DMACC Honors Program

​​​​​​Program & Benefits

​Des Moines Area Community College's Honors Program is available for students with high academic standards in order to expand their boundaries and better prepare them to enter the workforce or continue on to a four-year college or university.  The mission is to provide quality, student-centered education and opportunities for leadership, service, and research that challenge and stimulate students with high academic standards.

Benefits

• Opportunity to enroll in leadership and service learning seminars, tuition-free
• Opportunity to receive tuition-based rebates of up to 3-credit hours per semester
• Opportunity to take discipline courses in your major as Honors courses by signing online contracts
• Opportunity to work one-on-one on special projects with honors faculty mentors
• Opportunity to register for classes first each term
• Access to a designated Honors advisor on each campus
• Notation of Honors degree or Honors course credits on transcript to increase transfer opportunities to 4-year honors programs or increased job opportunities
• Opportunity to wear Honors recognition medallion at graduation
• Extracurricular enhancements, such as field trips, speaker series, social and cultural events, and regional and national Honors conferences
• Acceptance into 4-year college or university Honors Programs

Graduating with honors from the DMACC Honors Program 

Meet requirements for a diploma or degree with a cumulative G.P.A of 3.5

Complete a minimum of 13 credits of honors courses at DMACC (approved by Director of Honors—may be designated honors sections or standard sections with online contract signed by Honors professor and Director of Honors). Classes can be traditional face-to-face courses taken on DMACC campuses or at DMACC centers, web-blended, or fully online.​

Tuition Award

All full-time students accepted into the DMACC Honors Program may receive an award.​​

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Qualifications​

Admission Requirements *

A. Students enrolling from high school (based on high school performance)​

• Show a high school cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5 (weighted or non-weighted) on transcript
• Complete an online application essay

• Add an academic reference to your application, and DMACC will email a recommendation form on your behalf, make sure you have the correct email! (Home-schooled students: submit a recommendation from a co-op teacher other than a parent--may be from a pastor or other community member)

B. Students enrolling from college (based on college performance)

• Complete twelve (12) college credits (course level 100 or higher or equivalent transfer) at any accredited college, earning a cumulative G.P.A of 3.5
• Complete one college math and one college English class (course level 100 or higher or equivalent transfer)
• Complete an application essay

• Add an academic reference to your application, and DMACC will email a recommendation form on your behalf, make sure you have the correct email!

Students accepted into the honors program may graduate with honors by completing 13 credits of honors, which must include HON 100 and HON 200.

*The Director of Honors may waive some of the criteria in extenuating circumstances

Retention Requirements

• Maintain a cumulative 3.5 G.P.A. and remain in good academic standing.
• Move to honors probation for one semester if term G.P.A. falls below 3.5
• Regain entry into Program if G.P.A. is restored the subsequent semester; if not, may reapply for admission when restored or appeal the suspension to remain in the Program by writing a letter to the Director of Honors at honorsdirector@dmacc.edu, explaining why you should be allowed to remain in the Program.​

I am an online student, can I still apply?

Absolutely!  When you apply to join the honors program, under the campus tab, select 'Online'.

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Application​

​​​Once you have been accepted as a student at Des Moines Area Community College, you are invited to apply to the DMACC Honors Program.​

To be accepted into the honors program you

• Must have earned a high school degree or equivalent by the time you enter the Honors Program.
• Must complete an AA, AS or AAS degree to graduate with honors.

Applicants are encouraged to compose and edit an essay (described below) in a Microsoft Word document prior to beginning the online form, so that the document can be uploaded or attached into the space provided on the application. Essays should be approximately 800 words in length and single spaced, using Times New Roman 12 point font.

Essay Prompt:

The Honors Program looks for students who think critically, seek in-depth learning experiences, and demonstrate a commitment to using their gifts to benefit others.
In approximately 800 words,

• Tell us about a time when you have demonstrated research skills and/or problem-solving skills to benefit others through your research, leadership, or volunteer experiences. Good examples might include a research paper or project, a volunteer project, a science fair project, a 4-H project, or a scouting project.​
• Discuss how being in the Honors Program would enhance your academic experience.

Your essay will be read by a panel of faculty members at DMACC who serve on the Honors Admissions Committee. This committee will evaluate your essay based on the degree to which it demonstrates Honors-level writing and how well it addresses both writing prompts. If an applicant's writing is not determined to be at Honors level, the student may not be admitted to the Honors Program.

The essay is your opportunity to showcase your motivation and achievement to the Honors Admissions Committee.

We look forward to learning more about you.

All documents required may be uploaded, including transcripts, test scores, and personal essays.  Academic references will be sent a recommendation form on behalf of the student, which will be attached to the student's application automatically.  For questions, please contact the Director of Advanced Academics, Nancy Woods at nawoods@dmacc.edu.

Courses

The Honors Program requires students to complete a minimum of 13 credits of honors courses at DMACC.

Honors classes will be traditional face-to-face courses taken on DMACC campuses or at DMACC centers (concurrent enrollment classes in high schools may not be taken for honors credit). Online courses may be taken with permission from the Honors Advisory Council. Honors courses are those courses which have been previously approved by the Director of Honors. Honors courses include designated honors sections or standard sections with an individual honors-option contract signed by the honors professor and the student, which may include the following criteria:

• Rigorous written assignments
• Enhanced large- and small-group communication skills
• Higher order reading and listening skills
• Critical thinking

Satisfactorily complete two, 2-credit honors seminars (included in the 13 credits)

• HON 100—​Introduction to Honors (must complete during first semester in Honors)
• HON 200—Honors ​Capstone (Prerequisite: HON100)​​​

Honors 2-credit seminars will be graded. A "B" or above will generate Honors credit on the student's transcript or grade report.

