About the Honors Program

The Honors Program provides students an opportunity for enriched academic experiences as well as engagement in an inclusive environment that promotes community and personal discovery.

Successful completion of program outcomes may give students in the Honors Program a competitive edge in consideration for transfer admission to some four-year colleges and universities.

Students interested in virtually every major can participate in the Honors Program while making progress toward graduation from MiraCosta College and transfer to a four-year institution. Honors students are guided by a Transfer Center counselor to establish an individualized education plan that best suits their particular educational and transfer goals. 

Additionally, the Honors Program cultivates a heightened sense of community for its members by actively supporting social activities, learning groups, and cultural outings that build camaraderie and public service. The Honors Lounge located in the Student Center at the Oceanside Campus provides communal space for students to study, collaborate, and socialize.

Honors courses are designed to develop exceptional academic ability by providing challenging coursework through intensive instruction from outstanding faculty in small classes and individual contract experiences. These courses fulfill IGETC and CSU general education requirements and are offered every semester at both the Oceanside and San Elijo Campuses, as well as online.  

Of special note, students in the Honors Program have opportunities to present and publish their academic work at distinguished undergraduate research conferences in California.

Honors Program Transfer Partnerships

The Honors Program at MiraCosta College is a certified member of the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), closely coordinating our program outcomes with admission requirements for UCLA’s College of Letters and Science.

The Honors Program is also a certified member of UC Irvine's "Transfer Honors" and "Honors to Honors" programs. At UC Irvine, honors students enjoy benefits such as priority registration, academic mentorship, library study rooms, and specialized research opportunities. 

As an active member of the Honors Transfer Council of California, the Western Regional Honors Conference, and the National Honors Collegiate Council, the Honors Program enjoys other transfer partnerships with dozens of colleges and universities.

Honors Navigators

Honors students interested in leadership development may apply to become an Honors Navigator. Students carefully selected for this role serve as peer mentors or project leaders and participate in outreach efforts for the Honors Program.

Current Honors Curriculum

Any student may enroll in an honors course or seek an honors contract, and there is no additional cost to take honors coursework or participate in the Honors Program.

