Honors & Awards Opportunities 

College Honors

To graduate with college honors a graduating student must have achieved at least a 3.50 program GPA with a minimum of 30 credit hours of 100–299 level course work applicable to the program at Parkland College. There are three college honors designations a student could receive, as described below. 

Designation based on cumulative program GPA

    • 3.5 up to 3.749 - With Honors
    • 3.75 up to 3.999 - With High Honors 
    • 4.0 - With Highest Honors

Graduating with College Honors is designated on the student's transcript and diploma. 

Dean’s List

The Parkland College dean’s list is published at the end of the fall and spring semesters, listing the students who have outstanding scholastic achievements. Criteria to be on the Dean’s List is as follows:

    • Grade Point Average (GPA ) of 3.5
    • 12 Credit Hours (Must be 100 level classes or higher, for example, BIO 100)
      • Sometimes students have 12 credit hours that include Developmental classes. These class levels are below 100.  For example, ENG 099 does not qualify towards the Dean’s List. 
      • If a student doesn’t qualify in the previous semester and doesn’t take 12 hours in the current semester of the same academic year, then two semesters are combined. The combined semesters will help to meet the criteria. 
      • For example, if you did not meet the criteria in the 2020 fall semester, courses completed in 2020 summer would be reviewed.  

    If you have any questions, please contact us at deanofstudents@parkland.edu

    Honors Convocation

    The Honors Convocation ceremony is held on the same day of Commencement each year.  Students who participate in Honors Convocation are bestowed their honors regalia during this ceremony. Visit the Honors Convocation webpage for eligibility requirements and more information on the ceremony. 

      Honors Program

      The Parkland Honors Program offers students an opportunity to grow academically, explore a creative interest, earn scholarships, and enhance their resumes. Students with a 3.0 or higher GPA, or who have an interest in academic improvement, are encouraged to join the Honors Program. Students earn Honors Program Scholarships each time they complete an Honors Project.  Students graduate from the Honors Program and earn a $1,000 Scholarship when they complete two Honors Projects and one Honors Service Learning Project.  The Honors Program sponsors events and activities that foster and encourage support for diversity, intellectual curiosity and academic growth.

      Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

      Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK), established in 1918, recognizes academic achievement and provides opportunities for students to grow as scholars and leaders. 

      To be eligible to join, students must complete at least 12 hours of college-level coursework with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50. Students who join PTK are joining a network of more than 3.5 million members around the world.

      The American Association of Community Colleges recognizes Phi Theta Kappa as the official general honor society for two-year colleges—the only honor society with this distinction. Members pay a one-time membership fee and gain access to member benefits for life. Benefits include PTK’s Golden Key Membership pin, membership certificate, notation of membership on the Parkland transcript, a gold diploma seal, and the distinction of wearing the Phi Theta Kappa gold honors stole and honors tassel at Parkland’s Commencement. 

      Members can apply for over $90 million in scholarships towards completing their certificate, associate, bachelor’s and master’s credentials and over $46 million of transfer scholarships from nearly 800 four-year colleges/universities across the U.S.. PTK also has awards for career-bound students, leadership and service experiences to build your resume, and online self-paced curricula for developing professional, research, and employment skills, with one program specifically for health professions. 

      Through PTK Connect, members can search for transfer-friendly four-year colleges/universities and see scholarships they offer community college students—many exclusive for PTK members. 

      The Transfer Edge program guides members through the process of transferring to a senior institution.  Members also have free access to PTK’s custom, nationally recognized Leadership Development Studies curriculum. Parkland’s Chapter—Alpha Psi Eta—is consistently a Five Star Chapter and a Top 100 Chapter, receiving recognition at the regional and international levels. Participation in chapter activities is encouraged but never required. For more information, visit www.ptk.org or contact Chapter Advisor, Professor Lori Garrett (Lgarrett@parkland.edu).

      NJCAA All-Academic Teams

      Each year, the NJCAA recognizes student-athletes for their dedication and performance in the classroom. Outstanding student athletes are recognized annually as members of the NJCAA All-Academic Teams. Please visit the Parkland Athletics All-Academic Teams webpage to view the list of the All-Academic team members.