Please submit all paperwork to Hope Fisher.

• December 2025 conferral deadline: 4 p.m. Friday, September 26th
• May 2026 conferral deadline: 4 p.m. Friday, February 13^th

If you have any questions or concerns, you must schedule an appointment to meet with Hope Fisher prior to the deadline.

Criteria

Departmental honors are conferred upon graduating seniors who meet the following criteria:

1. Cumulative and major GPA of at least 3.5.
2. 9 credits of required research.
3. Presentation of research findings at the Day of Research in Engineering, Arts, Medicine and Sciences (DREAMS). If you have presented at a previous DREAMS or URS session prior to Fall 2021, please provide which session and the year you presented. If you have not presented your research and plan to present in either of the upcoming DREAMS, please provide proof of registration.
4. Letter of recommendation from the research mentor attesting to the student’s significant contribution to the research process. (Email directly to Hope Fisher)

Please submit an abstract if the deadline date is prior to the presenting date. When submitting the abstract, it must be in a Word document with the title of the research and your name and the name of your PI. Do not include the abstract in the body of an email. If you have already presented at one of the above-mentioned sessions, please include the abstract from that presentation.

Honors Research Criteria

• Research projects submitted for honors consideration must involve original, hands-on scientific research conducted by the student. Specifically, the work must be hypothesis-driven—meaning the student develops a testable research question, designs and carries out experiments, and presents and interprets the resulting data.
• A successful project will demonstrate the student’s ability to engage in the full scientific process: formulating a hypothesis, applying appropriate methods, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions grounded in evidence. Clear presentation of results and thoughtful evaluation of their significance are essential components of this process.
• Please note that secondary or non-experimental projects do not qualify for honors. This includes literature reviews, meta-analyses, case studies, or other forms of analysis that do not directly test a hypothesis through experimental research in neuroscience.
• If you are unsure whether your proposed project qualifies, consult with your research mentor and the neuroscience program in advance to ensure it meets the expectations for honors.

Research presented at Fall or Spring DREAMS will be judged by Neuroscience and/or Behavioral Biology faculty based on select criteria. 

If a student’s presentation does not meet the criteria (score 12 out of 15) or a judge is unable to contact the student, that student will become ineligible for honors. Therefore, the presentation should be treated like a final exam.

Students who meet the criteria for honors will receive a special notation in the graduation program and on their transcripts after their official undergraduate record is closed.

Application for Honors

During the semester of graduation, students who meet the cumulative GPA requirement for honors will receive an email from Hope Fisher. The Registrar’s Office deadline is usually a month after the program deadline since the program administrator needs to verify that all honor applicants indeed meet the requirements, before submitting a final list with names to the Registrar’s Office.

Applications should include the following and be emailed to Hope Fisher:

• Unofficial transcript
• Neuroscience Honors GPA Worksheet
• Proof of presentation. Students should make an effort to obtain some proof of presentation upon completion of their presentation that includes the semester and year of presentation. Please submit a copy rather than an original, as application materials will not be returned. If you plan to present in the same semester, please send proof of registration for DREAMS.
• Letter of recommendation. A student’s mentor must complete and email a letter of recommendation, stating the student’s contribution to the lab, prior to the student submitting his/her packet. The letter should be emailed directly to Hope Fisher.
• Please submit an abstract if the deadline date is prior to the presenting date. When submitting the abstract, it must be in a Word document with the title of the research and your name and the name of your PI. Do not include the abstract in the body of an email. If you have already presented at one of the above-mentioned sessions, please include the abstract from that presentation.

Please submit all paperwork to Hope Fisher.

• December 2025 conferral deadline: 4 p.m. Friday, September 26th
• May 2026 conferral deadline: 4 p.m. Friday, February 13^th

If you have any questions or concerns, you must schedule an appointment to see the program administrator prior to the deadline.

Criteria (for students entering JHU in Fall 2022 and beyond)

Departmental honors are conferred upon graduating seniors who meet the following criteria:

1. Cumulative and major GPA of at least 3.8.
2. 6 credits of required research.
3. Presentation of research findings at the Day of Research in Engineering, Arts, Medicine and Sciences (DREAMS). If you have presented at a previous DREAMS or URS session prior to Fall 2021, please provide which session and the year you presented. If you have not presented your research and plan to present in either of the upcoming DREAMS, please provide proof of registration.
4. Letter of recommendation from the research mentor attesting to the student’s significant contribution to the research process. (Email directly to Hope Fisher)

Please submit an abstract if the deadline date is prior to the presenting date. When submitting the abstract, it must be in a Word document with the title of the research and your name and the name of your PI. Do not include the abstract in the body of an email. If you have already presented at one of the above-mentioned sessions, please include the abstract from that presentation.

Honors Research Criteria

• Research projects submitted for honors consideration must involve original, hands-on scientific research conducted by the student. Specifically, the work must be hypothesis-driven—meaning the student develops a testable research question, designs and carries out experiments, and presents and interprets the resulting data.
• A successful project will demonstrate the student’s ability to engage in the full scientific process: formulating a hypothesis, applying appropriate methods, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions grounded in evidence. Clear presentation of results and thoughtful evaluation of their significance are essential components of this process.
• Please note that secondary or non-experimental projects do not qualify for honors. This includes literature reviews, meta-analyses, case studies, or other forms of analysis that do not directly test a hypothesis through experimental research in neuroscience.
• If you are unsure whether your proposed project qualifies, consult with your research mentor and the neuroscience program in advance to ensure it meets the expectations for honors.

Research presented at Fall or Spring DREAMS will be judged by Neuroscience faculty based on select criteria. 

If a student’s presentation does not meet the criteria (score 12 out of 15) or a judge is unable to contact the student, that student will become ineligible for honors. Therefore, the presentation should be treated like a final exam.

Students who meet the criteria for honors will receive a special notation in the graduation program and on their transcripts after their official undergraduate record is closed.

Application for Honors

During the semester of graduation, students who meet the cumulative GPA requirement for honors will receive an email from Hope Fisher. The Registrar’s Office deadline is usually a month after the program deadline since the program administrator needs to verify that all honor applicants indeed meet the requirements, before submitting a final list with names to the Registrar’s Office.

Applications should include the following and be emailed to Hope Fisher:

• Unofficial transcript
• Neuroscience Honors GPA Worksheet
• Proof of presentation. Students should make an effort to obtain some proof of presentation upon completion of their presentation that includes the semester and year of presentation. Please submit a copy rather than an original, as application materials will not be returned. If you plan to present in the same semester, please send proof of registration for DREAMS.
• Letter of recommendation. A student’s mentor must complete and email a letter of recommendation, stating the student’s contribution to the lab, prior to the student submitting his/her packet. The letter should be emailed directly to Hope Fisher.
• Please submit an abstract if the deadline date is prior to the presenting date. When submitting the abstract, it must be in a Word document with the title of the research and your name and the name of your PI. Do not include the abstract in the body of an email. If you have already presented at one of the above-mentioned sessions, please include the abstract from that presentation.