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Honors Program

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Honors Program

The Honors Coordinator and faculty are pleased that you are interested in becoming a part of this exciting program. The Honors Program community is comprised of student scholars and faculty who share a passion for learning. By fully participating in the RCCD Honors experience, you will not only explore academic subjects in great depth, but also have opportunities to socialize while joining your fellow honors students at exhibits, performances, concerts and more, by attending honors excursions. Scholarly Conferences and Informational Conferences can complete your honors experience. We hope that you take full advantage of all the opportunities that the RCCD Honors Program has to offer the serious student and allow us to help you shine as an outstanding student.

If you have any questions or concerns about the RCCD Honors Program or specifically about Norco Honors, do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Apply Now to Our Honors Program

APPLY NOW TO THE HONORS PROGRAM

 

 

 

Honors Program Admission

The biggest challenge that many students have shared about the Honors Program is this webpage and for this reason: taking the leap and applying. Many students who have enrolled into the program share they wish they applied earlier as opposed to waiting--and we hope to provide the encouragement you need to take that beginning step to apply.

There can be many reasons why students may hesitate to join--however, with guidance from our dedicated Honors counselor, encouragement from your committed Honors faculty, strong social network of peers, and the numerous opportunities that promote your personal growth and support your time at Norco College, we aim to alleviate those concerns as much as possible.  It is our personal view that every student is capable of completing the Honors program and it is our hope that you share in that view, too.  You can take a look at some of the student testimonials below, read into our eligibility requirements, how to apply and complete the program, and more.

If you have any lingering questions or would like to reach out to chat with someone directly, your Honors Program Coordinators are more than willing to speak with you.  You can email them directly by clicking on either of their names, Adriana Moreno and Cameron Young.

  • 2.75 GPA in at least 9 units of transferable course work for RCCD students OR 2.75 GPA for incoming high school students 
  • Eligibility for, or completion of, English 1A 
  • Completion of an Honors Program application for all students interested in the program 
  • Norco College as your identified "home college" for Norco College's Honors Program.

It is best to apply well before you plan to register for classes; as only pre-approved students will be allowed to register for honors sections.

To apply to join the RCCD Honors Program complete the Application Form.

If you do not currently meet the minimum eligibility requirements (GPA, transcript requirement, etc.), yet believe that you are capable of succeeding in the Honors Program, we encourage you to complete and submit the Special Petition for the Honors Program form and to submit it with your application.

If you qualify for the standard application process and file the Honors application, then a notification will be sent to both Honors coordinators via an automatic process.  Once this application has been received, our counseling coordinator will congratulate you for your acceptance and provide you information regarding your acceptance.  This will also come with an automatic enrollment into Norco College's Honors Canvas shell.

 

If you file the special petition for extenuating circumstances, a notification will be sent to both Honors coordinators via an automatic process.  The Honors coordinators will:

  • Discuss the provided extenuating circumstances.
  • Review the Honors application in relation to the special petition.
  • Admit the petition based on the conversation between the coordinators and the provided special petition.

The coordinators may have additional questions to follow up on and/or may schedule an interview for further discussion if needed.  Such questions and/or scheduled interview will need to occur before being admitted, so special petitions should be filed early if such circumstances apply to you.

 

Regardless of the direction, processing time can vary dependent on the date in which it is provided and the circumstances surrounding the submission.  If you do not receive a response within 3-5 business days, please reach out to both coordinators for follow up.

Honors Program classes appear in the Schedule of Classes (along with all other campus offerings) and will be designated with an H (e.g.: POL-1H or HIS-6H). Please see the Norco Honors Schedule for campus offerings during the next few semesters. Registration for Honors Courses occurs through WebAdvisor (just like all other classes). 

Please Note: if you have not been accepted into the Honors Program, your attempt to register for honors courses will be blocked.  

 

The FAQs

You got questions?  We got answers!

Everything starts with an application.  Once you submit an application, it will go to the Honors Program coordinators and will be processed.  Once you are processed in the program, you will receive a congratulatory email with a list of the upcoming Honors courses you can enroll in.  If your enrollment date for the semester is near, contact the Honors Program Coordinators to expedite consideration for the Program.

  • If your application is submitted mid-semester, you will still receive a congratulatory email; however, there may not be a published list of courses for the following semester.  Once the courses for the following semester are released, you can find them on the Honors webpage, in the Honors Canvas shell, or in speaking with your Honors counselor.

That depends on a few factors.  In order to apply directly, you must be eligible to take ENG-1A and have a 2.75 GPA.  However, if you do not currently have the 2.75 GPA, you may still be eligible to apply using a special petition form.  This form allows you the opportunity to share any kind of extenuating circumstances that may have proven challenging to reach that 2.75 GPA and an explanation for why the Honors Program would be a good fit for you.

  • We understand that GPA alone does not define who you are as a student.  If you find yourself capable, willing, motivated, academically inclined, and interested in what Honors offers you, then you should apply.  The Honors coordinators will discuss the petition and reach out to you with a response.

To complete the Honors Program, you must take (and pass with a B or better) five honors designated courses with an overall GPA of at least 3.2. To take advantage of our transfer agreements, you must also fulfill any other course requirements for the major and the school to which you are applying. Keep in mind that to be a competitive transfer applicant, a GPA higher than 3.2 is highly desirable.

Yes. Honors courses are designated with an H on your transcripts (ex: ENGL-C1000H). 

Unfortunately, no. Once you take a non-honors course and receive a passing grade for it, you cannot retake it for the "honors variety".  For example, once you take POL-1 you cannot take POL-1H.

  • This is one of the reasons why it is important to enroll into the Honors Program as early as possible.  As the Honors courses rotate every semester, there will likely be course offerings that you may have already taken the "non-honors" version of.  If the remaining courses don't fit into your schedule, it becomes more challenging, then, to finish the program.

Not necessarily.  If you are looking to take a few honors courses and developing your skills within an honors environment, you are more than welcome to do so.  However, if you want to take advantage of the transfer agreements as part of the program, then, yes, you would want to complete the program.

Even just a few honors courses on your otherwise stellar transcripts and participation in the activities that the Program offers can help you stand out in the transfer process.  Remember, you can always offer explanations in your Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) that can shed light on why you may not have completed the program, but you still took the opportunity to join and complete what you could.

 

Honors Course Schedule

This shows the Fall 2025 schedule for the honors program. the schedule shows various courses offered at various days and times.

Honors Society

The purpose(s) of this organization shall be to serve as a community for Norco College students who are interested in learning more about the transfer admission process, academic networking, and for voluntary service to local communities revolving around academic support and community college attendance.  For more information, please contact Adriana Moreno and/or Cameron Young.

Research Conferences

Fall 2024 RCCD Conference
  • The RCCD Conference is on Friday, November 22nd, from 8am-4:30pm
  • The submission deadline for the RCCD Conference will be Monday, 10/21
  • Conference submission acceptance notifications should be provided sometime in the first week of November.

Spring 2025 HTCC Research Conference

  • The HTCC Conference will be on Saturday, 4/5, from 8am-4:30pm at UCR.
  • Submissions to present at the HTCC Conference will open around Friday, November 1 and they will close on Friday, 12/20.
  • Abstract scoring for submissions will occur around 12/26 thru 1/5; people that submit should be notified soon after that they were accepted.
  • You will need to choose between presenting a poster, an oral presentation, or a performance presentation (though the performance must incorporate research into it.  A pre and post research explanation can be incorporated.); you cannot do both.
  • You may present as an individual or as a group.
  • Oral presentations for an individual is 12 minutes; group oral presentations are up to 20 minutes.
  • Posters: regular 3x4 foot posters
  • Poster slides will be due by Friday, March 21st
  • Submissions should follow guidelines and a rubric for scoring
    • Honors students, who may not want to present or may not be selected to present, can still partake in the conference as potential moderators.
  • There will be food provided and food restrictions will need to be shared after we are notified of accepted submissions.

HTCC Conference Information

 

Fall 2024

  • September 5, Fall 2024 Orientation
  • October 11, Honors Transfer Fair
  • October 17, Pre-Law Guest Speaker
  • October 25, Harvest Fest
  • November 14, Honors Alumni Panel/Multicultural Potluck
  • November 22, RCCD Conference

September

  • New Student Orientation 
  • Honors Advisory Council Meeting 


October

  • UC Application process available online
  • CSU Application process available online
  • DO NOT MISS the November 30 filing deadline. 
  • Deadline to submit work for RCCD Honors Conference 
  • Honors Advisory Council Meeting


November

  • UC Personal Statement Workshop
  • Complete rough draft PRIOR to attending the workshop
  • UCLA TAP / Transfer Conference
  • Attend on your own (Not an official Honors Program excursion)
  • Honors Advisory Council Meeting 
  • RCCD Honors Conference 
  • Deadline for filing UC/CSU application
  • November 30 


December

  • Honors Advisory Council Meeting 
  • Deadline to submit abstract for HTCC/UCI Honors Conference 

February
  • Honors Orientations 
  • Honors Advisory Council Meeting 

 

March

  • Conference Practice Sessions 
  • HTCC Honors Student Research Conference | UC Irvine 
  • Honors Advisory Council Meeting 

April

  • Spring Break 
  • Honors Advisory Council Meeting 

 

May 

  • Spring Essay Contest 
  • Honors Advisory Council Meeting 

June 

  • Finals Week 
  • Commencement

Contact:

Adriana Moreno
Norco College Honors Program Counselor
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Cameron Young
Norco College Honors Program Coordinator
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