Academic Honor Societies | Orange Coast College

OCC Offers More Opportunities to Distinguish Yourself as an Honors Student than Any Other College in California!

Click on "What's Honor at OCC All About" for important information.

You May Join One or More Honor Societies if you Qualify: request a transcript review to find out which societies and at what correct level of membership you qualify to join. Fill out our request form: https://forms.gle/qkh5QJpvFX58dkn77

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Keep Up with Honor Society Events and News: Add Any of the Honors CANVAS Sites to Your Dashboard. Just Click on the Society's logo below

(Joining the Canvas Page is NOT the same as applying for membership)

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ZOOM! DROP IN TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS:

OFFICE HOURS:

Monday thru Thursday 12 noon -- 5 pm (holiday and other closures will be announced here or at Zoom login)

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To apply for membership in any of the honor societies:

STEP 1: Complete and submit the General Information form

STEP 2: Fill out the application(s) for one or more of the societies you wish to join using the links below.

STEP 3: All honor societies require the payment of membership fees, also called "dues." Some OCC programs offer membership payment assistance to their students: EOPS, Student Equity, Guardian Scholars, Umoja, the Global Engagement Center, Veterans' Services, and CalWORKS. We will request approval from the programs for payments for their students before society memberships are fully activated at the end of the semester.

All applicants: please be sure you are using current application forms linked below and that you know which level of membership you qualify for. Not sure? Ask us: garrisonhonorscenter@occ.cccd.edu

GENERAL INFORMATION FORM: https://forms.gle/nrBcrHW7HoqtpRTS6

PAYMENT LINK AND QR CODE: https://occtickets.universitytickets.com

Here is a brief summary of established honor societies at OCC. CURRENT students only (enrolled in OCC classes) may apply to one or more society memberships for which they qualify.

FALL APPLICATION PERIOD: JULY 1ST UNTIL OCTOBER 31ST

SPRING APPLICATION PERIOD: JANUARY 1OTH UNTIL MARCH 15TH

ALPHA BETA GAMMA – business honor society; national; focus on business success, management style, business ethics, etc. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President 2024-25: Grant Caviar: gcaviar@student.cccd.edu

Apply to Alpha Beta Gamma ABG_Application(PDF)

ALPHA GAMMA SIGMA – all study interests; California; focus on community and campus service. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: VACANT

Apply to Alpha Gamma Sigma AGS Application (PDF)

ALPHA MU GAMMA – foreign language honor society; national; focus on the study of foreign languages and cultures, including English as a second language and sign language. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: VACANT

Apply to Alpha Mu Gamma AMG Application (PDF)

ETA ETA OMICRON – marine science honor society; OCC campus-wide; focus on supporting improvements to the marine ecology, especially in Southern California. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: Jennifer Robinson jrobison5@student.cccd.edu

Apply to Eta Eta Omicron EEO Application (PDF)

IOTA XI - computer science and information disciplines honor society; OCC campuswide; Click on the logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: Long (Eric) Nguyen: lnguyen1509@student.cccd.edu Meetings are in person at Garrison Honors Center 106 or via Zoom: https://cccd-edu.zoom.us/j/86772615532

Apply to Iota Xi: IX Application (PDF)

MU ALPHA THETA – math honor society; national; focus on math literacy and competency, supporting math education on and off campus, celebrating math excellence among high school and college students. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: VACANT

Apply to Mu Alpha Theta MAT Application (PDF)

MU DELTA RHO - pre-health professions honor society; OCC campus-wide; focus on preparation for transfer and graduate programs in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and all allied-health professions. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: John Huynh: thuynh474@student.cccd.edu

Apply to Mu Delta Rho: MDR APPLICATION (PDF)

NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY HONOR SOCIETY – focus on Career and Technical Education certificate programs. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: James Schwab jschwab4@student.cccd.edu

Apply to the National Technical Honor Society NTHS Application (PDF)

OMEGA PSI SIGMA – political science honor society; OCC campus-wide; focus on social issues, public policy, election law, related careers, and matters of interest to poli-sci, pre-law, and other related majors. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: VACANT

Apply to Omega Psi Sigma: OPS Application (PDF)

PHI ALPHA MU – social and behavioral sciences honor society; OCC campus-wide; focus on social issues and recognition of student excellence in the social/behavioral sciences. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. (NO STUDENT OFFICERS)

Apply to Phi Alpha Mu PAM Application (PDF)

