The Honors Program

The Honors Program is dedicated to providing Kishwaukee’s most exceptional, highly motivated, and forward-thinking students with opportunities for intellectual growth, academic challenge, and greater competitiveness when transferring to another school or applying for a job. The program connects the expertise of Kishwaukee College faculty with a select group of students who are eager to demonstrate their own abilities and their willingness to learn on a new and higher level.

Benefits of Participation

Students who take Honors courses—especially those who complete the Honors Program and earn Honors designation on their transcripts—enjoy significant advantages when transferring to other colleges or applying for a job. Success in Honors courses suggests to admissions officers and employers that you are highly intelligent, dedicated, motivated, and goal-oriented. While in the Honors Program at Kishwaukee, you will have the advantage of working with the Honors Advisor and registering early for your classes, participating in Honors-themed activities, and enrolling in unique courses that will increase your knowledge and skill set while enhancing your competitiveness in academics and the job market. In addition, there are annual opportunities for monetary awards that are only open to students in the Honors Program, such as the Excellence in Honors Research Award. For details about applying for this award, please contact the Honors Program Coordinator, Matthew Weibel.  The application form for the Research Award can be accessed here:

 Excellence in Honors Research Award Application.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Honors Program, you must meet either of the following conditions:

1. Entrance Track #1: You have completed at least 12 credit hours of 100-level or above coursework at Kishwaukee College or another accredited institution, with a cumulative college GPA of 3.5 or higher
2. Entrance Track #2: You are a new high school graduate (or are about to be) with a cumulative high school GPA of 3.75 or higher

How to Apply

Admission to the Honors Program occurs on a rolling basis, so one may apply for the program at any time. However, email notices will be sent out each semester to eligible students suggesting that they apply by a certain deadline in order to receive preferential consideration for enrolling in Honors courses in the next semester. If you meet the eligibility requirements (above), please fill out the Student Application and follow the directions on the form in order to complete an application. Decisions on admission to the program will be announced via email approximately three days after a completed application has been received (if a student is applying for admission on a rolling basis), or ten days after the preferential consideration deadline sent to eligible students each semester.

Spring 2021 Preliminary Honors Schedule/Courses

Because Honors courses enable unique and rewarding academic interactions between faculty and students, special sections of select courses will be set aside for Honors students. Honors credit can only be earned by taking these approved courses; previous coursework in these classes will not count towards the Honors Program, because Honors students will be doing new work in these special sections; however, courses can be taken retroactively (see Matt Weibel for more details). The following courses/sections will be available for Honors credit:

Staying in the Program

Once you are admitted to the Honors Program, you must maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA (or higher) in all courses—not just Honors courses. Should your cumulative GPA drop below a 3.5, you will be placed on probation and not be allowed to take Honors courses or receive other Honors Program benefits until your cumulative GPA is again above 3.5.

How to Complete the Program

To complete the Honors Program, you must meet each of the following conditions:

• Earn a minimum of 12 credit hours in Honors-designated courses at Kishwaukee
• Have a grade of ‘B’ or better in each of the Honors courses counted toward your 12 credits
• Maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher

Transferring to NIU? Elsewhere?  

Honors credits often transfer easily to other colleges and universities, particularly with those in Illinois.  The University Honors Program at Northern Illinois University, in particular, welcomes Honors students from Kishwaukee College.  Among some of the key features of this Kishwaukee/NIU partnership:

• When you successfully complete the Kishwaukee Honors Program, you are half way to achieving an honors designation at NIU!
• You can transfer up to 15 Honors credits from Kishwaukee towards NIU’s Honors Program, depending on whether you are pursuing Associate or Full University Honors.
• Check to see if you have already completed qualifying co-curricular experiences that can count toward NIU’s Honors Engaged.
• Kishwaukee College Honors students are encouraged to compete for lucrative University Honors Fellowships. Our first Honors graduate, Jennifer Grafton, received one of these valuable ($5000/year) fellowships!
• Honors students typically qualify for one of NIU’s Merit Scholarships. This $2000/year scholarship may be awarded automatically to students with a 3.5 cumulative GPA; however, scholarship awards depend upon available funding, so Honors students intending to transfer to NIU (in the fall of a given year) should apply before March 1 of the year prior in order to be considered for these scholarships (December 1 for spring semester transfers). Eligible students who submit a FAFSA may also be considered for a one-time Kishwaukee College Transfer Award! For more information, please review options at the following link: NIU Transfer Scholarship.

Should you intend to transfer to other institutions, you should approach that school’s Honors Program or Scholarship Office for additional scholarship opportunities and special accommodations for Honors students.

Kishwaukee/NIU Honors Program Completion Guidelines:

If you have meaningful and sustained co- or extra-curricular experiences you completed during your time at Kishwaukee College (e.g., internship, campus participation, service learning), you might be able to count one or more of these towards experience points in the NIU UHP. Find out more about Honors Engaged, and check out the form you fill in to request that an experience be counted towards your Honors points.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about the Honors Program at Kishwaukee College, please contact Matthew Weibel, Honors Program Coordinator, at mweibel@kish.edu or at 815-825-9668.