Commonwealth Honors Program at MCC
Enhance Your College Experience!
MCC offers you the opportunity to advance your knowledge and learn at a deeper level.
The Commonwealth Honors Program at Middlesex Community College (MCC) is a community of learners committed to:
- Pursuit of knowledge
- Critical thinking
- Diversity Consciousness
Students who complete the program requirements earn the distinction of Commonwealth Honors Scholar, recognized across all Massachusetts colleges and universities.
Benefits of becoming a Commonwealth Honors Scholar include:
- Guaranteed admission to the honors colleges of all Massachusetts colleges and universities upon completion
- Engaging courses with smaller class sizes
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary research and leadership development
- Recognition as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar upon completion
The Commonwealth Honors Program at Middlesex Community College provides an equitable and inclusive space for intellectually curious and motivated students to develop their fullest potential and enrich their college experience. The Commonwealth Honors Program engages, supports, and mentors a diverse community of learners committed to academic achievement, critical and analytical thinking, creativity, professional development, community responsibility, and global citizenry.
Benefits of the Commonwealth Honors Program:
- Membership in a community of intellectually curious learners
- Increased opportunities for scholarships
- Guaranteed transfer to any of the Commonwealth Honors Programs or Honors Colleges in the Massachusetts University system
- Enhanced prospects for acceptance to private four-year colleges and universities
- Participation in upper level seminars
- Development of leadership skills
- Attendance at scholarly conferences
- Resumé building activities such as the Honors Research Conference
- Participation in special events and networking activities
- Recognition as a Commonwealth Honors Scholar at Commencement
Commonwealth Honors Graduates Transfer To:
- University of Massachusetts (Amherst, Boston, Lowell)
- American University
- Amherst College
- American University
- Babson College
- Bennington College
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Bentley University
- Berklee College of Music
- Brandeis University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Hampshire College
- Harvard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Fitchburg State University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Mount Holyoke College
- Northeastern University
- Salem State University
- Smith College
- Tufts University
- Tsinghua University (Beijing)
- Wellesley College
Any student can register to take an honors course, regardless of their GPA, degree, pathway, or previous experience in honors or AP courses.
Students who fulfill the program requirements below are recognized as Commonwealth Honors Scholars at MCC and within a network of Massachusetts colleges and universities.
Commonwealth Honors Program Graduation Requirements
- Minimum 3.2 GPA at the time of graduation.
- Complete a minimum of three honors courses (9 credits) with a grade of B or better: two honors seminars, of which one has to be interdisciplinary, and one other honors course or another honors seminar. Beyond the minimum requirements, you can take as many honors courses as you would like.
- Participate in the annual research conference at least once before you graduate. We encourage participation every year.
Dedicated Study Space
The Commonwealth Honors Program has a dedicated space on the Bedford campus for students
to study, collaborate, or meet.
Speaker Series
The Commonwealth Honors Program Speaker Series includes renowned speakers from academic
institutions around the country. Speakers present groundbreaking work to students,
faculty and staff in order to broaden our understanding of social injustices, provide
historical perspectives and make connections to contemporary culture. The CHP presents
two speakers per year (one per semester) and we will encourage all CHP students, as
well as the larger college community, to attend.
Study Abroad
The Commonwealth Honors Program (CHP) at Middlesex Community College (MCC) partners
with the University of Massachusetts Lowell's Commonwealth Honors Program to offer
students life-changing opportunities to study abroad in Europe. Students earn UML
honors course credits, which are transferred back to MCC as honors credits. This partnership
provides students with the opportunity to experience cross-cultural learning and global
perspectives in education, as well as personal and professional development.
Honors Club
Honors Club is a space for driven students to grow their academic and personal skills.
Activities of the club include seminar discussions, research workshops, holiday-themed
events, stress-busters, celebrations, and more!
World of Music
The Commonwealth Honors Program collaborates with the World of Music Concert Series,
offering students and the community an enriching academic experience and a celebration
of cultural diversity and artistic talent. The World of Music Concert Series perfectly
aligns with the Commonwealth Honors Program’s values by offering a platform for students
to engage with diverse cultures and musical traditions from around the world.
Contact us!
Commonwealth Honors Program
Honors@middlesex.edu
781-280-3553
Next Steps:
- Apply to MCC
- Register for classes
- See if you qualify for FREE college
“My experience in the Commonwealth Honors Program at MCC has been enlightening, allowing me to develop leadership and presentation skills through leading discussions and participating in scholarly conferences. I’ve had the opportunity to tie subjects related to my major into interdisciplinary research projects, exploring biotechnology topics from multiple perspectives such as sociology, anthropology, and globalization. This program allowed me to engage with complex topics through different lenses, allowing me to see the impacts beyond the science.”
Megan Guros - Associate Degree Biotechnology, Commonwealth Honors Scholar
“Commonwealth Honors Program (CHP) at Middlesex Community College (MCC) was an enriching environment that allowed me to join a community of students who valued their time at school and the education they were receiving. The smaller class sizes and compelling courses were just a couple of the advantages that drew me into the program. The program structure and the professors helped expand my worldview and build notions based on true knowledge, awareness, and understanding. My involvement with the CHP at MCC has catapulted my journey as a scholar to heights I could not have foreseen.”
Jenn Laing - Associate Degree Liberal Arts & Sciences, Commonwealth Honors Scholar
“The Honors Program helped prepare me for my transfer to Harvard by allowing me to take courses that emphasized critical thinking and analytical writing in a collaborative learning setting. Courses such as U.S. History Through Film gave me the opportunity to engage in diverse discussions with peers and professors that broadened my worldview and cultivated a passion for inquiry. The open availability and accessibility of the MCC’s Honors Program plays a vital role in democratizing education, especially for those from diverse and non-traditional backgrounds."
Stephanie Berardi - Associate Degree Criminal and Social Justice
“The MCC faculty and their belief in me has been a fundamental aspect of my academic career. I have been fortunate enough to see up close the care and thought put into everything they do for this place and their students, and it has thoroughly inspired me to put in the extra work and live up to the potential that was seen in me by them."
Clara Castro - Liberal Arts & Sciences-History, Politics, Global Studies, Commonwealth Honors Scholar