Honors Program

About the Honors Program

The St. Philip’s College (SPC) Honors Program welcomes students to apply for the inaugural cohort! By participating in the Honors Program, students complete a minimum of 12 hours of Honors Program courses filled with collegial discourse and high-level critical thinking. The program includes coursework in Mathematics, English, Natural Sciences, Fine Arts, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Additionally, students receive a faculty mentor to guide them over a Capstone Project, where reflections are visually and orally presented. With a commitment to excellence, the SPC Honors Program seeks to provide enriched learning experiences to a select group of students.

Apply for the Honors Program

Applications are accepted year-round. Click on the application link below to apply.

Apply Now!

Mission

The SPC Honors Program empowers honors students by facilitating (a) their active participation in the life of a thriving, creative, collaborative intellectual community, (b) a long-term commitment to coursework that will enable them to complete complex, multimodal, interdisciplinary projects, and (c) their acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and character traits conducive to personal growth, academic achievement and professional success.

Program Objectives

The program learning objectives (PLO) of the SPC Honors Program are:

PLO 1: Students will complete 12 core curriculum course hours in the Honors Program.

PLO 2: Students will present a capstone project.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements are as follows:

SPC must be the student’s home college.
Placement into college-level English and Math without co-requisite courses.
For incoming high school graduates and continuing students, a minimum GPA of 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale).
Applicants must submit an application essay along with an application.
Well thought-out answers to the application essay prompt
Applicants must be able to take 12 course hours from the options below

Program Requirements

Once admitted, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, meet all Honors Program course requirements (i.e. 12 course hours), create and present a Capstone Project, attend one meeting in both the Fall and Spring semesters, complete ten hours of volunteer hours per academic year, and be in good standing with SPC.

Twelve Course Credit Hours

All course offerings are subject to change during the enrollment management period. Only the Honors Program Certified Academic Advisor can register an Honors student. It is recommended that students take one to two Honors courses per semester. Students must complete a minimum of 12 course hours from the list below.

Course Options

ENGL 1302: Composition II (Core 10; 3 credit hours)

MATH 1314: College Algebra (Core 20; 3 credit hours)
or
MATH 1414: College Algebra (PreCal Track) (Core 20; 4 credit hours)

DRAM 1310: Introduction to Theatre – Theatre Appreciation (Core 50; 3 credit hours)

SOCI 1306: Social Problems (Core 80; 3 credit hours)

BIOL 1308: Biology for Non-Science Majors I (Core 30; 3 credit hours)
or
BIOL 1406: Biology for Science Majors I (Core 30; 4 credit hours)

In every Honors Program course listed above, the following Honors student learning objectives (SLO) will be achieved:

SLO 1: Students will evaluate ideas and concepts.

SLO 2: Students will collaborate in a group.

SLO 3: Students will write a self-reflection in each course.

Fall and Spring Honors Program Meetings

Students must attend one Honors Program meeting per Fall and Spring term while enrolled at SPC. Meeting topics will relate to Honors course topics, and guest speakers may be invited to present. Meetings serve to connect with fellow Honors Program students in different cohorts and engage in collegial discourse.

Service Learning

Once admitted into the Honors Program, students must volunteer at least five hours in the Fall and five hours in the Spring (or 10 hours minimum for the academic year). Service opportunities will be provided by the Honors Program throughout the academic year, but students may also pursue their own community outreach. The goal of the service learning is to connect with community partners on- and off-campus, to provide rich experiences out of the classroom.

Capstone Project

Each student will develop and present a Capstone Project during one of the last two semesters before graduation. Students will be supported and guided by an Honors Program faculty member. Honors Program students will showcase their Capstone Projects in an oral and visual presentation at the Honors Symposium. Failure to organize and deliver a Capstone Project by graduation will result in not being eligible to graduate with Honors recognition.

Benefits of the Honors Program

The Honors Program offers students an additional academic credential on their associate's degree. Students who complete the SPC Honors Program are recognized as an "SPC Honors Program Graduate" at SPC’s Commencement.
Honors students receive priority registration for courses.
Honors courses facilitate stimulating conversations regarding today’s real-world obstacles. Students connect with ideas and pose alternative viewpoints, creating closeness with peers.
Honors students are assigned a faculty mentor who will assist students in the Capstone Project and in other aspects of their Honors courses.
Honors courses are not meant to negatively impact a student’s GPA. These courses do not include additional exams and are not harder. The SPC Honors Program courses serve to enhance the learning experience over course concepts.
The Honors Program is free to participants!