FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Why should I become a Montgomery Scholar?

As a Montgomery Scholar you will be part of a learning community of honors students sharing common intellectual experiences; you will take half your college courses with your fellow scholars learning from honors faculty who are active scholar-practitioners in their fields; you will learn in an inter-disciplinary environment in which you will also be able to pursue your own major; you will have academic advising, internship, scholarship and transfer opportunities that will enable you to complete your baccalaureate degree and go on to graduate studies and/or the professions.

What courses would I take as a Montgomery Scholar?

In addition to classes for your major, you will take a first year team-taught 'core' curriculum of honors world history, literature and world music as well as an honors anthropology class and an English rhetoric class; in the summer between your first and second year you will take a summer study-travel course within the US, pending funding; during the second year of the program you will take an honors team-taught capstone/research in the disciplines course with an honors international relations class. The Summer Study Program is dependent on the college’s operation status.

What courses would I take as a Montgomery Scholar in the first year?  

In your first year you will take five courses worth 15 honors credits with your fellow scholars: honors world history, world literature and world music in the 'core' and honors anthropology and English rhetoric; you will also take around 15 credits in classes in your major during your first year.

What courses would I take as a Montgomery Scholar in the second year?

In your second year you will continue taking courses in your major as well as two courses worth six credits with your fellow Montgomery Scholars: an honors capstone/research in the disciplines course that is team-taught with an honors international relations class.

What are the requirements of honors courses?

All honors courses emphasize writing and research. They might include journals, projects, experiments, oral presentations or other assignments, accompanied by appropriate written explanation.  

What majors are available at Montgomery College? What majors are available to students in the Montgomery Scholars program?

Scholars can choose from a list of over forty-four majors representing a broad spectrum of disciplines offered at Montgomery College. Although MC offers additional majors under its Associate of Applied Science degree programs, these more narrowly focused skills based majors, such as Building Trades or Automotive Technology are not compatible with the broader academic focus of the Scholars curriculum. Scholars may choose their respective area of concentration from the wide array of majors leading to an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Arts in Teaching or an Associate of Fine Arts degree. These curriculums provide students with the courses they will need to successfully transfer into a Bachelor’s degree program at a four year college or university. 

Can a science or engineering major participate in the Scholars program?

Yes. Throughout the program’s history, many Montgomery Scholars have pursued degrees in the sciences and engineering. Due to the large number of major-specific courses required in these disciplines, Scholars are encouraged to work closely with their Scholars counselor and faculty advisor in their major for assistance with academic planning and course selection.

What campus is the program at?

With the exception of the summer-study travel course, the Scholars courses are all taught at the Rockville campus; you may take your other courses at the Rockville campus or any other Montgomery College campus or online.

What honors programs are available at Montgomery College?

The college-wide honors program features two special programs for students entering Montgomery College from high school: The Macklin Business Institute and Montgomery Scholars; as well as a program for existing Montgomery College students after they have attended the college for one semester: Renaissance Scholars. Students can also enroll in honors courses with honors modules (HM), honors sections of existing classes (HC), honors tutorials consisting of small class seminars on special topics (HP), honors independent study consisting of independent research (HP) and student internships at museums in Washington, DC or through editorial participation in The Potomac Review (HP).

Can I enroll in the Macklin Business Institute and Montgomery Scholars? 

You may not enroll in both Macklin and Montgomery Scholars as a first-year student; you may be eligible to add the Macklin program as a sophomore Montgomery Scholar.

Are there internship opportunities at Montgomery College and as a Montgomery Scholar? 

Yes, there are a number of internship opportunities, including internships with the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

What is the Capstone Colloquium?

The Capstone Colloquium is the last milestone in the intellectual journey of the Montgomery Scholars. It offers them an opportunity and a forum to showcase their capstone projects, which they complete having taken the honors capstone/ research in the disciplines course, the honors international relations class and the honors communication/speech class. They present their research at the colloquium in front of an audience that includes both the college and the broader community.

What is the Beacon Conference?

