ΦΑM      

Honor Society Membership at OCC

What are some benefits of honor society membership?

• Develop leadership and organizational skills through activities, events, and projects
• Support for your high educational standards and values
• Receive personal and public recognition of your outstanding academic achievement
• Participate in extra-curricular social activities, fundraising, and community service
• Improve your potential for transfer to competitive four-year universities and programs
• Compete for additional scholarships
• Attend local, regional, and national conferences
• Receive special notations on official OCC transcripts
• Earn distinction at graduation ceremonies and the privilege of wearing honors regalia
• Make new friends and acquaintences
• Take advantage of exclusive offers (e.g., PTK: discounts on the purchase of computers and books, insurance, and exam preparation classes)

What you need to know:

Honor society membership is NOT automatic. You must apply separately to each honor society for which you qualify and wish to join. Some societies require a one-time application; others may require renewals each semester until permanent membership is achieved.

Honor societies are NOT fraternities or sororities. Membership in honor societies is not limited by gender. Furthermore, honor societies focus on academic as well as social and community-service goals.

You may apply for membership in one or more honor societies. There is no limit to the number of societies that you are permitted to join, provided you meet the enrollment requirements of each.

Honor society membership generally requires the payment of dues. Currently, dues range from as little as $10 to as much as $100. Some dues are payable each semester, others are collected on a one-time basis. All are pre-paid with the application. EOPS students may be eligible for dues assistance (please check with the EOPS office for more information).

Certain honor society memberships may be available to first-semester OCC students and to OCC students with GPA's of at least 3.0 and completion of at least 12 units of OCC letter-graded coursework. Find out the specific additional requirements for membership in each of the OCC honor society chapters by following the links to the left.

Which honor society chapters exist at OCC?
OCC current has chapters of six honor societies:

ΜΑΘ  
Mu Alpha Theta, the National High School and Community College Honor Society for Mathematics, is open to students who meet minimum GPA and math coursework requirements. For more information, click on the MAT link.

ФΑΜ 
Phi Alpha Mu, the Orange Coast College Honor Society for Social and Behavioral Sciences, is open to students who meet minimum GPA and coursework requirements in the social and behavioral sciences. Currently accepting applications. For more information, click on the PAM link. 

Ψβ    
Psi Beta, the National Honor Society in Psychology for Community and Junior Colleges, is open to students who meet minimum GPA and psychology coursework requirements. Currently accepting applications. For more information, click on the PB link.

National Technical Honor Society (NTHS)
Please check back soon for more information about eligibility and a link to the NTHS.

МΔΡ    
Mu Delta Rho (MDR)
Please check back soon for more information about eligibility and a link to MDR.


What if you don't see an honor society in your area of study or interest?

Consider establishing a new chapter or honor society at OCC:

• Start by researching the existance of established statewide, national or international honor societies available to two-year colleges in your particular field of interest (we'll refer to this as a "parent" organization).
• If a potential parent organization is found, find out about their chartering process, including the cost of starting a new chapter. If no potential parent organization is found, consider starting an OCC campus-wide honor society.
• In either instance (parent organization exists or none exists), find the necessary support of students, a prospective faculty advisor, administrators, and the appropriate academic division for the establishment of a new chapter or society
• Draft a proposal for a chapter or society start-up, as well as a (constitution and) bylaws with the help of the propspective faculty advsior; this/these will need to fall in line with existing policies of a parent organization, or may be initiated for a new society; some considerations to include will be: Name of organization (if new), purpose/goals of organization, membership eligibility requirements (GPA, coursework, dues, etc.), term of membership (semester, year, permanent, temporary/ provisional, etc.), structure of governance, meeting requirements, honors recognition policies, good-standing/not-in-good standing criteria, consequences of losing good standing, etc.
• Make appointments to speak with the appropriate administrator(s) and campus committees to get the new organization approved and activated.
• Advertise and promote the new chapter/society through various means available at OCC (targeted announcements on MyOCC, email invitations to join society, Honors events, flyers, posters, ads in student newspaper, etc.)