Honors Program

Interested students register for HON 101 – Introduction to Honors. This is an eight-week, online survey course (1 credit) that introduces students to the Honors Program and the key skills necessary to successfully complete future courses for Honors credit.  This course is required for further participation in the program; there are no prerequisites and tuition is automatically waived for all students.

Following the completion of HON 101, students complete approved general education, transfer-level courses for Honors credit (PDF). Students may request to complete an approved course for Honors credit, or they can be approached by the instructor directly.  In either instance, a contract (PDF) must be completed between the student and the instructor outlining the project overview, objectives and learning outcomes, to include how the project goes above and beyond the academic rigor and commitment required for the basic course.  All project contracts must be approved by the Honors Chair and the Honors Advisory Board.

The Honors Program is completed with a required capstone course. This can be either HON 260 – The Human Quest for Utopia (3 credits) or >HON 250 – Individual Project (1-4 credits).  Students are free to choose which capstone they would like to pursue; admission to either course requires Honors Chair approval.  HON 250 also requires a completed and approved project contract.

• An important note: As HON 250 or 260 must be added to the schedule when students have reached the ending stages of the program, it is important that requests to take either one of these courses is made to the Honors Chair before the beginning of the semester in which the class will be held.

Upon successful completion of at least 16 Honors credits (to include HON 101 and HON 260/250), students will receive an Honors distinction on their official transcript and degree, as well as a medal to wear with their graduation regalia and recognition of their achievement in the commencement program.

Honors students may also be invited to present their projects at the Cochise College Honors Colloquium (held each spring), or at regional and national honors conferences.

Students earning the Cochise College Honors Program Distinction are often invited to join university-level honors programs upon transfer. Scholarship opportunities are also available to honors students.

The Honors Program is open to all Cochise College students who have completed at least 12 general education credits with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. The 12 credit requirement does not apply to HON 101; it may be taken at any time.

Students can be admitted to the program on a probationary basis before reaching the 12-credit minimum with the recommendation of an instructor and approval of the Honors Chair. Completion of HON 101 is required before probationary program acceptance can be considered.

Dual enrollment high school students may also be admitted on a probationary basis with recommendations from their high school counselor, a Cochise College faculty member, and approval of the Honors Chair. Completion of HON 101 is also required for dual enrollment students.

All students admitted to the Honors Program (including probationary and dual enrollment) are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher to continue participating in the program.

In order to ensure adequate time to review and approve all Honors project contracts, as well as timely payment of instructor stipends, the following deadlines are in place:

Action	Fall Semester (16 week)	Fall Semester (8 week)	Spring Semester (16 week)	Spring Semester (8 week)
Submission of new Honors Contract Proposals	September 30	End of 2nd week of course	February 28/29	End of 2nd week of course
Honors Chair confirmation of student progress/submission of stipends for payment	October 31	End of 4th week of course	April 30	End of 4th week of course

Yes! The Honors Distinction is available in the following degrees: Associate of Arts (AA) for liberal arts, social science, and fine arts majors; Associate of Arts in Elementary Education (AAEE); Associate of Business (ABUS) for business administration and computer information systems majors; and Associate of Science (AS) for natural, physical, and life science majors, and the Associate of General Studies (AGS) degree.

Technically, the Honors Distinction is also available in the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree; however, the areas of study within this degree vary in the number of general education classes required. Since 12 credits of general education classes are required for admittance to the Honors Program, and 12 more credits of general education classes taken for Honors as well as 4 units of HON courses are required to earn the Honors Distinction, it may not be a feasible option within certain AAS degrees.

Instructors or students can request to have a course added to the approved list. Requests to add a course should be made in advance of the semester in which they will be taught for Honors credit whenever possible. New courses require the approval of the Honors Chair.

Yes! Many students who are admitted to the Honors Program are eligible for admission to PTK and vice versa. The Honors Program and PTK have a strong working relationship and we encourage eligible students to explore all of the available avenues to further enhance their academic journeys.