The Lillian Slutzker Honors College at Onondaga provides high-achieving students with an intellectually stimulating and challenging academic experience. The Honors College is divided into two cohorts of students — Lillian Slutzker Honors Scholars and Honors Affiliates.
Lillian Slutzker Honors Scholars
This experience challenges students to explore the history of ideas through careful analysis of primary source texts in the humanities. By participating in service learning projects, co-curricular programming, and seminar discussions, Honors Scholars will develop critical thinking and writing skills, confront challenging ethical dilemmas, and consider the requirements of global citizenship.
Admission is only open to students pursuing degrees in one of these four programs:
Honors Affiliates
Honors Affiliates will pursue honors coursework primarily in the liberal arts and sciences, though they will not complete a core sequence. Honors Affiliates will have the opportunity to take specially designed Honors classes in a variety of disciplines.
The Honors Affiliate cohort is designed for high-achieving students who fall into one or more of the following categories:
- students who meet the Honors College’s minimum requirements but are not admitted as Honors Scholars
- students who do not wish to complete the Honors Scholar curriculum
- students who plan to pursue degrees not open to Honors Scholars
Likewise, the Honors Affiliate cohort is open to students in all degree programs, excluding:
- Automotive Technology
- Computer Forensics
- Engineering Science
- Health Information Technology/Medical Records
- Mechanical Technology
- Nursing
- Physical Therapist Assistant
Benefits of joining the Honors College
Both Honors Scholars & Honors Affiliates enjoy these key benefits:
- Exclusive access to small, Honors-designated course sections taught by instructors with a reputation for teaching excellence
- Keycard access to the Honors College/Phi Theta Kappa Suite — a space for studying and socializing, the Honors/PTK faculty offices, and access to computers and a printer
- Dedicated Honors advisors
- Honors College Graduate designation on your transcript when you complete your degree
- Transfer agreements with honors programs at four-year institutions
Honors Scholars enjoy these additional benefits:
- No out-of-pocket tuition cost with timely submission by student of appropriate Financial Aid forms and documents
- A stipend to assist with the cost of books and other classroom-related fees
- Cultural events -- plays, concerts, scholarly lectures, trips to historically and culturally significant sites
- Lillian Slutzker Honors College Scholar on your diploma when you complete the degree and all Honors Scholar requirements.
- A core curriculum focused on the study of the history of ideas and preparation for transfer to highly selective four-year institutions
Honors Scholar Curriculum
Core Sequence
- HON 100: Honors First-Year Success
- HON 101: Honors Humanities I
- HON 200: Honor Second-Year Success
- HON 201: Honors Humanities II
12 Additional Honors Credits
- At least 9 of these credits must be earned from Honors sections of a variety of courses
- Up to 3 Honors credits may be earned by completing an Honors Contract
Total Honors Credits: 20
Honors Affiliate Curriculum
Honors Courses
- At least 9 credits must be earned from Honors sections of a variety of courses
At least 3 Additional Honors Credits
- Up to 3 Honors credits may be earned by completing an Honors Contract
- In some degree programs, students will be allowed to complete additional Honors Contracts for credit. Honors advisors will inform students if this option is available upon admission to the Honors College.
Total Honors Credits: 12 (minimum)
Examples of recent honors sections include:
| ANT 152: Cultural Anthropology | HON 296: Honors Seminar: The Split Rock Disaster |
| CHE 171: General Chemistry I | LIB 100: The Art of Inquiry |
| ENG 224: American Literature II | HON 296: Honors Seminar: The Split Rock Disaster |
| ENG 282: Introduction to Critical Theory | LIB 100: The Art of Inquiry |
| HIS 103: History of Western Civilization I | MAT 112: Nature of Mathematics |
| HIS 104: History of Western Civilization II | PHI 108: Ethics |
| HIS 107: Modern American History | POS 100: American National Politics |
| HON 296: Honors Seminar: Modernism to Post-Modernism | POS 198: Political Thought |
| HON 296: Honors Seminar: The American Presidency | PSY 103: General Psychology |
| SOC 103: Introduction to Sociology | WMS 101: Introduction to Women/Gender Studies |
How to Apply
All applicants must submit the following:
- Completed incoming students application or current students application
- First-year students submit a high school transcript indicating a 90 or higher average. Transfer students also submit a transcript from their last institution with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- Two letters of recommendation from instructors/teachers familiar with your academic work (incoming students only).
In addition to the application, transcript, and letters of recommendation, Honors Scholar applicants must also:
- Provide supplemental Honors Scholar applicant questions, including the essay portion of the application
- Conduct an in-person interview on campus, should they be selected as a finalist
Please submit transcript and letters of recommendation by email to honors@sunyocc.edu, by fax to (315) 498-2459, or by mail to:
Lillian Slutzker Honors College
Onondaga Community College
4585 West Seneca Turnpike
Coulter Hall 204
Syracuse, NY 13215-4585