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Honors

The American River College Honors Program is a community of students and faculty who are dedicated to the pursuit of intellectual and personal enrichment in a diverse and challenging academic environment.

Students with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or better who have completed at least 15 units of approved Honors coursework earn a Certificate of Achievement noted on the transcript. Most courses in the certificate fulfill requirements for the AA, AS, AA-T, AS-T degrees, the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), and the CSU General Education Certification Pattern. Check with an ARC counselor for exceptions.

Completion of the certificate with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better allows students to take advantage of transfer agreements with highly selective colleges and universities through the Honors Transfer Council of California and to participate in the Transfer Alliance Program at UCLA. These enhanced transfer partnerships are only available to students who complete the certificate requirements with the minimum GPA, and are in addition to transfer admission guarantees (TAG) or transfer admission agreements (TAA) offered through ARC.

Honors Certificate Eligibility

ARC students are eligible for the Honors Transfer Certificate by completing 15 units of approved Honors coursework. Students who successfully complete five Honors courses receive a transcript notation showing that they have earned the certificate.

In addition to the transcript notation, completion of the certificate with a 3.5 or better GPA makes a student eligible for enhanced prospects for transfer to competitive schools through the ARC Honors Program's partnerships with UCLA, UC Irvine, and other public and private four-year institutions. These enhanced transfer partnerships are only available to students who complete the certificate requirements with the minimum GPA, and are in addition to transfer admission guarantees (TAG) or transfer admission agreements (TAA) offered through ARC.

Certificates Offered

Honors Transfer Certificate

Department Chair Dr. Rick Ramirez
Phone (916) 484-8547
Email ramirea@arc.losrios.edu

Certificate of Achievement

Honors Transfer Certificate

The American River College (ARC) Honors Program is a community of students and faculty who are dedicated to the pursuit of intellectual and personal enrichment in a diverse and challenging academic environment.

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better who have completed at least 15 units of approved Honors coursework earn a Certificate of Achievement noted on the transcript. A maximum of 6 units of Honors coursework may be transferred from other colleges. Some courses may need to be petitioned.

Most courses in the certificate fulfill requirements for the ARC A.A., A.S., A.A.-T., A.S.-T. degrees, and the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) Pattern. Check with an ARC counselor for exceptions.

Completion of the certificate with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or better allows students to take advantage of transfer agreements with highly selective colleges and universities through the Honors Transfer Council of California and to participate in the Transfer Alliance Program at UCLA. Honors students must meet with a counselor to ensure completion of ARC graduation and/or transfer requirements. In addition, Honors students should meet regularly with an Honors faculty advisor to ensure completion of the Honors certificate in a timely fashion.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2026

Certificate Requirements

Course Code	Course Title	Units
A minimum of 15 units from the following:		15¹
ANTH 480	Honors Biological Anthropology (3)
ANTH 481	Honors Cultural Anthropology (3)
ASTR 481	Honors Astronomy: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology (4)
BIOL 482	Honors Marine Biology (4)
CISP 480	Honors Introduction to Structured Programming (5)
ENGL C1000H	Academic Reading and Writing - Honors (3)
ENGL 481	Honors College Composition and Literature (3)
ENGL C1001H	Critical Thinking and Writing - Honors (3)
HIST 480	History of Western Civilization - Honors (3)
HIST 481	History of Western Civilization - Honors (3)
HIST C1001H	United States History to 1877 - Honors (3)
HIST C1002H	United States History since 1865 - Honors (3)
NUTRI 481	Honors - Cultural Foods of the World (3)
POLS 480	Introduction to International Relations - Honors (3)
POLS C1000H	American Government and Politics - Honors (3)
PSYC C1000H	Introduction to Psychology - Honors (3)
PSYC 481	Honors Abnormal Behavior (3)
SOC 480	Introductory Sociology - Honors (3)
STAT C1000H	Introduction to Statistics - Honors (4)
Total Units:		15

¹Up to six units of the Honors Certificate may be earned with non-Honors coursework for which there is an Honors Contract. Contact the Honors Coordinator for details.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

analyze the broad areas of human knowledge that contribute to purposeful and meaningful lives.
incorporate argumentative reasoning and logic involved in the process of advanced problem-solving in an academic setting.
investigate advanced methods of inquiry and analysis employed in a variety of disciplines.
justify personal accomplishments as a highly motivated, self-directed individual in an advanced academic setting.
demonstrate cultural competence in a diverse academic setting.