Ozarks Technical 
Community College

Honors Program FAQ

What is the Honors Program? 
The Mission of the Honors Program states, “The Honors Program provides academically exceptional students an opportunity to develop their full potential through the enhanced learning environment of a designated community of scholars.” The students, alongside the instructor, lead the learning and the direction of the course. Honors students are active, engaged, invested participants alongside their peers. 

What is required to be eligible for the Honors Program? 
New Students:  To be eligible for the Honors Program, new students need to meet any one of the following criteria: 

• An ACT of 27 or higher; or
• Compass scores in Writing of 98 and Reading of 95; or
• A high school GPA of 3.75; 
• Or a GED score of 3100 or higher;
• And two recommendations.

Current Students: The requirements differ for current students, who need to have a 3.5 GPA on 12+ college credit hours and a recommendation letter from a faculty member.

The application process requires interested students to submit high school and/or college transcripts, a one-page, typed essay in response to a prompt, and the completed application packet for review.

What is required to remain in the Honors Program?
Students who apply and are selected for the Honors program must complete the HON 101: Honors Seminar course with an A or B grade prior to enrolling in other Honors-designated courses. In addition, an Honors student must complete an additional 12 hours of Honors courses with an A or B grade (total of 15 hours minimum in Honors). A service-learning component is also required for the Honors Program.

• HON 101 Honors Seminar (3 credits)
• One Honors-designated general education course from the Science/MTH area (3-5 credits)
• One Honors-designated general education course from the ENG, HUM, ART, COM area (3 credits)
• One Honors-designated general education course from the Social Sciences area (3 credits)
• One Honors-designated elective (3-5 credits)
• Service-learning component (3-credit service-learning course or consultation with Director)

To maintain eligibility for the Honors Program, the Honors student maintains a minimum 3.5 GPA on OTC coursework.

How is an Honors course different from other OTC courses?
The Honors courses are general education courses, yet the curriculum for the Honors section of the course will distinguish it from a traditional section in its expectations and goals for its students. The Honors courses will not be harder, necessarily; they will invite the student to become a more engaged participant in the learning. Seminar-like in nature, these courses encourage dialogue and collaboration within the learning community. 

If I complete the Honors Program, what will I have gained that differs from a traditional curriculum?
What follows are the goals of the Honors Program. We hope these would be part of your academic experience while you are a student of the Honors Program with OTC. We expect this program to:

• Encourage critical and creative thinking through curriculum that requires analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and problem solving.
• Provide an enriched and innovative program of study to students who demonstrate a motivated and inquiring attitude toward education.
• Foster team building, collaboration, and leadership through the skillful use of communication.
• Promote responsible and challenging actions for the common good as an active, engaged citizen.
• Build a network of academic and community resources.

Do Honors Program courses cost more than other OTC courses?
No, the tuition, student fees, lab fees, and other incidentals for these courses are the same. 

Are Honors Program courses available at Richwood Valley, the education sites, or online?
No. The Honors Program courses are only offered at the Main campus in Springfield.

Who is my advisor, and how do I register for the Honors courses?
The Director of the Honors Program serves as the advisor for the Honors students. Honors students will register for their Honors courses with the Director. The courses will be identified in the schedule as exclusive to Honors Program students only, usually with a section indictor (HST 120-HON1, for example).

Who will be with me in the Honors sections of the courses?
Only students who are admitted to the Honors Program are eligible to enroll in the Honors courses. The students in those selective courses are Honors students. The enrollment in Honors courses is capped at 15 students. Students may receive Honors Program credit, however, if they complete upper-level math or science courses at OTC with an A or B. Consult the Director of the Honors Program for more information.

What if I take the HON 101 Honors Seminar course but decide I do not want to do the rest of the Honors Program requirements?  What happens? 
If a student at any point prefers to withdraw from the Honors Program, the HON 101 Honors Seminar course will fulfill elective hours toward total hours for graduation. Any other Honors Program courses, since they are general education courses, will fulfill that particular area of general education or an elective toward the Associate of Arts degree.  A student would not be disadvantaged for having participated in the Program or enrolled in HON 101: Honors Seminar.

Will these courses transfer to Missouri State University’s Honors College or Drury University’s Honors Program?
Since the Honors Program courses are General Education courses that have existing articulation agreements with these two institutions, their transferability to Missouri State or Drury will not change. However, Missouri State has agreed to accept the 15 hours of the OTC Honors Program toward their 19-hour Honors College General Honors requirement. In addition, Drury’s Honors Program accepts the Intro course and the service-learning project for transfer into their Honors Program. Regardless of the institution, an OTC Honors student may have to take additional hours to be part of those Honors programs. As with any transfer situation, working closely with an advisor at the transfer institution is strongly recommended. 

Whom do I contact for more information about the Honors Program?
Caron Daugherty is the Director of the Honors Program. You may contact her at honors@otc.edu. Her office is located in ICE 231 at the Main campus, and her campus number is 417.447.8229. A web site is not available as of yet, but documents and materials are available in electronic format (view book, application, FAQs, etc). Please contact Caron if you are interested in more information.