This program has been designed to enrich the undergraduate education of qualified biology majors and will fit with all of our majors and other tracks except Environmental Health.<br><br>Many of our best students now participate in research with faculty members, and this program provides a formal mechanism for that work to be recognized and integrated into their program of study. The Biology Honors Program should be particularly attractive to and valuable for students considering careers in research and/or seeking admission to graduate or professional schools.<br><br>All students who by the end of the first semester of their sophomore year have at least a 3.25 overall GPA will be invited to apply for the program. The application will include a transcript and a personal statement outlining the student's academic plan, career goals, and why she or he wants to be considered for the honors program. The department honors committee will select a maximum of 12 students per year for the program.<br><br>Students accepted into the program will take BIOL 484 Honors Seminar during the first semester of their junior year, two semesters of BIOL 483 Honors Thesis/Independent Study, and one 500/600-level biology course. The honors thesis will be based on research performed under the supervision of a department professor who specializes in the student's area of interest. The thesis will be approved by a thesis committee made up of the faculty member directing the student and two others, one of whom may come from outside the Department of Biology.<br><br>Students interested in the Biology Honors Program should discuss this opportunity with their advisors as early as possible so that they have achieved the necessary GPA and are prepared to make application for the program in the spring of their sophomore year. This program, though designed for all qualified students within the Department of Biology, should be of particular value to students intending to seek admission to graduate or professional schools. Honors coursework is designated on university transcripts. Students completing the departmental honors program are recognized at departmental commencement ceremonies.