FAQ

The Ozarks Technical Community College Honors Program is a selective admission academic program designed for high-achieving students who want more out of their college experience. Students are encouraged to embrace a lifestyle of learning and investigation, expand their experiences and opportunities, and seek out excellence and success both inside and outside the classroom. The Honors Program is more than just taking great honors courses, it is about seizing opportunities to explore, create, and elevating an appetite for learning and personal growth.

New OTC students with less than 12 college credit hours must meet the one (1) of the following criteria:

• ACT score of 25 or above.
• High school GPA of 3.75 or above on a scale of 4.0.
• GED/HISET score of 77.5% or above.

Current OTC students with 12 or more college credit hours must have:

• A cumulative OTC GPA of at least 3.5 on a scale of 4.0.
• At least two remaining semesters at OTC.

All students must complete and submit the following documents and complete an admissions interview in order to be considered for admittance into the OTC Honors Program:

• The OTC Honors Program Application.
• Request three (3) academic recommendations.
• A 500 – 1,000 word essay explaining why you want to join the Honors Program and what makes you a good candidate for admission.
• A signed OTC Honors Program Student Responsibilities Contract.

*Students accepted into the OTC Honors Program can only take 100-level or above courses. All courses below 100-level must be taken prior to admittance.

*Fulfilling all of the requirements listed above does not guarantee acceptance into the Honors Program.

Learning Environment

• Smaller class sizes; usually less than 16 students.
• Like-Minded students who care about and want more out of their education.
• Dedicated instructors who are selected for their expertise in their chosen field.
• Challenging courses that are designed for students that want to learn more.
• The opportunity to delve deeper into the course material than regular courses allow.
• Lasting connections with other honors students and instructors.
• All Honors students can utilize the Director of Honors or his designee as an academic advisor. This is in addition to their assigned academic advisor.

Scholarship Opportunities

• Exclusive scholarships at OTC.
• Additional scholarship opportunities at other colleges/universities.

Completion of the OTC Honors Program

• Honors classes are shown on their OTC transcript.
• Honors Program completion is shown on their diploma.
• Honors Program completion is noted in the commencement program.
• Honors Program medallion to wear with their graduation regalia.
• Honors students sit in the front at commencement and are the first to walk.

Transfer of Honors Credits

• Many universities including Missouri State, Drury, Missouri Southern, and the University of Missouri accept all or part of honors credits completed at OTC as credits completed at their own Honors College. This means that students can fulfill the Honors College requirements of other universities while attending OTC.

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.

When you apply for OTC Foundation scholarships, they check to see if you are eligible for any of the Honors scholarships. To apply for OTC scholarships, please click here.

If you have any other questions about the Honors Program, please email us at Honors@otc.edu or call us at 417-447-8905.

For completion of the Honors Program, you must take at least 15 credits (usually five classes) of Honors courses. However, there are a couple of course substitute options available to students. You can learn more about these substitutes by clicking here.

After submitting your application to the Honors Program, we will send you the necessary documents along with more in-depth instructions for finishing your application.