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Honors Enrichment Program

Program Description

PROGRAM IS BY SPECIAL APPLICATION ONLY.

The Honors Enrichment Program is a community of scholars, focused on supporting our students and helping them to embody the core values of the Program: Inclusivity, Leadership, Academic Research and Rigor, Engagement, Holistic Well-Being, and Positive Transgressive Behavior. To complete the Honors Enrichment Program, students must complete a minimum of 15 credits in 5 honors courses that stress in-depth study, research, and challenging exploration of various areas of study. The 15 honors credits also count toward a student’s credits leading to the Associate in Arts degree or the Associate in Science degree and are transferable as students continue their education toward a higher degree at a senior university. Honors courses are listed alphabetically by subject.

Contact Information

Mt. San Jacinto College
1499 N. State Street
San Jacinto, CA 92583 (951) 487-MSJC (6752)
1-800-624-5561
SJC Site Coordinator:
Christina Yamanaka (951) 487-3522
cyamanaka@msjc.edu

Mt. San Jacinto College
28237 La Piedra Road
Menifee, CA 92584
(951) 672-MSJC (6752)
1-800-452-3335
MVC Site Coordinator:
Erik Ozolins (951) 639-5725
eozolins@msjc.edu

Students need to complete an Honors Enrichment Program application to apply to become a member of the program. The application must be accompanied by the following information:

  1. Transcripts (Unofficial college or official High School)
  2. Personal statement
  3. Education Plan or list of several classes that the student can take as honors
  4. Evidence of enrollment in or completion of ENGL-101 College Composition (formerly Freshman Composition) (via transcript), or signed pledge indicating planned enrollment in ENGL-101 College Composition (formerly Freshman Composition) during first semester in the program (included at end of application).

Students will select one of the following options listed on the application to apply to Honors:

Recommendation and Meeting Option

  • A letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor or principal familiar with your academic work. The letter should specifically reference the student’s critical thinking skills.
  • Brief meeting with one of the Honors Co-Directors.

Portfolio and Meeting Option

  • Portfolio of work that includes a minimum of 3 items that demonstrate their academic potential. Items in the portfolio may include (but are not limited to) writing samples, artwork, performance pieces, news reports, and multimedia presentations.
  • Brief meeting with one of the Honors Co-Directors.

Qualifying GPA and Contact Names

  • Transcript must indicate qualifying GPA (3.5 unweighted GPA for high school, or 3.3 GPA for college-level coursework), or SAT 1890 (out of 2400), or SAT 1260 (out of 1600) or ACT 28 (out of 36).
  • Names and contact information of two MSJC faculty members who will comment on behalf of the student’s application to the program, or a letter of recommendation from a high school teacher or principal familiar with the student’s academic performance.

Veteran Status

  • Veteran or Active Duty in the US Military.
  • Signature of MSJC Veterans Center Staff on the Honors application.

The Honors Enrichment Program online application is available at www.msjc.edu/honors.  Applicants can have just started their time at MSJC or they may be entering their last semester at the college.  Students are not required to complete the program so even taking one class in Honors can be a valuable experience.  Applications are accepted year-round.  

  • Completion of Honors Enrichment Seminar with a letter grade of “C” or better
  • Completion of 4 additional courses in a minimum of 3 disciplines with a letter grade of “C” or better
  • Completion of ENGL-101 College Composition (formerly Freshman Composition) or ENGL-101H Honors College Composition (formerly Freshman Composition) by the first semester in the program
  • Completion of transfer level math class by the second semester in the program
  • Maintenance of a 3.0 GPA in all honors course work
  • Maintenance of the qualifying GPA
  • Completion of 200 Honors points for participation in recognized honors events (see website for details)

Benefits for honors students include close interactions between students in the program and professors, challenging courses with fellow honors students, the exploration of current issues in the interdisciplinary seminar, and specific guidance from counselors and faculty advisers concerning the course of studies most suitable for transferring to a four-year university and for achieving professional objectives. Upon completion of the program, honors students are actively recruited by public and private universities, often offered scholarships, and frequently given special university-admissions consideration because of Mt. San Jacinto College’s honors transfer alliances with major universities. Honors students also attend and participate in honors conferences, and have publication opportunities in Scribendi, the Western Regional Honors Council publication dedicated to student work as well as the annual edition of Building Bridges: Selected Abstracts of the HTCC Student Research Conference.

  • Membership (enrollment and retention) of the Honors Program accurately reflects the demographic diversity of the college and community. This includes ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, first generation, geographic distribution, and veteran populations. 
  • Honors courses will incorporate academically rigorous research as part of the honors experience. This will be reflected in honors course outlines of record including research as a central component, and through the participation of faculty at conferences, presentations, performances and publications and membership in professional organizations. 
  • Honors Students and Faculty serve as leaders within and outside of the college. This includes SI, Tutoring, Mentors, SGA, PTK, committee service and chairs, Senate, community involvement, and participation in regional and national organizations (including Honors). 
  • Honors students participate in activities on and off campus that enrich their college experience, including service learning and community volunteerism. Honors faculty participate in professional development activities that enrich the Honors Program and their students. 
  • Honors students and faculty will engage in positive transgressive behavior that encourages innovative research and willingness to take risks with scholarship.
  • The Honors Program will promote holistic well-being of the students and faculty. This includes support of the health centers, the offering of counseling, support services information, and personal enrichment workshops and through the individual and personal interactions and mentoring within the program.