Honors Education

Honors education is designed for high-achieving students and offers opportunities that enrich the college experience. It includes the honors curriculum program and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College.

Students receive letters of invitation upon completion of 12 or more credits at 100-level or above and have attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

The Honors Curriculum Program

The honors curriculum program allows academically excellent students to enroll in honors classes at Kapiolani Community College (KCC). All honors classes are writing intensive.

There are two types of honors classes:

• Small seminar classes in which all students are participants in the honors curriculum program. The teaching style and course materials may be more individualized than in a regular class.

• Honors classes within regular classes whereby honor students complete the regular class with the other students. In addition, they work with the instructor to design and complete an honors component.

Download the Honors Curriculum Program forms below to apply.

Kapiolani Scholar

Upon completion of degrees, students who have completed two honors classes and maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher will achieve the distinction of Kapiolani Scholar. This distinction is indicated on transcripts.

Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society

Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society offers academically excellent students international recognition and opportunities to develop records of leadership and service to the College and the community. The society is built on four hallmarks: leadership, scholarship, service, and fellowship.

KCC's chapter, Alpha Kappa Psi, is an active chapter that organizes campus-wide activities and events. The chapter participates in regional events with other chapters in the Pacific Region and students regularly travel to international society events. The chapter, individual members, and officers have won awards at the regional and international levels. By participating in the society and its programs, students receive additional recognition and develop resumes that lead to more successful applications for scholarships, university transfers, and employment. For more information, see "Alpha Kappa Psi" under the Related Links section.

Phi Theta Kappa offers lifetime membership and benefits including scholarship opportunities, discounts, and references. Upon completion of degrees, Phi Theta Kappans receive special seals for their diplomas and students are distinguished at commencement with Phi Theta Kappa stoles and tassels. For more information, see "Phi Theta Kappa" under the Related Links section.

Student Testimony: Honors Curriculum Program

"The Honors Curriculum Program has allowed me to go beyond the "normal" boundaries of a course. I was fortunate enough to experience the two different types of Honor classes offered to students. The first option allowed me to be in a small class. The size of the class gave students the opportunity to interact with the instructor on a more personally and intimate level. It also allowed our class to travel outside of the classroom. Sometimes we held classes outside under the trees! The second option gave me the opportunity to develop and incorporate what I wanted to explore in the course. I was able to work with the instructor and develop what I wanted to do with the stories we wrote for our class. In order to earn honors credit, another honors student and I learned how to create a zine on the Internet. We formatted the stories and posted them in the zine for other KCC students to access."

Student Testimony: Phi Theta Kappa

"Phi Theta Kappa has been more beneficial than I could ever imagine! Membership in the Society has opened up many opportunities in leadership and service for me. It greatly helped me develop my resume and definitely the skills that future employers look for. As an officer of the executive board, I also had the opportunity to travel to the mainland for the first time! The friendships I made within the local Hawaii chapters and with the chapters on the mainland are very valuable to me. If you ever have the opportunity to attend the international convention, please do so! You'll definitely have one of the best experiences of a lifetime!"

"Through Phi Theta Kappa I learned how to win scholarships. As editor of the Alpha Kappa Psi newsletter, I developed a creative writing collaboration with another Phi Theta Kappan. Four years later we still support each other in our writing projects and are great friends."