{"id":73,"date":"2015-01-23T11:58:26","date_gmt":"2015-01-23T15:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuro\/?page_id=73"},"modified":"2026-04-24T13:06:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T17:06:39","slug":"honors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/bs-program\/honors\/","title":{"rendered":"Honors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The undergraduate honors thesis has the same requirements for all class years. For more information about undergraduate honors, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/advising.jhu.edu\/student-roadmap\/seniors\/honors\/\">academic advising website<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Neuroscience Departmental Honors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-pb-accordion-item c-accordion__item js-accordion-item no-js\" data-initially-open=\"false\" data-click-to-close=\"true\" data-auto-close=\"true\" data-scroll=\"false\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\"><h3 id=\"at-730\" class=\"c-accordion__title js-accordion-controller\" role=\"button\">Neuroscience Departmental Honors (for students entering JHU prior to Fall 2022)<\/h3><div id=\"ac-730\" class=\"c-accordion__content\">\n<p>Please submit all paperwork to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:ssuzuki6@jh.edu\">Hope Fisher<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>December 2025 conferral deadline:&nbsp;<strong>4 p.m. Friday, September 26th<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>May 2026 conferral deadline:&nbsp;<strong>4 p.m.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Friday, February 27<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have any questions or concerns, you must schedule an appointment to meet with Hope Fisher prior to the deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Criteria<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Departmental honors are conferred upon graduating seniors who meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" style=\"list-style-type:1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cumulative and major GPA of at least&nbsp;<strong>3.5<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>9&nbsp;<\/strong>credits of required research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Presentation of research findings at the REAL (formerly DREAMS). If you have presented at a previous DREAMS prior to the semester you are applying, please provide which session and the year you presented. <strong>We encourage students to present their research in the semester or year they are graduating.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Letter of recommendation from the research mentor attesting to the student\u2019s significant contribution to the research process.&nbsp;<strong>(Email directly to<a href=\"mailto:hope.stein@jhu.edu\"> Hope Fisher<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>You will receive an email with instructions for submitting your application online. All application materials should be submitted through Canvas, with the exception of your Letter of Recommendation, which should be submitted via email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Honors Research Criteria<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Research projects submitted for honors consideration must involve original, hands-on scientific research conducted by the student. Specifically, the work must be hypothesis-driven<strong>\u2014<\/strong>meaning the student develops a testable research question, designs and carries out experiments, and presents and interprets the resulting data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A successful project will demonstrate the student\u2019s 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Research presented at Fall or Spring REAL (formerly DREAMS) will be judged by Neuroscience faculty&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1M3cc2vlKE_u5ukqGzMybDG6oBg5r8tv6\/view?usp=sharing\">based on select criteria<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a student\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Application for Honors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the semester of graduation, students who meet the cumulative GPA requirement for honors will receive an email from Hope Fisher. The Registrar\u2019s 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\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Applications should include the following and be emailed to Hope Fisher:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unofficial transcript<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2025\/09\/Neuro-GPA-Worksheet-9-3-2025-UPDATED.xls\"><strong>Neuroscience Honors GPA Worksheet<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proof of presentation<\/strong>. Students should make an effort to obtain some proof of presentation upon completion of their presentation that includes the semester and year of presentation.&nbsp;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 REAL (formerly DREAMS).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Letter of recommendation<\/strong>. A student\u2019s mentor must complete and email a letter of recommendation, stating the student\u2019s contribution to the lab,&nbsp;prior to the student submitting his\/her packet. The letter should be emailed directly to Hope Fisher.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Please submit an abstract if the deadline date is prior to the presenting date. When submitting the abstract, it&nbsp;<strong>must<\/strong>&nbsp;be in a Word document with the title of the research and&nbsp;<strong>your name and the name of your PI<\/strong>. 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-pb-accordion-item c-accordion__item js-accordion-item no-js\" data-initially-open=\"false\" data-click-to-close=\"true\" data-auto-close=\"true\" data-scroll=\"false\" data-scroll-offset=\"0\"><h3 id=\"at-731\" class=\"c-accordion__title js-accordion-controller\" role=\"button\"><strong>Neuroscience Departmental Honors<\/strong> <strong>(for students entering JHU in Fall 2022 and beyond)<\/strong><\/h3><div id=\"ac-731\" class=\"c-accordion__content\">\n<p>Please submit all paperwork to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:hope.stein@jhu.edu\">Hope Fisher<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>December 2025 conferral deadline:&nbsp;<strong>4 p.m. Friday, September 26th<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>May 2026 conferral deadline:&nbsp;<strong>4 p.m.