BIOL Senior Honors Thesis
To graduate with Highest Honors or Honors in Biology, Bio majors/2nd majors must meet the following requirements:
GPA requirement. Biology majors/2nd majors must be in the last semester of their senior year at UNC. You don’t have to be a student in the honors program to take BIOL 692H. You must have an overall CUM GPA of at least 3.300 and a BIO GPA of at least 3.300 as posted by the end of the application semester (5:00 p.m. on the last day all grades are due as set by the Registrar). GPAs must meet the minimum 3.300 and won’t be rounded up. The Bio GPA must include all cross-listed BIOL courses and one semester of BIOL 395 (your most recent 395 grade); however, do NOT count BIOL 101 and BIOL 101L in calculating your Bio GPA. All candidates must be approved by the Biology Honors Chair, Dr Amy Shaub Maddox (asm@unc.edu).
bio-gpa-calculation-in-connect-carolina
Research requirement. Students must have completed at least 3 credit hours of BIOL 395.
Thesis statement requirement. On a separate sheet of paper to be submitted with your BIOL 692H application, answer ALL of the following (typewritten, please):
1. Proposed thesis title
2. Rationale for your research in the form of background on the subject and “but it is not known whether . . .” (1-2 sentences)
3. Central hypothesis (1 sentence)
4. Methods including level of experience and availability of reagents and equipment (3-4 sentences)
5. Predicted relevance to ecology or human health or other broader impacts (1 sentence)
6. Relevance to long-term goals (1 sentence)
Senior Honors thesis expectations: The honors thesis is the culmination of high quality research performed in the preceding semester(s) of undergraduate study. The products of BIOL 692H are a written thesis (minimum of 10 pages) and an oral presentation. Your BIOL 395 paper or poster will serve as a first draft for the honors thesis. Beginning early in the semester, the class will work in teams to refine each written thesis and prepare oral presentations. Thus, new results should not be counted on to go into the honors thesis. Instead, the research findings that comprise the written and oral theses should be completed before the start of the last semester of undergraduate coursework. However, extension of that research can and should be going on in parallel to the preparation of the written and oral presentations in BIOL 692H. Research should continue in the same lab as for BIOL 395.
Senior Honors thesis course (BIOL 692H). BIOL majors/2nd majors can BIOL 692H in their final semester at UNC. In addition to doing your research, presenting your research in an oral talk and writing a senior honors thesis paper, you also need to attend the BIOL 692H class. Students receive a letter grade for BIOL 692H and also will get the designation of Highest Honors or Honors added to their transcript.
Enrollment. Only electronic applications will be accepted. Please go to this webpage for the link to the application: https://bio.unc.edu/undergraduate/research/honors-info/
If you are graduating in December, your application is due April 15 (usually around fall semester pre-registration). If you are graduating in May, your application is due November 15 (usually around spring semester pre-registration). After your CUM & BIOL GPAs have been verified and your application has been approved, the Biology Registrar will register you. If your grades don’t make the minimums, you can continue doing research in BIOL 395 or 495. If you decide you want to drop BIOL 692H, please email Dr Maddox by the end of the first week of classes.
Written work. BIOL 692H students must write an Senior Honors Thesis (minimum of 10 pages) based on the independent research project. Your thesis will be stored electronically in the Wilson Library repository.
Symposium presentation. BIOL 692H students must present and defend their thesis research during the John K. Koeppe Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium. The exact day/time you will give your presentation will be assigned within the first 4 weeks of class. Two graders will independently evaluate the content and presentation of your work.