The Honors Program was founded at Northern Virginia Community College in 1985. Its original purpose was—and continues to be—to provide motivated students with an enriched program of study. In an honors course, students can expect to explore topics to a depth that would not normally be available to them in the standard college course. In addition, honors students are encouraged to think independently and to challenge all ideas, whether those ideas appear in print, visual or audio media, or are expressed in the classroom by their professors or peers. The point of honors is to encourage students to think deeply and critically about every facet of their education.

Along with this independent spirit of inquiry, the honors program will allow students to study with like-minded peers who are highly motivated and whose presence in the classroom will encourage provocative discussions. From this stimulating environment, a spirit of camaraderie often emerges in an honors classroom. And as one honors student recently said, “Don't forget to tell them that it's a lot of fun.”

In addition to the inherent rewards of the honors experience, honors students will have a special designation appear on their transcript—each honors course is indicated by an "Honors Designation" on the students' transcripts—and such a designation will alert four-year colleges and universities that honors students have taken the more rigorous, challenging path toward graduation. In addition, their accomplishments will announce to potential employers that honors students are more likely to perform competitively in the jobs for which they are applying.