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Honors Program

The Department of Biology offers a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree, with Honors, to undergraduates who have earned a 3.7 or higher GPA (in both the Biology major and cumulative) at the end of their junior year.

In addition, in order to enhance the success of our students in the Honors Biology program, the Biology Department is adding the requirement that students should have completed at least one semester of research in a lab before starting Honors Biology. This may be achieved through various means including participation in SIRE, SURE or Biology 499. The research does not have to have been done for credit (e.g., it may have been done for pay) and does not have to have been done at Emory. Ideally, at the time of beginning honors, a student will have already been working in the lab in which they wish to do their Honors research since this will facilitate the timely completion of their Honors work and the writing of their thesis. The Honors Biology program is demanding, and the time available to complete the work is brief. We believe this requirement will positively contribute to your experience in the program.

The Biology Honors Program provides SENIOR biology majors (in their last two semesters at Emory) the opportunity to perform independent lab research in an area of biology and to present a research thesis to a committee.

This program is designed to provide superior undergraduate students with opportunities to conduct original, high-caliber research in preparation for graduate school, professional training, or a position in an industrial or government research laboratory.

 **Eligible Biology majors will be invited (via e-mail) to participate in the Biology Department Honors Program (BIOL 495A and BIOL 495BW) during the summer prior to their senior year at Emory and will be provided with the Honors Program Application at that time.  The application is also available on the Biology Department website.

Beyond laboratories housed in the Biology Department, students may work in labs located elsewhere on campus, such as the Medical School, CDC, Yerkes, and the Winship Cancer Center.  Undergraduates who perform research are often part of a team involving the lab Principal Investigator (P.I.), postdoctoral fellows, research specialists, and graduate students.  The research available involves cutting edge biomedical applications and trains students for subsequent careers in research, medicine, or both.

Emory College of Arts and Sciences has specific requirements that apply to students completing Honors in any major (http://catalog.college.emory.edu/community/honors-program/index.html), and the Biology Department has requirements specific to our major and that complement the college requirements.

Please refer to the following documents for additional information:

 

  • Honors Program Requirements and Guidelines
  • Honors Program Application
  • Oral Progress Report Form
  • Thesis Approval Form/Cover Sheet
  • Honors Exam Report
  • BIOLOGY 495A Final Grade Report Form
  • BIOLOGY 495BW Final Grade Report Form

Honors candidates will be provided with additional information from the Biology Department and with access to the College Honors Program CANVAS site.

 **NOTE:  Effective August 2024, the College will raise the minimum GPA for participation in the Honors Program from 3.5 to 3.7.

Application Process

  • Biology Honors Program Application

    To apply for Honors, please complete the Biology Honors Program Application by the first day of classes in the Fall semester in which you will be beginning your honors research.

  • Obtain Course Permission Number

    Eligible students will also need to obtain a permission number each semester from Tonya Woolcock and add the class to their schedule before the end of add/drop/swap.