The Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience administers a Honors & Non-Honors Program to train students to conduct independent research in Neuroscience. In addition to completing all the requirements for the major, an honors degree in the major requires:
- major and cumulative GPA of at least 3.4
- completion of significant independent research
- a written thesis
- presentation in a public forum.
A Non-Honors thesis should follow requirements 2-4 above. For a non-honors thesis the GPA requirement is waived.
Honors/Non-Honors Process
1. Secure a position working in a laboratory on campus.
2. If your PI is on the approved list of Sponsors/Co-sponsors, then you will need two additional thesis evaluators from the list.
3. If your PI is not on the approved list of Sponsors/Co-sponsors, then you will need to ask someone from the list to act as a Co-sponsor. You will need one additional thesis evaluator from the list.
4. Once you have secured all your evaluators, then you should submit your application (found below).
5. The only difference between Honors and Non-honors is Honors requires a 3.4 or better GPA.
Applications are due the add/drop deadline of the semester before you plan to submit your thesis. (ie. Fall term if you plan to graduate in May.) However you should submit your application as soon as you know your project.
Honors/Non-Honors Independent Research Courses
1. If your PI or Co-sponsor is an MCDB faculty member and you are conducting an honors or non-honors thesis, then you should register for NEURO 360 for your first term(s) and NEURO 460 in subsequent terms. If your PI and/or Co-sponsor agree, you can alternately use MCDB 300 and 400. To register for NEURO 360, 460, or MCDB 300 or 400, you will need to fill out the request form on the Program in Biology website. You should also register for NEURO 461 in your final term. NEURO 461 is the course identified for thesis writing and can be used for ULWR but you will need to fill out the form through the Sweetland Writing Center.
2. If your PI or Co-sponsor is a PSYCH faculty member and you are conducting an honors thesis, then you should register for PSYCH 424 in your first term and PSYCH 426 in your final term. PSYCH 426 is identified as ULWR, so you do not need to fill out the form through the Sweetland Writing Center. To register for PSYCH 424 and 426, the Psychology department will issue an override at the beginning of the term that you will register for the course. If your PI and/or Co-sponsor agree, you can alternately use NEURO 360, 460, and 461 (see #1 for registering).
3. If your PI or Co-sponsor is a PSYCH faculty member and you are conducting a non-honors thesis, then you should register for PSYCH 428 in your first term and PSYCH 429 in your final term. PSYCH 429 is identified as ULWR, so you do not need to fill out the form through the Sweetland Writing Center. To register for PSYCH 428 and 429, your PSYCH faculty member will need to request an override for you through the Psychology department. If your PI and/or Co-sponsor agree, you can alternately use NEURO 360, 460, and 461. (see #1 for registering)
Thesis due date is the 1st of the Month you Plan to Graduate (April 1, December 1, August 1)
