Honors Program

• Small-sized Honors seminar classes
• Service learning opportunities
• Honors designation on your HCC transcript
• Recognition and special regalia at Commencement
• Free membership into Phi Theta Kappa, if eligible (the international honor society for community college students)
• Leadership role opportunities in Phi Theta Kappa, which may include free travel to the PTK international conference
• Early class registration
• Undergraduate research opportunities and participation in an academic research conference
• Smooth transfer into university Honors Programs
• Working with two dedicated Honors instructors and a dedicated Honors academic advisor
• Building relationships with like-minded students
• Setting yourself apart from other students!

New Students

Students with no previous college coursework or students coming to Heartland directly from high school must meet ONE of the following criteria:

• Have an ACT score of 23 or higher
• Have an SAT score of 1000 or higher
• Have a high school GPA of 3.25 or higher on a 4 point scale
• Have a high school GPA of 4.06 or higher on a 5 point scale
• Submit a letter of recommendation from a high school teacher, guidance counselor, or Heartland instructor that taught the student in a dual credit class

Current HCC Students & Transfer Students

Students currently enrolled at HCC or transferring to HCC must meet BOTH of the following criteria:

• A cumulative 3.25 GPA or higher
• Successful completion of at least 12 credit hours in college-level coursework

The Honors Program includes six credit hours of Honors coursework and two Honors projects.

Honors Courses (6 credit hours)

These courses count as elective credit within the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science.

Please note: These courses are only offered in-person on the Normal campus on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 11:00 am - 12:15 pm. Students must be available to attend the classes in-person in Normal to participate in the Honors Program.

• HONR 101 - Honors Seminar I (offered in fall semester; 2 credits)
• HONR 201 - Honors Seminar II (offered in spring semester; 2 credits)
• SVL 101 - Service Learning (taken both fall and spring semesters; 1 credit each)
  
  The Honors Seminar courses are discussion-focused. The topics in the courses are chosen by the Honors faculty and vary semester by semester, but are always interesting and engaging. Students really enjoy these classes! Additionally, students begin researching a topic of their choice in the fall semester and then in the spring semester will present their research at a conference by either giving a talk or presenting a poster.
  
  The Service Learning course is where the Honors Program students brainstorm, decide, plan, and implement service projects that benefit the college and community.

The Honors Program can be started in either the fall or the spring semester. HONR 101 is not a prerequisite to HONR 201.

Honors Projects

Two projects will be completed inside other courses you are taking at HCC. You get to choose
which classes you'd like to do the projects in and, with the help of your instructor in that class,
will decide what you want those projects to be—for example: an extra paper, a presentation,
teaching a lesson, conducting research, etc. One project will be done during each semester of the Honors Program.

Program Completion

In order for Honors Program completion to be listed on a student’s transcript, all the elements
above are required. However, if a student’s program of study or timeframe at the college
makes it impossible to complete the entire program, students are welcome to do individual
elements of the program.

Admission to the HCC Honors Program is on a rolling basis, meaning we review applications as they are received. There is no hard deadline.

Please find the application here.