What Is the Aequitas Fellows Program?
The Aequitas Fellows Program is a group of highly selective, four-year academic fellowship programs centered around important interdisciplinary themes. As part of Aequitas, you will join a cohort of other outstanding students in common classes and experiences to explore questions central to your particular theme. These shared experiences offer rich intellectual opportunities, deep relationships, and a robust complement to your wider Christian liberal arts education at Wheaton.
About the Aequitas Fellows Program
aequitas [éh-qui-tahs] n. justice, equity, fairness, impartiality [Latin].
What Is an Aequitas Cohort?
As an Aequitas Fellow, you and the other students in your cohort group will take a series of common classes focused on your chosen theme, and participate in related:
- reading groups
- campus events
- funded summer experiences
- internships
- research projects
Fellows earn an Aequitas Fellowship Certificate upon completion of the program—see below for each theme’s requirements. Each Aequitas theme can be combined with most any major or program on campus.
“The Aequitas program has connected me with brilliant mentors, incredible opportunities, and lifelong friends. Being an Aequitas fellow has really unlocked the best of what Wheaton has to offer — from access to premier speakers to competitive scholarships. I’ve really loved being a part of Aequitas!”
- Collin Maldonado ’23, Philosophy
Aequitas Fellowship Themes
In this fellowship theme, you'll join a creative collaborative of students who want to engage the public in humanities and arts. You'll learn how to design and develop projects that participate in community meaning-making, memory, and transformation. You'll use your passions for literature, philosophy, history, theology, languages, and the arts to build relationships and meet needs.
In this fellowship program, you will:
- take humanities and arts courses in community with other Fellows
- practice inventing and implementing your own public projects
- travel in community to learn from existing public humanities and arts projects
- network with public humanities and arts leaders
- intern in a chosen area related to public humanities and arts
- develop a capstone project start to finish
The Aequitas Fellowship in Sustainability offers Wheaton College students a unique, multi-disciplinary opportunity to directly relate their robust Christian liberal arts education to the needs of contemporary society, to develop a personal ethic of creation care, and to practically address global environmental degradation.
Aequitas Sustainability Fellows live and learn in community with a cohort of similarly-motivated students while:
- exploring the principles of sustainability in unique coursework, reading groups, and field experiences;
- undertaking practical, hands-on group sustainability projects;
- participating in an eight-week intensive summer program in the Black Hills of South Dakota;
- and developing into a leader in sustainable action through an independent project.
The Aequitas Fellowship in Urban Leadership educates Wheaton College students to promote just, sustainable, and flourishing urban communities through academic study, experiential learning, immersion programs, and Christian service.
Students graduate from the program conversant in ethics and economics, especially as they intersect with the realities – both the challenges and opportunities – of urban life. Aequitas Urban Leadership Fellows develop competence in applying ethical and economic reasoning to urban challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, housing, public health, environmental sustainability, employment, and economic development within the context of evangelical public and political theology.
The Aequitas Fellowship in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) offers you an exciting interdisciplinary educational experience that will deepen your ability to engage a wide variety of public policy issues with the skills and knowledge drawn from all three disciplines.
As part of Aequitas PPE, you will study politics, philosophy, and economics with a cohort of classmates committed to understanding some of our society's most daunting challenges. Theme coordinator Dr. Timothy Taylor will work with your cohort to build an intentional community of Christian student scholars who strengthen one another. You will take courses together, join reading groups on PPE sources, work on policy projects, and have many opportunities for extracurricular social and spiritual development.
The Global Public Health program serves and combines a series of common courses, reading and discussion groups, internships, and research opportunities. This dynamic program of study will equip you with skills and knowledge drawn from the intersection of the social sciences, life sciences, and humanities to engage a variety of complex and intransigent public health issues.
You will develop fluency across relevant public health-related disciplines, analyze how public health problems are structured in various contexts, and develop skills in proposing and evaluating a wide variety of interventions to benefit society in a wide range of vocations. The fellowship certificate includes courses in epidemiology and other public health methods, along with an emphasis on topics and important contexts for the study and practice of public health.
Is Aequitas an Honors Program?
Many schools offer honors programs, but Wheaton takes a different approach. In fact, at Wheaton, the average student is already working at an honors level, as evidenced by our freshman class profile. However, even with our high-caliber student body and robust curriculum, some students are looking for additional levels of challenge and engagement with their chosen field of study. That’s why we’ve created the Aequitas Fellows Program.
Learn more about the difference between the Aequitas Fellows Program and traditional college honors programs.
What Makes Aequitas Unique?
Several factors make Aequitas unique, including our expanded selection criteria, our cohort model, and the combination of classroom and experiential education. Moreover, Aequitas Fellows participate in the full learning community of Wheaton, including our innovative Christ at the Core general education curriculum. Aequitas's rigorous classroom and experiential opportunities will enrich your academic and intellectual life, helping you develop expertise in the company of like-minded peer scholars and preparing you for whatever vocation you are called into.
“One of my most cherished parts of Aequitas is getting to go to lectures and to converse with the guest speakers along with those in my cohort. It is truly a learning experience to not only learn from professionals living and breathing the urban experience but to also be able to learn from my peers and to hear how each of their life experiences has shaped them.”
- Autumn Grace Page ’22, English Writing
Are There Scholarships for Aequitas?
Aequitas scholars are admitted into a particular fellowship theme and receive an additional $4,000 per year beyond their other academic and financial aid awards. Fellows will also receive additional funding to help cover a summer learning experience ranging from studying internationally to internships and research projects.
How Do I Apply?
Aequitas is a highly selective program. You will join a cohort of students with superb academic records, demonstrated leadership abilities, and serious Christian commitment. A select group of students are invited to apply on the basis of their Wheaton College application credentials.