The annual Beacon Conference is a student honors conference run by a consortium of community colleges that showcases the outstanding academic achievements of community college students. Students are invited to submit research papers in any of 20 discipline categories. Writers of the top three papers in each category are called Beacon Scholars and are invited to present at the conference. The winning paper carries a $100 prize.

What advising assistance would I receive as a Montgomery Scholar?

Scholars are assigned a counselor who will be able to provide them with advising and counseling services throughout the course of the two year program. The Scholars counselor will conduct periodic informational group sessions on topics such as academic planning, how to apply to transfer schools and scholarships, and other topics as the need arises. Scholars will have the opportunity to meet individually with their counselor each semester to discuss their educational goals and make adjustments to their educational plans as they progress through their program of studies. Supplemental academic advising is provided by faculty advisors in each student’s major.

Scholars are encouraged to meet frequently with the Scholars counselor to discuss any academic issues that may arise such as making choices about major, selecting transfer schools, applying to scholarships or discussing academic or personal challenges that may arise. The Scholars counselors are committed to establishing a strong rapport with their respective students in order to provide Scholars with personal support and guidance throughout their time at MC.

What colleges have Montgomery Scholars transferred to after the program?

American University, Amherst College, Clemson University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Florida State University, Georgetown University, the George Washington University, Hood College, Howard University, the Johns Hopkins University, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, Smith College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Towson University, University of Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Virginia, and Yale.

Can I transfer after one year in the Scholars program?

When you become a Montgomery Scholar the expectation is you complete both the first and second years of the program.

What transfer services are available at Montgomery College and for Montgomery Scholars? 

Montgomery College offers extensive services to assist students with transfer planning. A key resource is the MC website’s transfer page, which details a step-by-step guide to the transfer process and provides information about transfer scholarship opportunities and course transferability to four-year colleges and universities. Scholars counselors present transfer planning information to Scholars during both the first and second years of the program and discuss transfer plans with Scholars during their one-on-one advising sessions each semester. In addition, many Scholars faculty make themselves available to review Scholar transfer admission essays and write letters of recommendation.

What scholarship opportunities are available through the Montgomery Scholars Program?

Students selected for the Montgomery Scholars Program for the fall semester will be offered two-year (four academic semesters), full-tuition (15 credit hours per semester at the in-county rate) merit scholarships. Pending funding, these merit scholarships will also include the majority of expenses associated with attending the summer study travel experience in the United States. The Summer Study Program is also dependent on the college’s operation status. 

What scholarship opportunities are available at Montgomery College?

Montgomery College offers several scholarship programs. Please visit Financial Aid for additional information about scholarship opportunities.

What placement tests do I need to be considered for Montgomery Scholars?

Submission of your SAT or ACT scores is optional but recommended. You may choose to upload them if you have taken the tests, but that is not required. 

For Applicants Who Choose to Submit SAT and/or ACT scores:

Applicants who took the SAT and/or ACT and are choosing to submit them must upload photocopies of your SAT and/or ACT scores on the Academic Works application by the application deadline. Please request that these be sent to Montgomery College, Rockville Campus. 

For All Applicants

A placement level of English 101 is a required criterion for applying to the Montgomery Scholars Program. This placement is determined by your SAT, ACT, Accuplacer, and/or AP Language and Composition Scores. However, due to the current operational status of the college, Accuplacer testing has been replaced by the MC Remote Placement process. Hence, if you do not meet the following criteria, you must pursue the MC Remote Placement option outlined in this website: Assessment and Testing Centers.

You must pursue the MC Remote Placement process if you do not meet any of the following criteria:

• SAT: Evidence Based Reading/Writing score 480 or above OR Reading subset 26 or above
• ACT: Reading score 21 or above
• TOEFL: 90 or above (IBT) or 575 or above (paper)
• IELTS: 6.5 or above
• AP Language and Composition: 3 or above
• You have not submitted SAT/ACT scores
• You have scored below the specified SAT/ACT scoresT scores

Please email MCScholars@montgomerycollege.edu for additional information regarding the current College placement process.