Admission to the Program

The Honors Program seeks students with outstanding academic records. However students who are highly capable but who have not previously performed up to their potential, are encouraged to apply as well, provided they can demonstrate that they have now found the motivation to excel.

Any full or part time CCBC Essex student may apply for admission to the Honors Program. Completed application will be reviewed by the Honors Committee which meets eight times a year. As part of the application review, the Committee may request an interview.

Click here to complete the application: www.ccbcmd.edu/honors/essex/application.html

Honors Courses

Honors courses are designed to foster collaboration and inquiry through an emphasis on student involvement. Honors courses are not designed simply to require more work; rather, they require work at a more sophisticated level. Students are encouraged to think analytically and creatively and are taught to communicate their thoughts effectively in both oral and written projects. Honors courses at CCBC Essex can take several forms. There are honors sections of existing courses as well as specially designed honors seminars which examine a wide variety of topics, often from an interdisciplinary perspective. Enrollment in honor courses is limited to seventeen, and as a result, students have a greater opportunity for interaction with their instructors and with each other.

Regardless of the format, honors courses will have in common their emphasis on originality and critical thinking. There will be extensive opportunity for open discussion, and collaborative learning, rather than individual competition, will be encouraged. The common focus of all honors courses is on the expansion of the student's ability to learn and the students ability to use that learning to make discriminating, intellectual choices.