curriculum in an effort to more closely align with the Jesuit ideal of educating the whole student. Today, Saint Louis University’s Jesuit mission is manifest in the nature of the Honors Program curriculum. Throughout the Crossroads course, the honors-only coursework, and the experiential learning requirements, integrative learning and interdisciplinary thinking is commonplace. Through a study abroad course, the international partnership, or the professional development and vocational discernment seminar, students reflect in a critical, introspective, and intellectual way about their experiences.

While many aspects of the Honors program have changed over the decades, the mission of the program itself has not. Saint Louis University’s Honors Program seeks to engage the intellectually curious and academically successful student.