College of Business > Academics > Department of Management & Entrepreneurship > Majors & Minors > Management Honors (BSB)

Management Honors (BSB)

The Management Honors Program is an accelerated and challenging course of study for students who intend to declare management as their major or minor, but have yet to take management courses beyond MGT 300. This program is also suitable for students double majoring in management and another business discipline, as well as students looking to minor in management. You must apply to the program.

Professor Grace Lemmon, director of the Management Honors Program, shares more details below in a video about the program.

Watch the full video

The Management Honors Program is a cohort program composed of six core management courses. The courses that must be taken as part of the program include the following honors sections: MGT 250, MGT 398 (The Mindful Leader), MGT 360, MGT 303, MGT 302 and MGT 314. Using a problem-based approach, the Management Honors Program requires students to complete live projects for organizations experiencing management-based issues. In rotating groups, students will work on projects for Chicago-based organizations, and solicit feedback from leaders of those organizations.

Leadership Development

Through the honors curriculum, the Management Honors Program will focus on building your leadership skills, including helping you to better manage yourself, improve your group and team leadership abilities, and make better evidence-based, and data-driven people decisions.

In addition to developing expertise in core management principles and building leadership experiences and confidence, the program will help students develop their communication, presentation and teamwork skills. Students will also build personal relationships with professors in the Management Honors Program. The program’s professors will be readily available to provide feedback, assistance and support beyond the typical classroom setting.

Program Schedule

The course schedule for the honors program is pre-set, and students must (a) complete all courses within the program and (b) start the program in autumn quarter to qualify. The schedule is:

Autumn Quarter

  • MGT 250 - Careers in Management*
  • MGT 398 – The Mindful Leader

Winter Quarter

  • MGT 360 - Leadership
  • MGT 303 – Managing Projects and Teams

Spring Quarter

  • MGT 302 - Organizational Behavior
  • MGT 314 – Business Analytics Foundational Tools

*If you are double-majoring and have taken a two-credit hour 250 course in your second major, you can elect to not enroll in this class.

The next cohort starts in Fall 2023.

Application Process

To apply for the program, you should send the following application materials to Professor Grace Lemmon (glemmon@depaul.edu):

  1. Résumé, which includes professional association membership, work history and current GPA.
  2. Essay about interest in the program. This essay should be no more than one page and should address the following questions:
    • Why are you interested in the program?
    • What type of classroom environment do you find most enriching?
    • Why do you think you would be a good candidate for the honors program?
    • What are your career goals upon graduation from DePaul?
    • In the last paragraph of your essay, please confirm that: (1) you have taken or plan to take MGT 300 prior to the program’s start in Autumn quarter; and (2) that you have not taken any courses in the honors schedule outside of the program. If you do not meet these requirements, you are ineligible to join the program and should not submit application materials.

A Letter of Recommendation should also be submitted by a faculty member, on your behalf. Instructions for that Letter of Recommendation are on the form.

Students may also be interviewed to ascertain their interest in the program and future academic goals.

Please note that we will not automatically exclude from consideration a student for any single aspect of his or her admission packet. We encourage students interested to apply, and to highlight your strengths in admission materials. Please reach out to Professor Grace Lemmon (glemmon@depaul.edu) with questions.

What is a “cohort program”?
A cohort program is one in which students in the program take all the required coursework together, and only honors students attend the honors courses. Because of this structure, students can expect to develop deeper relationships with their fellow honors program members and professors, which is advantageous to receiving academic and social support, as well as career networking.

How does the honors program differ from my normal coursework?
This program will be more rigorous, but also more rewarding. Students will learn via a problem-based approach, meaning that classwork is centered on cases with no clear solutions, ambiguous information and changing circumstances. This approach helps mimic real-word problems, and as such, will give students the opportunity to learn skills that differ from the typical classroom.

I can’t take one or more of the courses due to my conflicting schedule, or I have already taken one or more courses within the honors program. May I still be in the program?
No, only students who can commit to enrolling in all required courses will be admitted to the program. There are no exceptions.

Do I have to declare management as a major to enroll?
No. Please note that the completion of the program coursework will fulfill requirements for a management minor; no additional coursework outside of the program need be taken to qualify for a minor. Students who are double-majoring are welcome to apply. On their transcript, their management major will indicate graduation from the honors program.

Are there pre-requisites for the program?
Yes, students must have completed MGT 300 prior to starting in the program.

How many cohorts are there?
There is only one cohort per year, which begins in Autumn quarter. As such there is only one “honors” section of each course in the program.

How many students are in the program?
The size of the class is around 30 students.

Is there a GPA requirement for the program?
There is no GPA requirement for application to the program, although we will consider GPA as part of our overall evaluation in admitted students. We will require that students maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA in their honors coursework to remain in the program.

Will “management department honors program” appear on my transcript?
Yes, if you major in management. If you minor in management, the courses taken will be listed as honors sections, but your major degree will not include an honors program designation.

When are my application materials due?
Applications are accepted continuously until the class is full. The maximum capacity of the class is 30 students, so early application is strongly encouraged. If you have not yet taken MGT 300, but plan to do so prior to fall quarter, you can still apply.