Program Requirements
Any student can register to take an Honors course, regardless of their GPA, degree, pathway, or previous experience in Honors or AP courses.
Students who fulfill the program requirements below are recognized as Commonwealth Honors Scholars at MCC and within a network of Massachusetts colleges and universities.
Commonwealth Honors Program Graduation Requirements
- Minimum 3.2 GPA at the time of graduation.
- Participate in annual research conference at least once before you graduate. We encourage participation every year.
- Complete a minimum of three honors courses (9 credits) with a grade B or better: two from the 200 level seminars, of which one has to be interdisciplinary, and the third course can be from either the 100 level honors courses or 200 level seminars. Beyond the minimum requirements, you can take as many honors courses as you would like. Please see the chart below.
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Seminars: CHP scholars are required to take at least two of the following Honors seminar courses.
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100 & 200 level Honors courses: CHP scholars are required to take at least one of the following 100 or 200 level Honors courses. |
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HST/HUM/SOC 290 World Cultures: Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar HST/COM 292 U.S. History through Film: Interdisciplinary Honors Seminar SOC 294 Globalization: Honors Seminar (offered in the spring semester only) NUR 205 Nursing Care of Adult I NUR 255 Nursing Care of Adult II
BIT 250 Advanced Techniques in Biotechnology Honors |
ENG 101 Comp I Honors ENG 102 Comp II Honors ETH 101 Ethics and Society Honors CHE 251 Organic Chemistry I and Lab PSY 101 Intro to Psychology Honors SOC/HUM/COM 143 Race, Class, and Gender HUM 104 Myths Honors HST/HUM/SOC 290 World Cultures SOC 294 Globalization HST/COM 292 U.S. History through Film |
Seminar Courses: A hallmark of the Commonwealth Honors Program are the seminars, which feature an interactive learning style that help create transformative experiences. Specialized honors seminars and courses offer students alternative learning opportunities designed to enhance their undergraduate experience by concentrating on the development of critical thinking, individual research, verbal presentation, and interpretive analysis skills. To promote a high level of student engagement, the primary goal of our seminars is student engagement and discussion centered on research and careful reading of a variety of sources. While particular themes and the format of each seminar varies according to individual professors, here are two common features:
- Class Size: Seminars are generally limited to 18 students in the single taught seminars and no more than 24 in the team taught sections.
- Student Engagement: Seminars are cooperative learning spaces and their success depends upon the full and active participation of each member of the class. Therefore, conscientious preparation and class attendance are required. You should expect to be fully -- actively -- engaged in the work of the seminar both in connection with class discussions and research. Regular writing assignments and discussions are common features of seminars and help refine verbal and written expression skills.
Please Note: Enrollment in seminars is limited, so please enroll early during the advising/registration process. For more information about seminar styled learning or any particular questions about the honors program, please contact the Commonwealth Honors Office at honors@middlesex.edu or call at 781-280-3553. Thank you.
Honors Option Contract Eligibility: Honors contract applications will be reviewed on an individual basis. The approval of the instructor and the honors program director are required before the student can proceed with an Honors Option Contract. The Honors Option Contract must be submitted within the first four weeks of the semester and approved by the Director of the Commonwealth Honors Program. Contracts for summer terms must be submitted by the end of the second week of the summer session.
At the end of the semester, the faculty member must submit the Honors Contract Completion Form to the Honors Office in order for the designation of "Honors" to be added to the student's transcript. Contracts and Completion forms must be sent to the Commonwealth Honors Office at honors@middlesex.edu
For more information about Honors Contracts, contact the Commonwealth Honors Office at 781-280-3553 or honors@middlesex.edu.