South Suburban College strives to provide accomplished students with the opportunity to engage in studies that are more intellectually challenging than traditional sections of the same course offerings. Honors courses do not necessarily require more work but instead involve enriched study around a specialized topic, allowing students to commit more time to the intensive study of select learning outcomes. Honors learning outcomes are developed by committed faculty with the requisite experience in the area of study.
Qualifications:
Applicants must meet two of the following criteria. At least one must be from Group I; however, both may be from that Group:
GROUP I
- High school GPA of 3.5
- The upper 10% of your high school graduating class
- ACT score of 25 or better
- SAT score of 1100 or better
- SSC GPA of 3.5 (12 hrs. min. of 100-level courses or above)
- HSE/GED test score of 3000 or better
GROUP II
- Recommendation from SSC instructor (verbal or written)
- Letter of recommendation from high school instructor (Instructor you had during senior year in an academic course)
- To remain in the Honors programs, students must maintain a 3.25 GPA.
Recognition:
- Scholarship tuition waiver for Honors-designated courses
- Member of Honors Program indicated on your transcript.
- Access to a special counselor to assist Honors students with transferring and obtaining academic scholarships
- Recognition at Honors Convocation
Application
Applications are accepted at any time and are available in the College & Career Success Center, the Office of the President, or online.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have attended SSC and have accumulated 12 semester hours of college-level credit with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better on (4.0 scale), you qualify for membership in SSC’s Honors Program. There are other ways to qualify. See the details on the Academic Recognition section of SSC’s WebPage.
First of all, because nothing bad will happen to you, and there is every likelihood that something good will happen. Second, because it’s simple and free.
For starters, free tuition for any honors courses you take while at SSC. And free lunches each semester with fellow honors students, faculty, and staff. Don’t forget the prestige of having “Honors Program Member” stamped on your transcript. And last but hardly least, there’s the opportunity to take some truly thought-provoking courses, which have been specially developed by SSC faculty.
Honors course work is indeed more challenging, but Honors courses are not merely more of the same work you would do in a non-honors course.
No. Honors students are graded against the performance of the entire student body, not merely against other honors students. For example, an essay, which earned a “B” grade on an assignment in ENG 101 Honors, would have earned a “B” grade in a non-honors ENG 101 course.
No. Phi Theta Kappa is an international Honor Society whose main function is to recognize student achievement. It requires a 3.5 GPA to join. PTK members have many additional opportunities and benefits. To learn more about the college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter contact Christin Miller.