Honors Program
Oceanside, Student Center: 760.795.6878
About the Honors Program
www.miracosta.edu/student-services/honors-program
The Honors Program provides highly motivated students an opportunity for enriched academic experiences as well as engagement in an inclusive environment that promotes community and personal discovery. Successful completion of program outcomes may give students in the Honors Program a competitive edge in consideration for transfer admission to some four-year colleges and universities.
Students interested in virtually every major can participate in the Honors Program while making progress toward graduation from MiraCosta College and transfer to a four-year institution. Honors students are guided by a Transfer Center counselor to establish an individualized education plan that best suits their particular educational and transfer goals.
Additionally, the Honors Program cultivates a heightened sense of community for its members by actively supporting social activities, learning groups, and cultural outings that build camaraderie and public service. The Honors Lounge located in the Student Center at the Oceanside Campus provides communal space for students to study, collaborate, and socialize.
Honors courses are designed to develop exceptional academic ability by providing challenging coursework through intensive instruction from outstanding faculty in small classes and individual contract experiences. These courses fulfill IGETC and CSU general education requirements and are offered every semester at both the Oceanside and San Elijo Campuses.
Of special note, students in the Honors Program have opportunities to present and publish their academic work at distinguished undergraduate research conferences in California.
The Honors Program at MiraCosta College is a certified member of the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), closely coordinating our program outcomes with admission requirements for UCLA’s College of Letters and Science.
The Honors Program is also a certified member of UC Irvine's "Transfer Honors" and "Honors to Honors" programs. At UC Irvine, honors students enjoy benefits such as priority registration, academic mentorship, library study rooms, and specialized research opportunities.
As an active member of the Honors Transfer Council of California, the Western Regional Honors Conference, and the National Honors Collegiate Council, the Honors Program enjoys other transfer partnerships with dozens of colleges and universities.
Honors students interested in leadership development may apply to become an Honors Navigator. Students carefully selected for this role serve as peer mentors or project leaders and participate in outreach efforts for the Honors Program.
Current Honors Curriculum
Any student may enroll in an honors course or seek an honors contract, and there is no additional cost to take honors coursework or participate in the Honors Program.
| Complete five from the following: | ||
| Financial Accounting (Honors) | ||
| Managerial Accounting (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to the Administration of Justice (Honors) | ||
| Biological Anthropology (Honors) | ||
| Biological Anthropology Lab (Honors) | ||
| Cultural Anthropology (Honors) | ||
| Evolution of Human Behavior (Honors) | ||
| Primate Behavior and Ecology (Honors) | ||
| Art of Ancient Mesoamerica and South America (Honors) | ||
| History of Modern Art (Honors) | ||
| Foundations of Biology: Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics, and Molecular Biology (Honors) | ||
| Human Anatomy (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to Business (Honors) | ||
| Legal Environment of Business (Honors) | ||
| Business Statistics (Honors) | ||
| Business Communication (Honors) | ||
| Introductory General Chemistry: For Allied Health Majors (Honors) | ||
| General Chemistry I: For Science Majors (Honors) | ||
| General Chemistry II: For Science Majors (Honors) | ||
| Organic Chemistry I: For Science Majors (Honors) | ||
| Organic Chemistry II: For Science Majors (Honors) | ||
| Dance Appreciation (Honors) | ||
| Dance History (Honors) | ||
| Dance Cultures of the World (Honors) | ||
| Composition and Reading (Honors) | ||
| Critical Thinking, Composition, and Literature (Honors) | ||
| Critical Thinking and Composition (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to Film (Honors) | ||
| Film History I: 1880-1945 (Honors) | ||
| Film History II: 1945-Present (Honors) | ||
| Identity and Film: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality (Honors) | ||
| Women and Film: Representation and Impact (Honors) | ||
| Physical Geology (Honors) | ||
| World History to 1500 (Honors) | ||
| World History Since 1500 (Honors) | ||
| History of the Modern Middle East (Honors) | ||
| Early European History and Culture (Honors) | ||
| Modern European History and Culture (Honors) | ||
| History of England (Honors) | ||
| History of Technology (Honors) | ||
| United States History to 1877 (Honors) | ||
| United States History Since 1877 (Honors) | ||
| American Military History (Honors) | ||
| Women in American History (Honors) | ||
| History of the Americas to 1830 (Honors) | ||
| History of the Americas Since 1830 (Honors) | ||
| Mexican American History Through 1877 (Honors) | ||
| Mexican American History Since 1877 (Honors) | ||
| African American History to 1877 (Honors) | ||
| African American History Since 1877 (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to the Arts (Honors) | ||
| Media & Information Literacy (Honors) | ||
| American Literature: First Contact Through the Civil War (Honors) | ||
| American Literature: Mid-1800s to the Present (Honors) | ||
| English Literature Through the 18th Century (Honors) | ||
| English Literature: Romantic to Contemporary (Honors) | ||
| Shakespeare Studies (Honors) | ||
| World Literature to 1600 (Honors) | ||
| Pre-Calculus II: Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry (Honors) | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry I (Honors) | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry II (Honors) | ||
| Discrete Mathematics (Honors) | ||
| Calculus and Analytic Geometry III (Honors) | ||
| Differential Equations (Honors) | ||
| Linear Algebra (Honors) | ||
| Jazz History (Honors) | ||
| Nutrition Today (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to Oceanography (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to Logic (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to Climate Change (Honors) | ||
| Principles of Physics I (Honors) | ||
| Principles of Physics II (Honors) | ||
| Principles of Physics III (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to Political Science (Honors) | ||
| General Psychology (Honors) | ||
| Statistics for Behavioral Science (Honors) | ||
| World Religions (Honors) | ||
| Introduction to Sociology (Honors) | ||
Program Admission
Any student can join the Honors Program. MiraCosta College welcomes students who share a passion for learning to participate in our Honors Program activities and take honors coursework.
There is no additional cost to join the Honors Program or enroll in honors coursework.
Steps to join the Honors Program are outlined on our website, miracosta.edu/honors. Students who wish to learn more about the Honors Program are encouraged to call or email the Honors Office (honors@miracosta.edu).
Program Completion 
For MiraCosta College Certified Honors Scholar
- Minimum degree applicable GPA of 3.25 in college coursework.
- Completion of five honors courses representing at least 15 units of honors coursework.
- Up to two honors courses from other colleges may be counted upon request and verification.
- Up to two honors courses may be taken with "pass/no pass" option.
- Up to three honors courses may be completed as honors contracts.
- Participation in 20 hours of honors activities.
- Active involvement in the Honors Program at MiraCosta College for a minimum of two semesters.
- Education Plan established with the Transfer Center.
- Responsible and ethical behavior upheld, as outlined in the Statement of Academic Integrity and MiraCosta College Standards of Student Conduct.
For UCLA TAP (College of Letters and Science) Certification
- Minimum degree applicable cumulative GPA of 3.50 in college coursework.
- Completion of five honors courses representing at least 15 units of honors coursework.
- Up to two honors courses from other colleges may be counted upon request and verification.
- Up to two honors courses may be taken with "pass/no pass" option.
- Up to three honors courses may be completed as honors contracts.
- Enrollment in honors courses for two semesters at MiraCosta College.
- Education Plan established with the Transfer Center.
- Responsible and ethical behavior upheld, as outlined in the Statement of Academic Integrity and MiraCosta College Standards of Student Conduct.
For UC Irvine "Transfer Honors" Eligibility
- Completion of at least nine units of honors coursework through the Honors Program.
- Participation in honors activities.
- Education Plan established with the Transfer Center.
- Responsible and ethical behavior upheld, as outlined in the Statement of Academic Integrity and MiraCosta College Standards of Student Conduct.
For UC Irvine "Honors to Honors" Certification
- Minimum degree applicable cumulative GPA of 3.70 in college coursework.
- Completion of five honors courses representing at least 15 units of honors coursework.
- Up to two honors courses from other colleges may be counted upon request and verification.
- Up to two honors courses may be taken with "pass/no pass" option.
- Up to three honors courses may be completed as honors contracts.
- Participation in 20 hours of honors activities.
- Enrollment in honors courses for two semesters at MiraCosta College.
- Education Plan established with the Transfer Center.
- Responsible and ethical behavior upheld, as outlined in the Statement of Academic Integrity and MiraCosta College Standards of Student Conduct.
For a complete description of the Honors Program, its activities and program completion options, contact the Honors Office or visit the website.
