Welcome to Honors
Program Description
The Honors Program is open to all students who have met high academic standards and who wish to participate in an educational plan that provides a unified introduction to the nature and growth of human knowledge. Honors courses contribute breadth to students' majors in both humanities and sciences; they show connections and interrelationships between disciplines, and they satisfy all SBCC General Education, Mathematics and American Institutions Requirements for the Associate in Arts or Science Degree.
Honors courses foster scholarship and individual, creative thought. The Honors Program provides the opportunity to develop the skills of critical thinking, expository and argumentative writing, and effective oral communication. Challenging outside research, stimulating field trips and sophisticated literature prepare students to contribute to the development of the ideas and themes of the Honors courses. Over the last four years, Honors has hosted a campus wide conference on important topics such as revolution and the environment. Honors students help select the papers and run the conference. They contribute creative ideas to the conference's opening ceremony, and they then help select papers for publication in our online Honors website.
Combined with the excellence of SBCC's academic majors, the Honors curriculum provides the strongest preparation for transfer to public and private universities and colleges, and all Honors Program courses are designed to meet General Education, IGETC and college requirements.
Faculty & Offices
The Honors Program faculty comprise a committee that develops, coordinates and teaches the Honors curriculum. These faculty also serve as advisers to Honors students. Students interested in the Honors Program may contact:Director
Melanie Eckford-Prossor, English (IDC-311, ext. 3014, prossor@sbcc.edu)
Faculty:
Marc Bobro, Philosophy ( IDC-357, ext. 4710)
Dave Elliott, History (IDC-361, ext. 2480)
Kimberly Monda, English (IDC-307, ext. 2523)
Erin O'Connor, Earth Sciences (EBS-114, ext. 4723)
Michelle Paddack, Biology (EBS-319, ext. 2328)
Wendy Peters, Counseling, (SS-120, ext. 2285)
Cameron Sublett, Communication (BC-102C, ext.2428)
For information about the Honors Program, contact the Director at 965-0581, ext. 3014, or Michael Medel at 965-0581, ext. 2201.
Eligibility for Honors Program
Students may apply for entrance to the Honors Program based on high school transcripts. For consideration, a student's high school grade point average must be at least 3.0, with no grade below a "C" in an academic subject.
Continuing, returning and transfer students who have completed 12 units of academic course work may apply for entrance into the Honors Program based on college units completed. A minimum overall college grade point average of 3.0 is required, with no grade below a "C" in an academic subject.
To be accepted into the Honors Program, students must demonstrate eligibility for ENG 110 and at least MATH 107 (Intermediate Algebra). Mathematics eligibility is met with three years of high school math, including two years of algebra, with grades of "C" or better. English and Mathematics placement examinations are part of the SBCC enrollment procedure.
It is expected that some potential Honors students entering from high school will have satisfied the SBCC ENG 110 requirement by completing advanced placement English or SBCC ENG 110 in high school. These students should contact the Honors Program Director or Program Counselor or the SBCC Assessment Office.
Outstanding Honors Program Student
The Honors Program Committee selects one student each year from within the Honors Program to receive the "Outstanding Honors Student" award. Selection is based primarily on the student's academic excellence and may also consider service to the Honors Guild, to the college or to the larger community. No application is required. The recipient will be honored at the Awards Banquet held by the college in the spring of each year.
