Honors Program

The Richard Bland College Honors Program prepares high-achieving students for university transfer and future academic success through dedicated honors courses, personalized mentoring, and unique transfer agreements. Community service is a core tenet of RBC Honors, as we build leaders on our campus and in the community beyond.

Program Expectations:

Honors students are expected to meet the following requirements to maintain their status as a member of the Honors Program.

Complete at least 15 credit hours per semester
Maintain a 3.25 RBC GPA. If a student’s GPA falls below the 3.25 threshold, the student will have one semester to return to a 3.25.
Take Honors Courses
Participate in all required Program meetings, presentations, and service activities.

Additional Benefits

RBC Honors is so much more than your courses! Our cohort of Honors students live, work, and play together as they grow during their two years at RBC. Some additional benefits of joining RBC Honors include:

Honors-only trips to cultural, historic, and entertainment sites such as New York City and Washington D.C.
Monthly group activities including pumpkin carving, yoga, and board games.
1:1 mentoring with an Honors advisor
Honors housing in apartment-style suite
$500/semester scholarship (awarded on first-come, first-serve basis)

Honors Courses

RBC Honors courses are designed to increase interaction between Honors students and their professor as they engage closely with content. These Honors-specific courses focus on building communication and critical thinking skills in a cohort of similarly driven students.

Honors Students can expect to take at least five of the following courses. The Promise/Honors Coordinators will work collaboratively with Honors students to place them in Honors courses that fulfill their Associate’s Degree requirements.

Guided Pathways for Success Honors 101 (required)
Honors English 101
Honors English 102
Honors English 216
Honors English 205/History 201
Honors History 250

Courses are subject to change to meet the needs and academic rigor of Honors students.

Culture of Service

RBC Honors students are expected to complete projects in service to the campus and community. Each cohort pursues projects and organizations that they are passionate about, both as a group and as individuals. These projects take the form of alternative spring breaks, monthly group trips, and in roles as ambassadors to the College.

Transfer Preparation

While Richard Bland prepares all students for future success at a university, RBC Honors provides extra opportunities for high-achieving students with goals of university transfer. Honors students can expect networking with faculty and community leaders in their chosen fields, research projects, and presentation experiences and fairs and conferences. In addition, RBC Honors has unique transfer agreements with several Virginia universities.

William & Mary

Honors students are eligible to join the Bridge Program, which allows students to enroll in William & Mary courses while still an RBC student and receive guaranteed admission to William & Mary as a Junior. Please see the Bridge Program page for more information.

Honors Enrollment

To join the Honors Program, students must first have been accepted to Richard Bland College and confirmed their enrollment at RBC.

Confirmed students who meet the GPA requirement will be automatically invited to join the Honors Program until the Honors quota has been filled. Once they have received their invitation, students will have the opportunity to accept their enrollment into the Honors Program or opt-out.

Current RBC students may be accepted into the Honors Program before their second year at RBC. Interested RBC freshmen should contact their Learner Mentor or honors@rbc.edu during the spring semester of their first year for more information.

Program Entry Requirements:

First-Year Freshmen: 3.50 High School GPA

Transfer or current RBC students: 3.25 College GPA

Phi Theta Kappa (PTK)”

Regardless of Honors Program participation, students earning at least a 3.5 GPA after completing credit hour requirements (at least 12 credit hours if pursuing an Associate’s degree, completion of 6 credit hours if completing a Certificate) will be invited to join Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). The purpose of PTK is to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students. To achieve this purpose, PTK provides opportunity for the development of leadership and service, an intellectual climate for exchange of ideas and ideals, lively fellowship for scholars, and stimulation of interest in continuing academic excellence.

Phi Theta Kappa’s mission is two-fold:

Recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students
Provide opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service, and fellowship programming

Students are notified of their eligibility to join PTK each Semester.