Honors Program

The Honors Program recognizes and encourages excellence in many of Rio's talented students. The program includes the President's Honor Roll, Phi Theta Kappa, and Honors Program classes with award stipends for eligible students.

President's and Dean's Honor Rolls

The President's Honor Roll is determined each fall and spring semester. It is comprised of students who achieve a grade point average (GPA) of 3.75 or higher in twelve or more credits during the preceding academic term. The Dean's Honor Roll is also determined each fall and spring semester. It is comprised of students who achieve a grade point average of 3.75 or higher in six to eleven credits during the preceding academic term. Honor Roll students receive a letter of congratulations from the College President or the Dean of Instruction.

Honors Program Availabilities

Students who have completed 12 or more credits of 100- or 200-level college work at Rio Salado College or another MCCCD college with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher are eligible for membership in the Honors Program. Due to district honors program procedures, honors tuition waivers and related activities are only available during fall and spring semesters, not summer school. Students enroll in designated honors courses which challenge the high achiever. Scholarships and partial fee waivers are available to honors students. Most honors courses are limited to the first one or two start dates each semester.

Current Honors Courses

• 2010-2011

Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society

Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society of the two-year college.

It has the distinction of being the biggest honor society in higher education in America. Students who have completed twelve or more credits of 100- or 200-level college work at Rio Salado College or another MCCCD college with a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher, and are enrolled in a course at Rio Salado during the semester in which they join, are eligible for membership in the distinguished Alpha Theta Omicron chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.

There is also a one-time initiation fee of $74 to cover international, regional, and local dues. Members enjoy recognition and fellowship that extend beyond the college to regional and national networks.  Membership is open year-round.  

Why Join Phi Theta Kappa?

Benefits include the prestige of membership, honorary association with over two million members around the world, scholarship opportunities, the Golden Key membership pin, the membership certificate, the privilege of wearing the Phi Theta Kappa stole and tassel at commencement, and the right to use Phi Theta Kappa membership on your résumé and job applications.

There are 1,200 chapters of Phi Theta Kappa in all fifty of the United States, the United States territories, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Germany, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, and the United Arab Emirates. Rio Salado’s Alpha Theta Omicron chapter has been ranked a Top 100 Chapter since 1996. In fact, the chapter holds the STATE RECORD for most consecutive years on the Top 100 list based on total Hallmark Award scores in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, and Service. 

Award-winning Chapter

During the spring of 2005, our chapter was named the Most Distinguished Chapter in the Arizona Region, was designated a Top 25 Distinguished Chapter internationally, and was Third Runner-Up to the MOST Distinguished Chapter internationally! During the spring of 2007, the chapter again earned a Most Distinguished Chapter Award in the Arizona Region and a Top 25 Distinguished Chapter Award internationally, followed by top Leadership and Service Hallmark Awards. Individual awards were earned for Distinguished Chapter Member, Distinguished Chapter Officer, Distinguished Chapter Advisor, and the Administrator Award of Distinction—a chapter record.  For three consecutive years (2007, 2008, and 2009) and four out of the past five years, Alpha Theta Omicron has won the coveted Service Hallmark. This Top 25 international designation (the highest ranking) is for implementation of the Phi Theta Kappa International Service Program and secondary service projects—another state record.

Interested in Becoming a Member?

Get membership materials and more information by writing to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Rio Salado College, 2323 West 14th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281-6950, or call (480) 517-8284, or send an email to RioSalado.Honors@riosalado.edu.