Frequently Asked Questions
What is the OTC Honors Program?
The OTC Honors Program is an academic program that provides academically motivated high-achieving students who conduct themselves in a responsible and respectful manner the opportunity to engage with a community of scholars through a variety of individualized or learner-directed experiences. These experiences may include collaboration with instructors and peers, enhanced or additional learning environments, and real-world experiences both in the classroom and beyond to explore learning that is broader, deeper, unique, or more complex than traditional educational experiences.
What are the requirements to join?
No application is required to join the OTC Honors Program. To pursue the Honors Program as a part of any OTC degree, enroll in an Honors course of your choice, email honors@otc.edu to request an invite to the Honors Program Canvas site, or speak with your OTC Navigator. The Honors Program can be completed as a part of any OTC degree through a combination of traditional Honors courses/sections and individualized Honors Contract courses completed in regular courses/sections in any area of the College.
What are the benefits of joining?
- A unique, individualized, and learner-directed educational experience.
- Create lasting connections with like-minded Honors students and dedicated instructors.
- Scholarship opportunities at OTC and at other colleges/universities upon transfer.
- Honors Program graduates earn an Honors Studies Certificate of Specialization along with their degree upon graduation, a merit earned by less than 1% of OTC graduates.
- Earn honors credits that are transferable to Honors Colleges at many universities including Missouri State, Drury, Missouri Southern, the University of Missouri, and many others.
How can I get updates about events and scholarship deadlines?
All new Honors students at OTC should receive an invite to the HONORS PROGRAM course on Canvas – the student portal used by OTC. This is where we will put important information about events, scholarships, and resources. These will be announced multiple times in the weeks before it occurs. When we post these announcements, you should also receive an email sent to your OTC email address.
If you are a current Honors student and do not have HONORS PROGRAM on your canvas page, please contact us at honors@otc.edu to be added.
How do I apply for Honors scholarships?
When you apply for OTC scholarships, they check to see if you are eligible for any of the Honors scholarships. To apply for OTC scholarships, please click here.
Where are the Honors Office and Lounge located?
The Honors Office (ICE 352) and Honors Lounge (ICE 354) are both located on the third floor of the Information Commons East building on the Springfield Campus.
Who can use the student lounge?
The Honors Lounge in ICE 354 on the OTC Campus in Springfield, Missouri is open to all PTK/Honors students and any students that have questions about PTK or the Honors program. It is a great place to hang out with friends, study, ask PTK/Honors questions, or just wait for your next class. Permission for non-honors/non-PTK students is granted on a case-by-case basis and can be revoked at any time.
While you are in the Lounge, we ask that you be aware of and follow the Honors Lounge Rules;
- No harmful or abusive remarks or comments about faculty, staff, or students will be permitted.
- No threats of physical violence or bullying will be tolerated.
- Be respectful of those who are trying to study.
- Don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you unless you have permission from its owner.
- No vulgar or abusive language.
- Sexual harassment or sexual behavior of ANY kind by ANYONE will not be tolerated at any time.
- When discussing things that may result in a difference of opinion, if you are unable to respect the other person and their ideas, this conversation should not happen.
- OTC policies and standard rules for behavior are to be followed at all times.
If I have more questions, who should I contact?
If you have any other questions about the Honors Program, please email us at Honors@otc.edu or call us at 417-447-8905.
How many Honors classes do I have to take?
For completion of the Honors Program, you must fulfill the following requirements,
- Complete HON-101: Honors Seminar (3 credits)
- Offered online each FA/SP/SU Semester
- Optional “Prior Learning Credit” opportunity available through Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
- Complete 12 additional Honors credits
- May Include:
- HON-290: Honors Service-Learning
- HON-195/199: Phi Theta Kappa Officer Development
- HON-295: Honors Selected Topics
- Any Honors course/section offered with HON in the section number
- Ex. COM-105-HON1, ENG-295-HHON1, BIO-135-WHON1
- Honors Contract Courses supervised by the Honors Office, in which the student works with an instructor in a regular class/section to add honors elements and earn honors credit.
- May Include:
- Complete an OTC sanctioned Service-Learning Experience
- Either by completing HON-290: Honors Service-Learning (also counts towards the 15 Honors credits needed to complete the program) or a Service-Learning component in a traditional course/section facilitated by the OTC Office of Service-Learning.
*All classes must be completed with a letter grade of ‘B’ or above to be considered a completed Honors course and count toward the OTC Honors Program completion requirements.
* For more information about Phi Theta Kappa “Prior Learning Credit”, Honors Contracts, or adding a Service-Learning component, please visit Honors Program – Course Substitutes.
* Receiving an Honors Studies Certificate of Specialization is dependent on fulfilling all requirements for completion of the Honors Program and maintaining a cumulative OTC GPA of 3.5 or above.
What is Prior Learning Credit?
The OTC Honors Program offers members of Phi Theta Kappa the opportunity to earn OTC Honors credit. PTK members can earn three (3) hours of Honors credit for completing 4 of 5 PTK Edge courses and the Leadership Development Studies training course.
For more information on how to take advantage of this opportunity or how to claim the Honors credits, please visit Honors Program – Course Substitutes.
What are Honors Contracts?
An Honors Contract is a unique individualized learner-centered educational experience where, based on need, a student may enroll in a regular OTC course/section and with the assistance of the course/section instructor complete additional readings/writings/presentations/etc. in the course to earn honors credit for that non-honors course/section. Honors Contract approval is at the sole discretion of the Honors Program Director and participating faculty member.
For more information on completing an Honors Contract, please visit Honors Program – Course Substitutes.