Special Programs and Opportunities

May Term

Study off campus in a May Term course led by a professor from the religion department:

• Ecological Theology and Ethics (New York)
  Instructor: Steve Bouma-Prediger

Learn more about off-campus study opportunities 

Independent Study

• Our students have the opportunity to pursue a project of their own interest beyond the course catalog offerings.
• This intense study can be based upon readings, creative research and/or field projects, depending on your career interests and vocational calling.

Vita Scholars Program

The Vita Scholars Program is an accelerated 5-year pastoral degree program at Hope College and Western Theological Seminary. Program participants will acquire a B.A. in religion at Hope College, taking introductory and upper-level courses in biblical studies, church history and theology. And they will receive their M.Div. from Western Theological Seminary, taking courses in biblical studies, church history, theology and ministry.

Learn more about the Vita Scholars Program 

Awards

• Religion Scholarship
  2017 recipient: Eugene Ryan
  
• Sloan-Stegeman Mission Prize
  2017 recipient: Emily Hozian
• John Vanderwilt Award
  2017 recipients: Jessica Cronau and Colin Whitehead
• Verhey Award for Excellence in Scholarship
  2017 recipients:  Garrett Sims and Andrew Bennett
• Van Ess Scholars
  2017 scholars: Benjamin Davison, Heather DeBoer, Cassie Loomis, Shannon Maloney, Eugene Ryan, Ryan Stephenson, David Lakanen, Daniel Pelyhes

Saint Benedict Institute

• The Saint Benedict Institute was founded by Catholic scholars at Hope College to engage the academy from an explicitly Catholic perspective and offer spiritual and intellectual formation to Catholic students.
• Through a variety of initiatives and with the cooperation of Hope College’s Campus Ministries, the Hope Catholics student group and the Diocese of Grand Rapids, the Saint Benedict Institute provides an integral Catholic witness and seeks to strengthen Catholic identity among Catholic students as well as encourage all Christians in their faith on the Hope College campus.