Bunker Hill Community College

Commonwealth Honors Program

An Invitation to Excellence
The Commonwealth Honors Program
Bunker Hill Community College

What is the Commonwealth Honors Program (CHP)?
The CHP offers students in the state’s public colleges and universities an intellectually stimulating educational foundation for becoming independent thinkers and lifelong learners. Completing your degree program within the Commonwealth Honors Program at BHCC designates you as a Commonwealth Honors Program Scholar, and guarantees your transfer to the Commonwealth College at UMass/Amherst or an Honors program at any Massachusetts state college or university where you have been accepted. Students in the CHP can also participate in the Commonwealth Transfer Compact, Joint Admissions Program, and the Tuition Advantage Program for transfer to four-year public colleges and universities. Participation in this program will also enhance applications to private four-year institutions.

What are the requirements for completion of the Commonwealth Honors Program?
The requirements are three Honors components, and completion of the Honors Seminar; or 2 honors components, honors ENG112, and the completion of the Honors Seminar.

An Honors component is an additional part of a regular course in which a CHP student works with an Honors advisor and the course professor to design an enriching and academically rigorous experience that earns Honors credit. Examples might be special research in a chemistry or psychology course, an art portfolio, or an analysis of an author’s works.  Completion of an Honors component in a course will earn an Honors designation on your transcript.

The Honors Seminar is an interdisciplinary three-credit course that allows students to develop their research skills by exploring the theme chosen for the semester, from different perspectives. Recent topics have included: Popular Culture, Evil, Epidemics and Pandemics, Waging War - Waging Peace in the Nuclear Age, Creativity  Innovation and Invention, and The Oceans. The Honors Seminar satisfies the Menu 6 distribution requirement.

Students participating in the CHP at BHCC may also enroll in internships or service learning projects. For further information contact the Career Center at 617-228-2245, or stop by room M101, on the Charlestown campus.

Admission to the Honors Program
Some students enter this program immediately from high school. Others are returning BHCC students. Applications may be obtained from Joan Brenner, E145, Luke Salisbury, B350A, or from Enrollment Services. To be accepted into the Honors Program, all new applicants must complete an application form and provide two reference letters. To enter the Honors Program you must satisfy one of the following:

• Current BHCC student with a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA and at least 12 earned credits;
• High school graduate with a B+ average;
• Transfer student from another college with at least 12 earned credits and a 3.5 GPA; or
• Transfer by a student satisfactorily completing work in another CHP
  

What are the requirements to graduate as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar?
You must:

• Meet all requirements for your associate’s degree program;
• Earn a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA at Bunker Hill Community College;
• Complete at least three courses which include an Honors component, or complete two honors components and Honors English 112
• Participate in the Honors Seminar an interdisciplinary Honors course. In the Honors Seminar you will develop an Honors project and present the results of your research at the Honors Seminar Presentation Program.

Financial Aid Scholarships
The college offers two scholarships of $500 for CHP students. One scholarship is awarded for tuition for a continuing BHCC Honors Program student, and the other is awarded to a student who has completed the Honors Program at BHCC and is transferring to a four-year institution to continue his/her education.
Additional BHCC scholarships are available to meritorious students. Visit the college website for a complete listing of scholarships and awards, or call the Admissions & Transfer Office at 617-228-2284.

Why enroll in the Commonwealth Honors Program?

• Work one-on-one with a faculty mentor.
• Use the Commonwealth Honors Center located in E145, on the Charlestown campus, to meet with other Honors students and conduct research in a quiet environment.
• Take advantage of the opportunity for small group work in the Honors Seminar.
• Publish your work in Kaleidoscope, the Honors journal.
• Transfer automatically into Honors programs at Massachusetts’ public universities and colleges, including the Commonwealth College at UMass/Amherst.
• Present your research project and participate in the statewide Undergraduate Conference.
• Receive Honors designation, on your transcript, for courses in which you have completed Honors contracts.
• Enhance your transfer applications and scholarship opportunities.
• Attend regional and national meetings of the National Collegiate Honors Council.
• Be eligible for an Honors Scholarship.

Where have CHP students transferred?
Members of the Commonwealth Honors Program have transferred to such schools as Tufts University, Wellesley College, Smith College, Amherst College, The Commonwealth College at UMASS, The University of Pennsylvania, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Yale University, Cornell University, Boston University, Boston College, and Brandeis University.

Mission of the Commonwealth Honors Program at Bunker Hill Community College
The Commonwealth Honors Program at the college takes a leadership role in the achievement of the college’s mission and goals. The program seeks to provide opportunities for students to excel academically in a rich and challenging environment and to develop a community of scholars that is inclusive, and that builds on the strength of the college community’s diversity.

Would you like additional information on the Commonwealth Honors Program?

Contact the Honors Program Directors:

Joan Brenner
Office: E145 Charlestown Campus
Telephone: 617-228-2327
E-mail: jbrenner@bhcc.mass.edu

Luke Salisbury
Office B350A Charlestown Campus
Telephone 617-228-3249
E-Mail: lsalisbury@bhcc.mass.edu