The requirements for graduation with honors in chemistry are as follows:
- To be enrolled in the Honors Program. Students with a GPA of at least 3.33 or B+ may enroll in the Honors Program by visiting the Honors Center. Students are encouraged to enroll as soon as they qualify, but it is still possible to graduate with honors if they enroll as late as the first few weeks of their last semester.
- To enroll in 4:162 Undergraduate Research and to do independent research of sufficient quality and quantity to satisfy the research advisor that an honors thesis can be written. Independent research in chemistry has the same general meaning as it has for graduate students. We do not require that the basic research idea originate with the student, but we would require that the student have his/her own project and be responsible for the day-to-day decisions (in consultation with the research advisor, post-doc, or advanced graduate student) on which steps to take in completing the project.
- To inform the honors advisor in Chemistry of the intention to write an Honors Thesis and to graduate with Honors. This must be done within by the 8th week of the semester in which the student graduates. The reason for this is that the names of honors graduates must be turned in early so that they can be published in the program for Honors Recognition Week. (The honors advisor is listed on the Advisors page.)
- To write an Honors Thesis satisfactory to the research advisor. This can be in the form of a research report with a cover sheet to indicate that this is a thesis in partial fulfillment of honors requirements. The honors thesis should follow the format of an article in an ACS journal, such as the Journal of American Chemical Society, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, Journal of Organic Chemistry or Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. A sample cover sheet can be obtained from either the Chemistry honors advisor or the the Honors Center. Copies of the thesis must be given to the research advisor, the honors advisor in Chemistry, and to the Honors Center. The thesis must be submitted prior to the end of classes in the semester of graduation
Chemistry Awards and Scholarships
Several awards and scholarships are available to chemistry majors. These include:
- American Institute of Chemists Award
- Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry
- Chemistry Alumni Award for Sophomores
- Chemistry Alumni Award for Juniors
- Chemistry Alumni Award for Seniors
- Merck Index Award
- Russell K. Simms Scholarships*
- Shoemaker-Strickler Scholarship
These awards are competitive awards based on academic achievement and are given annually (except for the Shoemaker-Strickler Scholarship) during the Departmental Awards Ceremony.
* Applications are due sometime in the middle of the fall semester-look for notices.
