Honors Program
The Raiders Horizon Honors Program is designed to stimulate and challenge academically talented students. By enrolling in honors coursework, talented, motivated students can develop their intellectual potential while becoming active members of their academic community. The Raiders Horizon Honors Program is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council and the Great Plains Honors Council.
Proof of academic excellence is the first step for acceptance into the Raiders Horizon Honors Program. Students will be admitted if they meet one of the following criteria:
- 3.5 cumulative GPA in high school
- ACT score of 27 or equivalent score on the SAT or CPT
- Completion of two Rose State College Honors classes with an A or B
Raiders Horizon Honors Program Mission Statement
The Raiders Horizon Honors program nurtures and encourages the talents of motivated students to embrace ownership and autonomy in their education. With emphasis placed on collaboration with faculty and peers, students are given opportunities to have a deeper and more profound college learning experience that will have long-term benefits in career and life choices.
Raiders Horizon Honors Program Core Values
- Intellectual Curiosity: Students are encouraged to be inquisitive, explorative, and engage with discovery-based learning.
- Student Centered: Faculty are stewards for student education who also give students the tools to feel empowered for their education. The completion and success of the honors project is the student’s responsibility; the mentoring professor provides guidance and support.
- Research and Scholarship: Honor students will continue to enhance and strengthen their foundational learning. Students will be encouraged to foster and recognize what academic honesty and thoroughness is, how to apply research (receiving, assimilating, and disseminating), and how to develop objectivity and enhance discernment of facts.
- Innovation: Honor students and mentoring faculty are encouraged to use their creativity, open-mindedness, flexibility, and adaptability for honors projects and assignments.
- Building and Enriching Communities: The Honors program is involved with larger campus and community outreach programs. Honors students have a responsibility to use their knowledge and skills to build and strengthen their communities and their residents. Rose State continues to be committed to making an overall contribution to the future of our community and its capacity to compete globally for business, talent, and culture.
Raiders Horizon Honors Program Benefits
- One-on-one mentoring with RSC faculty members
- Unique academic work that prepares students for the next level of academic pursuit
- Enhanced scholarship opportunities
- Academic distinction noted on official transcript
- Students develop a deeper understanding of academic material through individually designed projects
- Unique opportunity to work collaboratively on a variety of creative and in-depth intellectual endeavors.
- Membership of the National Collegiate Honors Council
Note: The honors contract does not replace regular assigned coursework. Students must complete the course and earn an A or B to complete the contract and earn honors credit for the course.
Through the College’s NCHC membership, honors students can take part in a wide range of programs, including:
- Academic Showcases at the National Conference
- Interdisciplinary Research Panels
- Undergraduate Research Poster Competition
- Graduate & Professional School Fair
- Travel and Experiential Learning
- City as Text® explorations of the Annual Conference host city
- Partners in the Parks projects
- Summer Civic Seminars
- Leadership and Publications
- Student Affairs Committee and NCHC Board roles
- National publications like UReCA and Scribendi
Why Participate?
- Opportunity for greater personal growth
- Opportunity for greater depth in areas of interest
- Opportunity for greater transcript and resume impact
- Opportunity for transfer into university honors program
- Opportunity for peer and professor interaction
Honors Contracts
Students may contract with faculty members in certain academic courses. These contracts extend regularly scheduled courses and, if completed satisfactorily, earn honors credit for a non-honors class. To complete the contract, students meet with the instructor on a scheduled basis. The contract may include reading and writing assignments, expanded field or laboratory work, and research papers or other designated projects.
Raiders Horizon Honors Contract
Graduating With Honors
Students may elect to be involved in any part of the Honors Program; however, to graduate “With Honors”, students must:
- Apply and be admitted to the Program
- Meet all requirements for a two-year degree with a 3.5 or higher GPA
- Earn at least 12 Honors credit hours at Rose State College
- Earn an A or B in all classes taken for Honors credit at Rose State College
- Submit an annotated resume of all Honors work to the Honors Committee
All courses successfully completed under the Rose State College Honors Program will have the letter grade and honors credit noted on the transcript.