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Con​tracts

​Dear Honors Student:

Congratulations on taking the first step to completing your Honors Contract! Before you upload your project proposal, please take time to review the requirements to earn Honors credit in your Honors discipline course.

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In order to earn Honors credit in an Honors discipline course, the student is required to write a project proposal for his/her Honors discipline course. The project proposal becomes Part I of the student’s Honors Contract.

Please note that if the student is enrolled in HON100 or HON200, the project proposal is also part of the honors seminar course in which the student is enrolled. 

To earn Honors credit, the student will:

• Demonstrate integrity, fairness and human dignity in all levels of academic activities and refrain from plagiarism and dishonesty
• Submit a link to his/her e-portfolio to the Director of Honors by the end of the semester
• Select his/her topic. The project will allow an in-depth study of a topic related to at least one of the competencies of the class. The topic should be of special interest to the student 
• Write a proposal outlining his/her proposed project
• Present the proposal to the faculty member who must approve or offer suggestions for revision
• Present a timeline to the faculty member, who in turn, should review it with the student
• Sign his/her contractual agreement with the instructor
• Send the contract to the Director of the Honors Program
• Complete the project requirements in the Honors Contract as outlined by the Honors faculty, meeting all deadlines.
• Complete the requirements below as part of the honors seminar course in which the student is enrolled concurrently (HON 100 or HON 200) if applicable during the semester. Students who are not enrolled in HON100 or HON200 will submit the requirements below to a designated member of the Honors staff.
• Keep a double-entry journal.
  Submit a double-entry journal: one part objective using the journalist’s questions—who, what, where, when, etc.; one part a subjective reflection of that meeting. The journal must be written in paragraph format, exploring the ideas discussed, the questions raised, and the challenges encountered. A minimum of three double-entry journal submissions are required, submitted to the Seminar instructor if applicable. If a student is not enrolled in an Honors seminar, the student will email their double-entry journals to the Director of the Honors Program or the Honors Coordinator on their campus. The student will be contacted by the person who will be collecting their journals.
• At the conclusion of the semester, write a reflective essay addressing the four questions below.
• How has completing this Honors-Option Contract impacted you as a learner? Address the following:
  • Critical thinking
  • Observational, written, and oral skills
  • Independent thinking and problem solving
  • In-depth perspective of a specific discipline
• How will you incorporate this learning into your future academic endeavors?
• What unexpected challenges did you encounter as you completed your Honors Option Contract?
• What suggestions do you have for future Honors students who might be doing a similar contract?

Please note: It is the student's obligation to fulfill the requirements of the course to receive Honors credit.

When you understand the requirements to earn Honors credit in an Honors discipline course and you are ready to submit the description of your Honors Project proposal, which is Part I of your Honors contract, please click the button below.

Important:​ 
Write PART I in a Word document, then cut and paste it into your online contract.
Do not compose Part I online; the software times out after a few minutes.

Begin Now

​​​​​​​​​​​Transfer

Information about transferring to a four-year college or university after graduating from the DMACC Honors Program.

• Grand View University
• Iowa State University Honors
• Simpson College
• University of Iowa Articulation Agreement​​

Honors Alumni Chapter​​

​​​​​​​​The DMACC Honors Alumni Chapter is a branch of the DMACC Alumni Association that represents Honors Program graduates across all DMACC campuses and centers.

In addition to the resources and benefits available to you through the DMACC Alumni Association, Honors Alumni Chapter members receive specialized communications, invitations to exclusive events, and access to unique networking and volunteer opportunities.

To learn more about the DMACC Alumni Association and the many resources and benefits available to you, visit the DMACC Alumni Association.

Chapter Goals

Continually recruiting Honors Program participants and retaining Honors students to graduation

1. Annual letter writing campaign to future Honors students.
2. Honors alumni presence at recruiting events.

Fundraising for the Honors Program and Program scholarship funds

1. Donating all proceeds from apparel sales to the Honors Program.
2. Soliciting voluntary contributions from Honors alumni.

Promoting and maintaining connections between Honors alumni, current Honors students, and the larger DMACC community

1. Inviting Honors alumni to attend the annual Honors Banquet where current Honors students present their projects and the newest alumni cohort is presented with medals.
2. Hosting networking and social events across all six campuses fostering inclusivity of all campuses and strengthening the larger DMACC Honors community.
3. Encourage members to nominate fellow Program graduates for any of the three Alumni Awards.
4. Distributing an Honors Program newsletter to current students and Program graduates.
5. Honors Program updates through the online DMACC Honors Alumni Facebook community.

Using the experiences of former Honors students and strengths of Program alumni to work to the betterment and accessibility of program

1. ​Inviting input from Honors alumni on their experiences and how to improve the program at Honors Advisory Council meetings.
2. Hosting an annual discussion with the Honors Student Council in an open forum setting to survey current Honors students.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Valedictorian Scholarship for high school valedictorians, DMACC’s most prestigious academic scholarship, pays 100% of tuition for two years, plus a $500-per-year stipend for books and supplies. Total value over two years at DMACC: nearly $10,000.

Valedictorian scholars must meet the criteria for admissions into the DMACC Honors program including being admitted into the program. Students must be seeking a DMACC program of study, non-credit programs are not eligible for the valedictorian scholarship.

In addition, students eligible most be enrolled full-time and in good standing (maintaining a 3.5​ GPA or above).

Students receiving the valedictorian scholarship will pay tuition and fees for eligible course work for the Fall and Spring semesters for no greater than four semesters. The textbook/supplies stipend shall not exceed $500 per academic year, and for a maximum of two academic years.​

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