Undergraduate Programs

Applications to the honors program must be made during the student's senior year, no later than the last day of classes of the fall semester. The application consists of a three-page thesis proposal (PDF) with the endorsing signatures (PDF) of two faculty members who have agreed to act as thesis advisors, and a copy of the student’s CV or resume that includes their research experience. At least one faculty advisor must be from the BCS department, but one advisor may be from an affiliated program if their expertise is relevant to the proposed research. Completed applications must be submitted to the undergraduate coordinator in Meliora 363 or via email.

To be eligible for the honors research program, a student must:

• Maintain a GPA of at least 3.3 both cumulatively and within the BCS major. Grades from the senior fall semester will be taken into account when determining eligibility.
• Have completed at least two semesters or summers of independent research in BCS or a closely related field. This information should be clearly identifiable on the student’s CV or resume.

Applications from students who do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered. Eligible applications will be reviewed by the BCS Undergraduate Committee during winter break. Students will receive email notification with instructions for registering for spring honors courses before classes resume in January.

Students considering the honors research program should not take BCSC 310 during the fall semester. The honors section of BCS 311: Honors Senior Seminar is only available in the spring. Thesis proposal applications with endorsing signatures must be submitted to the undergraduate coordinator in Meliora 363 no later than the last day of classes in the fall semester. Students who have been accepted to the Take Five or e5 programs may choose to apply to the honors research program during either the fourth or fifth year of study.

Upon acceptance into the honors research program, students must register for BCSC 311: Honors Senior Seminar (2 credits), and BCSC 393: BCS Honors Thesis (4 credits) for the spring semester.

The written honors thesis should be in the form of a scientific journal article. Requirements on thesis length are up to the discretion of the thesis advisors. The thesis is due on or before 5 p.m. on April 15 (or the nearest business day). Before this time, the BCS department will notify students of an additional faculty member who will join the two advisors on the thesis committee.

The final draft of the thesis must be submitted to all three members of the committee and to the undergraduate coordinator. After consultation with the advisory committee, students must also notify the undergraduate coordinator of the date and time for the oral thesis defense. This defense is usually scheduled during the last week of April or first week of May, depending on faculty availability.

Students will present their thesis orally with the help of PowerPoint slides or other visual/audio aids, followed by questions from the audience and thesis committee. The thesis committee's determination of whether the student has earned honors in research will be based on both the written thesis and the oral defense.