The Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience offers both departmental honors and an undergraduate honors thesis. The departmental honors requirements have different requirements for students admitted before and after the class of 2026, so please reference the appropriate requirements for your class year.
The undergraduate honors thesis has the same requirements for all class years. For more information about undergraduate honors, see the academic advising website.
Neuroscience Departmental Honors
Neuroscience Departmental Honors (for students entering JHU prior to Fall 2022)
Please submit all paperwork to Sara Suzuki.
- December 2024 conferral deadline: 4 p.m. Friday, September 27th
- May 2025 conferral deadline: 4 p.m. Friday, February 14th
If you have any questions or concerns, you must schedule an appointment to meet with Sara Suzuki prior to the deadline.
Criteria
Departmental honors are conferred upon graduating seniors who meet the following criteria:
- Cumulative and major GPA of at least 3.5.
- 9 credits of required research.
- 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.
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.
Note that research projects up for honors consideration must be original work conducted by the student. Literature reviews, meta-analysis and other forms of secondary data analysis are not considered 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 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.
- Letter of recommendation from the research mentor attesting to the student’s significant contribution to the research process. (Email directly to Sara Suzuki)
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 Sara Suzuki. 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 Sara Suzuki:
- 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 Sara Suzuki.
- 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.
Neuroscience Departmental Honors (for students entering JHU in Fall 2022 and beyond)
Please submit all paperwork to Sara Suzuki.
- December 2024 conferral deadline: 4 p.m. Friday, September 27th
- May 2025 conferral deadline: 4 p.m. Friday, February 14th
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:
- Cumulative and major GPA of at least 3.8.
- 6 credits of required research.
- 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.
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.
Note that research projects up for honors consideration must be original work conducted by the student. Literature reviews, meta-analysis and other forms of secondary data analysis are not considered 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 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.
- Letter of recommendation from the research mentor attesting to the student’s significant contribution to the research process. (Email directly to Sara Suzuki)
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 Sara Suzuki. 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 Sara Suzuki:
- 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 Sara Suzuki.
- 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.
Neuroscience Undergraduate Honors Thesis
The Neuroscience Undergraduate Honors Thesis program is designed for students wishing to distinguish themselves via the writing and defense of a thesis. Students wishing to gain more hands-on experience in the construction of a research hypothesis, experimental design, and scientific communication should consider the thesis. In particular, students thinking about pursuing a career in research may find the preparation of an Undergraduate Honors Thesis will provide valuable insight into the research endeavor.
Please submit all paperwork to Robert Ross and Sara Suzuki by March 1st
If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Director of the Neuroscience Undergraduate Honors Thesis program (Dr. Ross) before the submission deadline.
I was able to delve into research and science in ways I hadn’t been able to before. During the academic term it’s practically impossible to dedicate as much attention and time as I want to go my research, but the experience over the summer was completely immersive and allowed me to fully appreciate the work I do.
Luis Rubio ’24
Criteria
- Design and conduct an experiment in Neuroscience under the direction of mentor.
- Submit an application, a recommendation letter from the primary mentor, and a research proposal describing your planned project to the Undergraduate Honors Thesis Director (Dr. Robert Ross) during the Spring semester the year before your planned graduation date.
- Enroll in 9 credits of Independent Research.
- Write an Undergraduate Honors Thesis.
- Defend the Thesis orally to a committee comprised of members from the Johns Hopkins University Neuroscience community by mid-April of your graduation year.
- Present your research at the DREAMS conference Fall or Spring of your final undergraduate year.
- Attend a weekly Honors Thesis Seminar during Spring semester of your graduation year focused on assisting with Thesis writing (Neuroscience Honors Thesis Seminar AS.080.599).
- Maintain minimum 3.5 GPA in all required courses for the Neuroscience major.
Application to Honors Thesis Program
Students interested in completing the Neuroscience Honors Thesis Program should apply the Spring semester before their planned graduation date. Only students planning to graduate in May will be eligible for the program. More complete information about the program.
Applications to the Honors Thesis Program should include the following and be emailed to Dr. Robert Ross and Sara Suzuki.
- Thesis proposal using the Summer PURA proposal guidelines
- Letter of recommendation. A student’s mentor must submit a letter of recommendation which should be accompanied by the Faculty Mentor Recommendation Form. 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 Dr. Ross.
- Application form (Cover letter). The student should fill out the Neuroscience Undergraduate Honors Thesis Application Form and attach to their proposal as a cover letter.
- Unofficial transcript