The Lillian Slutzker Honors College

The Lillian Slutzker Honors College provides high-achieving students with an intellectually stimulating and challenging academic experience. The Honors College curriculum is rooted in the liberal arts, and challenges students to explore the history of ideas and discipline specific courses through careful analysis of primary source texts and direct engagement with the community. By participating in service learning projects, co-curricular programming, and seminar discussions, Honors College students develop critical thinking and writing skills, confront challenging ethical dilemmas, and consider the requirements of global citizenship.

The Honors College curriculum also prepares students to transfer to competitive four-year colleges and universities. The Honors College has transfer agreements with Honors programs at area four-year institutions so that students can continue their honors education upon transfer

Mission Statement

The Lillian Slutzker Honors College fosters a culture of inquiry, imagination, critical thinking, and ethical reasoning by offering small seminar-style courses and by providing students with opportunities for independent learning and community engagement.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Civic Engagement Program Outcomes
   • Demonstrate an understanding of the local, state, national, or global significance of diverse and interrelated social and political issues.
   • Apply civic skills through participation in an Honors service activity (e.g., and Honors course with a service component, Phi Theta Kappa service project, Honors Ambassador community outreach).
2. Inquiry and Analysis Program Outcomes
   • Identify research questions or problems in an academic discipline and gather, analyze, and synthesize evidence to draw logical conclusions.
3. Ethical Reasoning Program Outcomes
   • Distinguish and analyze diverse moral, social, political, or cultural perspectives.
   • Develop the intellectual tools necessary to confront complex ethical questions by evaluating defenses of and objections to various approaches to moral, social, political, or cultural problems.
4. Critical Thinking Outcomes
   • Interpret texts, artifacts, or compositions or behaviors with clarity in writing or speech.
   • Explain the complexity of an issue or problem, providing all information necessary for a full understanding of the topic, including the identification of a source’s strengths and limitations. 

Admissions/Application Requirements

Incoming Students to OCC:

• 90 or above GPA. Application to be completed online.
• Two letters of recommendation to be sent to the Honors College office.

Matriculated current OCC students:

• 3.5 or above GPA. Application to be completed online.

All Honors students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher to remain in the program. All Honors students must earn a B or higher in an Honors course or contract in order to earn Honors credit for that course or contract.

Additional requirements for Honors students who wish to apply for additional financial incentives only (if available)

• Completion of an Honors Stipend application.
• A personal statement (instructions outlined on application).         
• Honors Stipend applications will be reviewed and admissions decisions will be made by members of the Honors Committee.     

Other Catalog Information

The Honors College will serve high achieving students in any eligible OCC degree. A select number of designated Honors students may receive additional financial incentives.   

To earn the official Honors designation, Honors students must complete:

• At least 12 Honors credits required. 
• Honors credits can be earned in Honors sections of courses offered in various academic departments (this includes HON prefix courses).
• In some degree programs, Honors credits can also be earned by completing Honors Contracts so that the 12-credit Honors designation can be earned without taking courses beyond minimum credit requirements

All Honors students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher to remain in the program.

All Honors must earn a B or higher in an Honors course or contract in order to earn Honors credit for that course or contract.

Students who are enrolled in degree programs that are not eligible for Honors College due to the degree structure (i.e., there are not enough elective credits available in the degree program to allow for meeting Honors College requirements), may take an Honors section of a course only if they meet the Honors College’s GPA requirement and submit an Honors College Application to the Honors office.