Complete at least 15 units from the following list of courses:
ACCT 201H	Financial Accounting (Honors)
ACCT 202H	Managerial Accounting (Honors)
ANTH 101H	Biological Anthropology (Honors)
ANTH 101LH	Biological Anthropology Lab (Honors)
ANTH 102H	Cultural Anthropology (Honors)
ANTH 105H	Evolution of Human Behavior (Honors)
ART 159H	Pre-Columbian Art (Honors)
ART 260H	History of Modern Art (Honors)
BIO 204H	Foundations of Biology: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics, and Molecular Biology (Honors)
BIO 210H	Human Anatomy (Honors)
BTEC 108H	Biomanufacturing: From Gene to Product (Honors)
BTEC 110H	Basic Techniques in Biotechnology (Honors)
BTEC 180H	Biostatistics (Honors)
BUS 120H	Introduction to Business (Honors)
BUS 140H	Legal Environment of Business (Honors)
BUS 204H	Business Statistics (Honors)
BUS 290H	Business Communication (Honors)
CHEM 115H	Introductory General Chemistry: For Allied Health Majors (Honors)
CHEM 150H	General Chemistry I: For Science Majors (Honors)
CHEM 151H	General Chemistry II: For Science Majors (Honors)
CHEM 210H	Organic Chemistry I: For Science Majors (Honors)
CHEM 211H	Organic Chemistry II: For Science Majors (Honors)
DNCE 100H	Dance Appreciation (Honors)
DNCE 101H	Dance History (Honors)
DNCE 104H	Dance on Film (Honors)
DNCE 105H	Dance Cultures of the World (Honors)
EART 106H	Earth and Space Science (Honors)
ENGL 100H	Composition and Reading (Honors)
ENGL 201H	Critical Thinking, Composition, and Literature (Honors)
ENGL 202H	Critical Thinking and Composition (Honors)
FILM 101H	Introduction to Film (Honors)
FILM 111H	Film History I: 1880-1948 (Honors)
FILM 112H	Film History II: 1948-Present (Honors)
FILM 211H	Identity and Film: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality (Honors)
FILM 212H	Women and Film: Representation and Impact (Honors)
GEOL 101H	Physical Geology (Honors)
HIST 100H	World History to 1500 (Honors)
HIST 101H	World History Since 1500 (Honors)
HIST 102H	History of the Modern Middle East (Honors)
HIST 103H	Early European History and Culture (Honors)
HIST 104H	Modern European History and Culture (Honors)
HIST 105H	History of England (Honors)
HIST 110H	United States History to 1877 (Honors)
HIST 111H	United States History Since 1877 (Honors)
HIST 113H	American Military History (Honors)
HIST 115H	Women in American History (Honors)
HIST 116H	History of the Americas to 1830 (Honors)
HIST 117H	History of the Americas Since 1830 (Honors)
HIST 141H	Mexican American History Through 1877 (Honors)
HIST 142H	Mexican American History Since 1877 (Honors)
HIST 145H	African American History to 1877 (Honors)
HIST 146H	African American History Since 1877 (Honors)
HUMN 101H	Introduction to the Arts (Honors)
JAPN 101H	Elementary Japanese (First Semester) (Honors)
JAPN 123H	Japanese Anime and Manga (Honors)
LIBR 201H	Media & Information Literacy (Honors)
LIT 250H	American Literature: First Contact Through the Civil War (Honors)
LIT 251H	American Literature: Mid-1800s to the Present (Honors)
LIT 260H	English Literature Through the 18th Century (Honors)
LIT 261H	English Literature: Romantic to Contemporary (Honors)
LIT 265H	Shakespeare Studies (Honors)
LIT 270H	World Literature to 1600 (Honors)
MATH 103H	Statistics (Honors)
MATH 131H	Pre-Calculus II: Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry (Honors)
MATH 150H	Calculus and Analytic Geometry I (Honors)
MATH 155H	Calculus and Analytic Geometry II (Honors)
MATH 226H	Discrete Mathematics (Honors)
MATH 260H	Calculus and Analytic Geometry III (Honors)
MATH 265H	Differential Equations (Honors)
MATH 270H	Linear Algebra (Honors)
MUS 119H	Jazz History (Honors)
NUTR 100H	Nutrition Today (Honors)
OCEA 101H	Introduction to Oceanography (Honors)
PHIL 101H	Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality (Honors)
PHIL 110H	Introduction to Logic (Honors)
PHSN 108H	Introduction to Climate Change (Honors)
PHYS 111H	Introductory Physics I (Honors)
PHYS 112H	Introductory Physics II (Honors)
PHYS 151H	Principles of Physics I (Honors)
PHYS 152H	Principles of Physics II (Honors)
PHYS 253H	Principles of Physics III (Honors)
PLSC 101H	Introduction to Political Science (Honors)
PSYC 101H	General Psychology (Honors)
PSYC 104H	Statistics for Behavioral Science (Honors)
PSYC 121H	Human Development (Honors)
RELG 101H	World Religions (Honors)
SOC 101H	Introduction to Sociology (Honors)

Program Admission 

Any student can join the Honors Program. MiraCosta College welcomes students who share a passion for learning to participate in our Honors Program activities and take honors coursework. There is no additional cost to join the Honors Program or enroll in honors coursework.

Steps to join the Honors Program are outlined on the Honors Program webpage. Students who wish to learn more about the Honors Program are encouraged to email the Honors Office (honors@miracosta.edu) for information.

Program Certifications

Honors Certifications

Honors Certifications	MiraCosta College Honors Scholar Certification	UCLA Transfer Alliance Program Certification	UC Irvine "Honors to Honors" Certification	UC Riverside "Honors to Honors" Certification
Minimum cumulative GPA in degree applicable coursework*	3.25	3.5	3.7	3.25
Completion of 15 units of honors coursework**	yes	yes	yes	yes
Involvement for two semesters in MCC Honors Program (honors coursework or enrichment activities)	yes	n/a	yes	yes
Enrollment in honors courses for two semesters at MCC	n/a	yes	yes	yes
Transfer-focused education plan on file with Transfer Center	yes	n/a	yes	yes
TAP-focused education plan on file with Transfer Center	n/a	yes	n/a	n/a
Demonstrated responsible and ethical behavior	yes	yes	yes	yes

n/a = not applicable 

*

Up to two honors courses may be taken Pass/No Pass.

**

Up to two honors courses from other colleges may be included in unit count.