Commonwealth Honors Program

The Commonwealth Honors Program

Academic Rigor, Personal Rewards

If you have earned a B+ average in high school or are a current NECC student or transferring to NECC with a minimum 3.2 GPA, you are eligible to participate in the Commonwealth Honors Program. Successful completion of the program guarantees admittance to the Commonwealth Honors Program at any of Massachusetts’ state  universities. It also adds significantly to your application credentials for private four-year schools. Any student may enroll in any Honors course except HON200 Honors Seminar which requires a 3.2 GPA.

Requirements

You must complete a minimum of THREE Honors Courses as described below. 

• Complete TWO: honors courses (click on link to view current courses) OR honors projects (PDF) (click on link to download the Honors Project Proposal Form). An Honors Project is done in a non-honors 3-4-credit course with guidance from a faculty mentor to earn honors credit for that course. (The following courses are ineligible for the Honors Project: English Composition I, Computer Applications, and first-semester language courses.)
• AND Complete the Honors Seminar (HON200). The Honors Seminar is a different topic each semester. Past topics have included True Crime, The History of the Merrimack Valley, AI, Dinosaurs, and Social Media.

Commonwealth Honors Program Benefits

• All honors courses and projects are noted on your transcript
• Opportunity to present research at statewide and regional conferences
• Enhance your transfer application credentials to a four-year school
• Use of the Honors Student Lounge (C222A in Haverhill andL237 in Lawrence) for studying, computer use and printing
• Special recognition as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar at graduation
• Guaranteed admittance into the Commonwealth Honors Program at any state college or university upon graduating as a CHP Scholar
• We offer five $1000 CHP scholarships to students taking Honors courses each semester.