The purpose of this study was to examine African-American male awareness of and application to honors programs at two selected state colleges in the southeastern region of the United States. The researcher also attempted to fill a current void in the literature and to present an emergent theory for attracting African-American males to honors programs in State College settings. A disproportionate amount of research focuses on remediation and underachievement among African-American males. The lack of information on the experiences of high ability African-American males leaves many unanswered questions about how to best recruit and serve the needs of this population of students. This study focused on high achievers rather than languish over the problem of underachievers. It examined the level of awareness of gifted African-American male students regarding honors programs at the collegiate level. It also analyzed how institutional atmosphere/reputation, facilities , personal influences, and incentives affect the decision of African-American males to apply to honors. The format for this study was a mixed method design. It included quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis. To satisfy the quantitative nature of this study, IBM SPSS 21.0 was used for the purpose of data analysis via binomial tests. Furthermore, the researcher conducted four semi-structured focus groups. Qualitative data analysis procedures were used to understand and interpret the undergirding knowledge that may have played a role in the decisions made by African-American males in terms of whether or not to apply to honors programs. The study findings revealed that African-American male participants valued the atmosphere and reputation of an honors program more than facilities, personal influences, and incentives. However, awareness of this and others factors among African-American male honors applicants and honors non-applicants was often based on the personal influences in their lives. The results of this study and its emergent theory suggest that, rather than simply showcase gifted abilities, state colleges strategically place honors in a leadership role to increase the presence of persons of influence that motivate high achieving African-American males to enroll in its honors programs. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection