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About NCHC
What is Honors?
Honors education ignites passion for lifelong learning and encourages student creativity, collaboration, and leadership in the classroom and beyond. It is characterized by in-class and extracurricular activities that are measurably broader, deeper, or more complex than comparable learning experiences typically found at institutions of higher education. Honors curriculum serves as a laboratory for inventive and experiential education that can be implemented in the traditional classroom. Honors experiences include a distinctive learner-directed environment and philosophy, provide opportunities that are appropriately tailored to fit the institution's culture and mission, and frequently occur within a close community of students and faculty. Shared Practices and Principles of Quality Honors Programs
What are Shared Practices and Principles?
Like its students, every honors program is unique in its offerings and methodology. One of the ways NCHC supports its members is through the development of shared practices and principles that help both honors students and faculty thrive in their programs. Honors Education v. Honors Societies
College Honor Societies & Graduation Honors
In general, membership in an honor society that has a chapter on campus is a credential that you can proudly place on your resume. For all others, NCHC recommends that honors students, directors, and deans go to the website(s) of the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS), and the Honor Society Caucus. About the ACHS Founded in 1925 as the impartial certifying agency for college and university honor societies. According to its website, "ACHS sets standards for organizational excellence and for scholastic eligibility for the various categories of membership: general, specialized, leadership, freshman, and two-year honor societies." Of particular interest is ACHS’s web page titled "How to Judge the Credibility of an Honor Society." In addition to many positive criteria, ACHS lists "Factors that Raise Questions about Credibility," which include an address limited to a post office box, missing information about the organization’s chief executive officer, vague and flexible eligibility standards, no institutional chapter structure, and an on-line application. "Certified honor societies issue invitations to all qualified candidates from institutional chapters." You can find a list of certified members of ACHS at the ACHS Member Societies page. About the Honors Society Caucus The Honor Society Caucus is an umbrella organization that represents several prestigious collegiate honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, and Omicron Delta Kappa. The caucus is a coordinating organization of four of the oldest independent honor societies, including three of the original six founding members of the Association of College Honor Societies. How NCHC Supports Honors Students
All students at NCHC member institutions qualify for a free Student Membership with the National Collegiate Honors Council. This provides opportunities to share research, network, compete for national awards, and participate in specialized events and trainings throughout the year. Learn More |
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