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Honors Program
The Department of Biology offers a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors that requires a research thesis in an area of biology. The 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.
Honors students take a graduate class and write a thesis that they defend before a committee. Below is information that should answer most of your questions about the requirements for Honors in Biology. To earn Honors in Biology, students need a 3.5 GPA in courses required for the Biology degree, as well as a 3.5 GPA overall, by the end of their junior year.
Requirements
- For Honors, the Biology Department requires a 3.5 minimum Biology GPA by the end of the last academic year before you begin honors (calculated using all courses taken/required for biology major (if extra courses have been taken, use the courses with the highest grades), including up to 8 hours of Biol 499R and NOT including Biol 497R).
- The College also requires a 3.5 minimum cumulative GPA (calculated from all—and only—courses taken at Emory/Oxford) by the end of the last academic year before you begin honors.
- Biology and overall GPAs may be found on your respective degree tracker report.
- GPA Appeals must be forwarded to Dr. Alex Escobar (alexander.escobar@emory.edu), the Biology Honors Coordinator, NOT LATER THAN August 5th, 2022. Students must have at least a 3.45 cumulative GPA to be eligible to petition.
Application Process
Program Deadlines
| Due Date | Deadline |
|---|---|
| 5-Aug-2022 | Petition Deadline for Biology major GPA only (submit to Dr. Alex Escobar). |
| 12-Aug-2022 | Biology Honors Program Applications due to Dr. Alex Escobar. (Submit to Barbara Shannon at barbara.shannon@emory.edu). |
| 19-Aug-2022 | Petition Deadline for a Cumulative GPA waiver only. (Submit through Dr. Escobar by August 5th, to the college.) |
| Before the end of Fall Add/Drop/Swap | Enroll in 4 credit hours of BIOL 495A. (Contact Tonya Woolcock at tdavis6@emory.edu for a permission number.) |
| Before the end of Add/Drop/Swap (Fall or Spring) | Enroll in graduate-level (500 or higher) course that is related to your research. Obtain permission from the instructor and provide permission e-mail to Barbara Shannon, who will add you to the course during add/drop/swap. (Graduate course may be taken either fall or spring semester.) |
| Late August/ Early September | Mandatory Honors Meeting with Dr. Alex Escobar, Biology Department. Date/time TBD. |
| 12-Sep-2022 | Mandatory Honors Orientation/Copyright-ETD Module in Canvas released to all honors candidates. |
| 16-Sep-2022 | Mandatory Honors Orientation/Copyright-ETD Module in Canvas released to all honors candidates. |
| 23-Sep-2022 | Final Committee Submission Deadline for FALL 2022 graduates. |
| 30-Sep-2022 | Deadline for completing mandatory Honors Orientation/Copyright-ETD Module in Canvas. |
| October 2022, date TBD | Departmental Honors Coordinator Meeting with the College (Biology Department will attend). |
| 21-Oct-2022 | Early Bird option for submission of Honors Thesis Committee Roster (for Spring 2023 graduates). (Provide copies to the college, Dr. Escobar, and Ms. Shannon.) |
| 1-Nov-2022 | Research Proposal due to Dr. Escobar. |
| Before Thanksgiving | Present a 15-minute Oral Progress Report to Honors Committee BEFORE THANKSGIVING. Provide a copy of the Progress Report Form to Dr. Escobar by December 1st. |
| 1-Dec-2022 | Progress Report Form due to Dr. Escobar. |
| 1-Dec-2022 | Research proposal and brief, written progress report due to committee members. |
| 2-Dec-2022 | Thesis Defense Deadline for FALL 2022 graduates. |
| 6-Dec-2022 | Thesis Submission Forms and ETD Deadline for FALL 2022 graduates (due at NOON). |
| December 7, 2022 | Fall Final Grade Report due to Dr. Escobar (from Honors Advisor). |
| Before the end of Spring Add/Drop/Swap | Enroll in 1-4 credit hours of BIOL 495BW. (Students must enroll for at least one credit hour.) |
| 18-Jan-2023 | Regular option/final deadline for submission of Honors Thesis Committee Roster. (Provide copies to the college, Dr. Escobar, and Ms. Shannon.) |
| Late January or Early February 2023; TBD | Attend a mandatory follow-up meeting with Dr. Alex Escobar |
| Mid-March 2023 | Submit publication-quality thesis to Honors Committee. PROVIDE A COPY OF YOUR THESIS TO YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO YOUR FORMAL PRESENTATION. |
| Before April 3, 2023 | Thesis Defense Deadline. Present a 30-minute oral defense/Thesis to Honors committee AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE FINAL WRITTEN THESIS COLLEGE DEADLINE. |
| 10-Apr-2023 | Honors Thesis Form (Cover Sheet) Submission Deadline (to the college). DUE BY NOON! Provide copy to Dr. Escobar. |
| 10-Apr-2023 | ETD Submission Deadline. ETD forms available on CANVAS. (The College Honors Program will provide details and instructions for the electronic thesis submission. Hard copies are no longer required.) DUE BY NOON! |
| 30-Apr-2023 | Spring Final Grade Form due to Dr. Escobar (from Honors Advisor). |
| 7-May-2023 | Honors Ceremony (Normally the Sunday before Commencement). |
| 8-May-2023 | GRADUATE WITH HONORS !!! |
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