Departmental Honors in Chemistry
Students with good academic backgrounds and strong interests in research are encouraged to participate in the department honors program. Entrance into the program is normally during the sophomore year or the first semester of the junior year, and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 is required.
Entrance is initiated by consulting the faculty academic adviser who will help arrange conferences with potential faculty research project advisers. When there is agreement between the student and the adviser on a research project or area, an Honors Advisory Committee is set up to supervise the honors candidate's program.
The heart of the program is the research project, but students are encouraged to broaden their experience beyond required courses within chemistry, the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities.
Participation in Honors Colloquia, honors sections of regular courses, and chemistry departmental and divisional seminars is especially recommended. All honors candidates enroll in the spring semester Honors Seminar (CHEM 4011), and senior honors students must make at least one seminar presentation.
A comprehensive written report is required in the spring semester of the senior year, followed by an oral presentation. On the basis of these written and oral reports and their evaluation of all aspects of the student's honor program, the candidate's Honors Advisory Committee will recommend whether or not the distinction "Chemistry or Biochemistry Scholar Cum Laude" should be awarded. Higher degree distinctions are recommended only in truly exceptional cases and are based upon the whole of the candidate's program of honors studies.
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