Procedures

A. Criteria for Admission into the Departmental Honors Program

1. Completion of at least 60 credit hours of courses.

2. Overall cumulative average of 3.25 or above and a 3.50 or above cumulative average
in their major course requirements. Student below this threshold may appeal to the
Department Honors Committee.

B. Applying for Departmental Honors

1. Candidates for Departmental Honors must first select a faculty advisor. The advisor
will act as mentor in the candidate’s research, will serve on the candidate’s committee,
and will help supervise the honors process. The student and advisor choose a research
topic for which the thesis will be based.

2. The candidate must submit a Departmental Honors Application form, transcript, and an
attached Honors Thesis Proposal to the Departmental Honors Committee prior to
enrolling in your Honors Thesis Course (PHYS 499, GEOL 499, HONR 499). A
proposal for the Honors Project should be attached to the application. This proposal
should include a title page bearing the name of both the author and the thesis advisor.
Most Honors Thesis Proposals are five to six pages, plus a bibliography. They
represent the product of a semester of carefully supervised analysis, reading, and
research in the Honors directed Reading/Study Course. Your advisor should be certain
that your proposal is feasible in aim and appropriate to your ability and time
constraints.

3. After obtaining Departmental approval, the Departmental Honors Application and
Honors Thesis Proposal must be delivered to the Honors College Office, located in
Cook Library Room 524 for approval from the Honor’s College.

C. Formation of a Thesis Committee

Candidates seeking Departmental Honors are required to form a thesis committee composed of your thesis advisor, two departmental representatives in your discipline, and a visiting examiner. The members should be chosen in consultation with your thesis advisor. Members of the committee are responsible for reading and responding to your thesis and evaluating your work., the public presentation, and the oral examination. At the end of your colloquium the members must sign the 2 required copies of your thesis which will be kept in the Special Collections of Cook Library.

D. Requirements for Completion of the Departmental Honors Program

1. Completion of a minimum of 9 credit hours of independent coursework. Courses
satisfying these criteria include:

Astronomy:
PHYS 391 Internship in Physics (up to 3 credits)
PHYS 395-396 Research Problems in Physics (up to 3 credits)
ASTR 495 Capstone Project in Astrophysics (3 credits)
PHYS 490 Independent Study in Physics (up to 4 credits)
PHYS 491 Directed Readings (up to 4 credits)
PHYS 495 Research Problems in Physics (no limit)
PHYS 499 Honors Thesis in Physics (up to 4 credits)

Geology:
GEOL 489 Introduction to Research (1 credit)
GEOL 490 Independent Study in Geology (up to 4 credit)
GEOL 491 Directed Readings (up to 4 credits)
GEOL 498 Regional Geology (2 credits)
GEOL 499 Honors Thesis in Geology (up to 4 credits)

Physics:
PHYS 391 Internship in Physics (up to 3 credits)
PHYS 395-396 Research Problems in Physics (up to 3 credits)
PHYS 4XX – Capstone Research in Physics (4 credits)
PHYS 490 Independent Study in Physics (up to 4 credits)
PHYS 491 Directed Readings (up to 4 credits)
PHYS 495 Research Problems in Physics (no limit)
PHYS 499 Honors Thesis in Physics (up to 4 credits)

2. An overall cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and a cumulative grade point
average of 3.50 in the major. Candidates failing to reach this threshold can appeal to
the Departmental Honors Committee.

3. An honors thesis written in the format specified by the American Institute of Physics
Style Manual or a format approved by the Departmental Honors Committee.

4. A public oral defense of your thesis project. The audience is composed of interested
students, invited guests, your thesis advisor and a thesis committee. Your advisor will
introduce you to the audience. You will then give a brief, approximately 20 – 30
minute, synopsis of your work, followed by a closed oral examination by your thesis
committee.

5. An UNBOUND signed original and an additional signed copy of your thesis on
WHITE PAPER must be delivered to the Honors College Office in Cook Library,
Room 524, by the last day of the final exam period.