PHI THETA KAPPA – all study interests; international; largest honor society for two-year colleges in the world; special scholarship opportunities for members and transfer-planning tools for members and non-members alike. Special Note: Recipients of invitations to membership from PTK headquarters who will pay for their own memberships (not using EOPS, Student Equity, Guardian Scholars, or CalWORKS), may submit applications online directly to PTK headquarters until the deadline stated in the invitation. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. WEEKLY MEETINGS MONDAYS AT 4PM: In person at Garrison Honors Center 106 or via Zoom https://cccd-edu.zoom.us/j/83641946104

President: Dulce Chavez dchavezmedrano@student.cccd.edu

Apply to Phi Theta Kappa PHTK Application (PDF)

PI RHO SIGMA – music honor society; OCC campus-wide; focus on music and musicianship, music careers, etc. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: Diana Vu dvu18@student.ccd.edu

Apply to Pi Rho Sigma PIRHO APPLICATION (PDF)

PI TAU EPSILON - film and visual arts honor society; OCC campus-wide; focus on film, video, fine arts, photography. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: Olivia Morin: omorin@student.cccd.edu

Apply to Pi Tau Epsilon PITAUEP_APPLICATION (PDF)

PSI BETA – psychology honor society; national; focus on psychological issues and phenomena, careers in psychology, etc. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: Kaylee Beaumont: kbeaumont@student.cccd.edu

Apply to Psi Beta PSIB Application (PDF)

S.A.L.U.T.E. - veteran's honor society to recognize academic achievement and persistence. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. Veterans and Active Duty Reservists. President: VACANT

Apply to SALUTE SALUTE Application (PDF)

SIGMA CHI ETA – communications honor society; national; focus on academic excellence in communication studies. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: VACANT

Apply to Sigma Chi Eta SCE Application (PDF)

SIGMA KAPPA DELTA – English honor society; national; focus on humanity’s expressive imprint through literature and poetry. Click on our logo to add our Canvas site to your dashboard. President: VACANT

Apply to Sigma Kappa Delta: SKD APPLICATION (PDF)

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 with your cap and gown
- Make new friends and acquaintances
- 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.

You must be currently enrolled in classes at OCC to be eligible for honor society membership at OCC.

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 $20 to as much as $140. Some dues are payable each semester, others are collected on a one-time basis. All are pre-paid with the application.

Certain honor society memberships may be available to first-semester OCC students based on high school performance. OCC students with GPA's of at least 3.0 and completion of at least 12 units of OCC letter-graded coursework also qualify for some honor society memberships. Find out the specific additional requirements for membership in each of the OCC honor society chapters by following the links to the left or by opening any of the applications above.
What if you don't see an honor society in your area of study or interest?
Start by researching the existence 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), you'll need the support of students, a prospective faculty advisor, and the appropriate academic division. Provide prospective faculty advisors with a copy of the ASOCC Club Handbook to use as a general guide for the kinds of support on behalf of the campus and district that advisors will be expected to provide.
- Draft a proposal for a chapter or society start-up and a constitution and bylaws; enlist the help of the prospective faculty advisor or honors office staff for this step; these will need to fall in line with existing policies of a parent organization, if any, and the campus; some considerations to include will be:
  - Name of organization (if new) or chapter name as assigned by the parent organization
  - Purpose/mission/goals of organization
  - Membership eligibility requirements (GPA, coursework, dues, etc.),
  - Term of membership (semester, year, permanent, temporary/ provisional, etc.),
  - Structure of governance and responsibilities of each officer/board members
  - Meeting and service requirements, if any
  - Honors recognition policies
  - Good-standing/not-in-good standing criteria
  - Consequences of losing good standing, etc.
  - Ceremonial issues – colors, motto, induction ritual, regalia to be worn at graduation, etc.
  - Design applications and brochures, flyers, etc.
- Obtain a letter of support from the prospective advisor and dean of the academic division most closely associated with the organization
- Submit the proposal, draft bylaws, letters of support to the Dean of the Library and Learning Support and then to the Dean of Student Services (who may share it with the VP of Student Services and college President)
- If approved at the campus level, promote the new chapter/society through various means available at OCC: Place MyCoast targeted announcements, email invitations to join society, participate at Club Rush/Student Services Fairs, honors events, put up flyers, posters, ads in student newspaper, press releases, etc.)
- Establish a meeting schedule and reserve facilities. The Honors Office can help you with facility reservations.

Students are welcome to request assistance with this process from the Garrison Honors Center

Honor Societies

In This Section

OCC Offers More Opportunities to Distinguish Yourself as an Honors Student than Any Other College in California!

To apply for membership in any of the honor societies: