Program Guide
Since the inception of the M/TS Honors Program in 1977, over 3000 students have graduated with an M/TS Honors Concentration, both the A.A. and A. S. Degrees.
Of the Honors Graduates, 97% have transferred to Ivy League and/or Tier One Colleges (Such as Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Tufts, Georgetown, Duke, Stanford, both UC Berkeley and UCLA, as well as prestigious state universities such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Virginia).
With no exceptions, all M/TS Honors Graduates transferred to these premier four-year colleges as full juniors. All M/TS Graduates finished their baccalaureate degrees.
MTS Honors Concentration Requirements
General qualifications (effective as of September 1989, updated 2011)
Admittance to the M/TS Honors Program as a liberal arts and sciences student.
Election of Honors Concentration no later than the second semester of the freshmen year
Honors courses – Among the 63 credits for the A.A. or A.S. Degree, Liberal Arts and Sciences, a student must enroll for a minimum of eight honors courses, overall. Most students elect more honors offerings than the required minimum of eight.
Core requirements
1. English 101 Honors and 102 Honors (unless international placement or waived in writing by mentor)
One sophomore Honors course in literature is required, either English 220 or English 221,
Honors Literature Seminar, or English 244 Honors.
If the student takes two Honors Literature courses, only one research essay is mandatory.
If the student enrolls in only one of these seminars, then the research essay must be done.
The English Honors Literature Seminar at Cambridge University Summer Session cannot be substituted.
2. English 910: Theories and Practice of Researching (a two-credit module, first or second semester).
3. Three credits of Physical Education in addition to the required 60 academic credits for graduation.
4. MAT 125, Statistics, is recommended for non-math oriented honors students; however, math-oriented students should take pre-Calculus or Calculus.
5. One year of foreign language (two semesters) for all liberal arts students
whose emphasis for the degree is not science. Most colleges to which the MTS students
transfer maintain a foreign language exit requirement through the Intermediate level.
Students who have completed 3 years of Foreign Language in high school, should enroll
in 201 and continue through 202. For beginning students who take 101 and 102, they
should continue with 201 and 202 in order to satisfy the transfer institutions’ requirements.
No one who has completed three years of one language in high school may enroll in 101.
6. One year of BIO 105, 106, General Biology (two semesters) with labs, or another
lab science, Physics or Chemistry. Honors Biology is recommended for students who
can do the more intensive study. “A grade of “C" or better is required to continue in any science honors sequence”.
7. International Study Abroad or an Internship. MTS offers a two week summer Honors Programme in Cambridge University in England and several other winter and spring short-term international courses.
RCC’s Internship office is located in the Career Service Center in the Technology building.
8. Extra-Curricular Activities related to a field of major interest.
9. Attendance at a Transfer Procedure Seminar (no credit)
10. Regular correspondence with mentor
11. Grades
Students must maintain a 3.5 cumulative index at graduation to receive an MTS Honors Concentration, with nothing below a 3.2 in any semester.
12. Honors concentration acknowledgements on transcript and diploma.
***An A.A/A.S. degree with honors is awarded to MTS participants who complete all of the requirements above and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5, With Honors; for a 3.7, With High Honors; and for a 3.9-4.0, With Highest Honors.
Students who are not receiving an MTS Honors Concentration but who have participated in the MTS Honors Program, that is, completed all of the Concentration requirements but have a grade point
average between 3.2 and 3.5, will receive the following notation on their transcript:
“Participant in the Mentor Talented Student Honors Program.”
Courses:
English 101H: Composition I
English 102H: Composition II
English 220H: Lit Seminar
English 910: Theories & Practice of Researching
English 261: Poetry Writing Workshop
ANR 201H: Cultural Anthropology
ART 119H: Art History I
ACC 101H: Accounting I
ACC 102H: Accounting II
BIO 105H: Biology I
BIO 106H: Biology II
CHM 101H: Inorganic Chemistry I
CHM 102H: Inorganic Chemistry II
ECO 201H: Microeconomics
ECO 202H: Macroeconomics
HIS 102H: Western Civilization I & II
MAT 203H: Calculus I
MAT 204H: Calculus II
PSY 103H: General Psychology
PSY 235H: Adler/Jung/Moreno
SPE 101H
SPE 223H: Diversity In American Speech & Language
Other Courses
REMINDERS FOR FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORE
IMPORTANT REMINDER REGARDING EARLY ADMISSIONS FRESHMEN
All Early Admissions students must take the following courses if they have not yet done so:
1. GOVERNMENT (one semester) Students who have not taken government should register in POL 220, 002H, "Current Issues," Honors, taught by Dr. Karen Sunshine.
2. ECONOMICS (one semester) Students who have not taken Economics should register for "Macro-Economics," ECO 202, any section.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR SOPHOMORE GRADUATES JUNE
Be sure to ask your M/TS Mentor for an official Degree Check. M/TS Mentors are now required to do official Degree Checks. Secure an unofficial copy of your transcript from the Records Office and bring that transcript to your M/TS Mentor.
Ideally, this Check should be done before the beginning of the spring term in case the Check turns up any missing courses for the June Degree.
All Sophomores must apply OFFICIALLY for June graduation, by filling out a DEGREE APPLICATION in the Records Office some time roughly before the deadline of March 1.
All M/TS students who are planning to apply for the M/TS Honors Degree, a separate process from that mentioned above, will secure an M/TS Honors Degree Application Form from Hannah Lowney in Room 2147, to be completed and filed with her by May 1.
A Word about PDA
Honors student should, whenever possible, fulfill their PDA requirements with PDA / SPE 223 - "Diversity in America Speech and Language," which is an Honors PDA course.