<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>Friday, February 27<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There will be an email from the program office to those students that are on the <strong><em>\u201cExpected to Graduate List\u201d<\/em><\/strong> for the current semester. Please email Hope Fisher if you have any question or have not received information about your specific semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Criteria&nbsp;(<strong>for students entering JHU in Fall 2022 and beyond<\/strong>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Departmental honors are conferred upon graduating seniors who meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" style=\"list-style-type:1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cumulative and major GPA of at least&nbsp;<strong>3.8<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>6<\/strong>&nbsp;credits of required research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Presentation of research findings at the design of the program. *<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Letter of recommendation from the research mentor attesting to the student\u2019s significant contribution to the research process.&nbsp;<strong>(Email directly to<a href=\"mailto:hope.stein@jhu.edu\"> Hope Fisher<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>*Neuroscience BS\/MS students and Neuroscience Honors Thesis students, who defend their thesis are exempt from the presentation piece. You will receive an email with instructions for submitting your application online. All application materials should be submitted through Canvas, except for your Letter of Recommendation, which should be submitted via email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Honors Research Criteria<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Research projects submitted for honors consideration must involve original, hands-on scientific research conducted by the student. Specifically, the work must be hypothesis-driven<strong>\u2014<\/strong>meaning the student develops a testable research question, designs and carries out experiments, and presents and interprets the resulting data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A successful project will demonstrate the student\u2019s 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Research presented at Fall or Spring REAL (formerly DREAMS) will be judged by Neuroscience faculty&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1M3cc2vlKE_u5ukqGzMybDG6oBg5r8tv6\/view?usp=sharing\">based on select criteria<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a student\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Application for Honors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the semester of graduation, students who meet the cumulative GPA requirement for honors will receive an email from Hope Fisher. The Registrar\u2019s 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\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Applications should include the following and be emailed to Hope Fisher:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unofficial transcript<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2025\/09\/Neuro-GPA-Worksheet-9-3-2025-UPDATED.xls\"><strong>Neuroscience Honors GPA Worksheet<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Proof of presentation<\/strong>. Students should make an effort to obtain some proof of presentation upon completion of their presentation that includes the semester and year of presentation.&nbsp;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 REAL (formerly DREAMS).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Letter of recommendation<\/strong>. A student\u2019s mentor must complete and email a letter of recommendation, stating the student\u2019s contribution to the lab,&nbsp;prior to the student submitting his\/her packet. The letter should be emailed directly to Hope Fisher.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Please submit an abstract if the deadline date is prior to the presenting date. When submitting the abstract, it&nbsp;<strong>must<\/strong>&nbsp;be in a Word document with the title of the research and&nbsp;<strong><u>your name and the name of your PI<\/u><\/strong>. 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Neuroscience Undergraduate Honors Thesis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please submit all paperwork to&nbsp; <a href=\"mailto:rross32@jhu.edu?subject=Neuroscience%20Undergraduate%20Honors%20Thesis\">Robert Ross<\/a> by&nbsp;<strong>March 1st <\/strong>the year before your planned graduation date (typically junior year).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Director of the Neuroscience Undergraduate Honors Thesis program (Dr. Ross) before the submission deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\" \/>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I was able to delve into research and science in ways I hadn\u2019t been able to before. During the academic term it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<cite>Luis Rubio &#8217;24<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Criteria<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Design and conduct an experiment in Neuroscience under the direction of mentor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enroll in 9 credits of Independent Research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Write an Undergraduate Honors Thesis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defend the Thesis orally to a committee comprised of members from the Johns Hopkins University Neuroscience community by mid-April of your graduation year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Present your research at the DREAMS conference Fall or Spring of your final undergraduate year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maintain minimum 3.5 GPA in all required courses for the Neuroscience major.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Application to Honors Thesis Program<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>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&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2024\/02\/Johns-Hopkins-Honors-Thesis-Program_Updated-2-2024.pdf\">information about the program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Applications to the Honors Thesis Program should include the following and be emailed to&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:rross32@jhu.edu?subject=Neuroscience%20Undergraduate%20Honors%20Thesis\">Dr. Robert Ross<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Thesis proposal<\/strong>&nbsp;using the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/hour.jhu.edu\/opportunities\/summerpura\/\">Summer PURA<\/a>&nbsp;proposal guidelines<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Letter of recommendation<\/strong>. A student\u2019s mentor must submit a letter of recommendation which should be accompanied by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2025\/08\/NeuroThesisLORForm.pdf\">Faculty Mentor Recommendation Form<\/a>. email a letter of recommendation, stating the student\u2019s contribution to the lab, prior to the student submitting his\/her packet. The letter should be emailed directly to Dr. Ross.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Application form (Cover letter).<\/strong>&nbsp;The student should fill out the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2025\/08\/NeuroThesisCover.pdf\">Neuroscience Undergraduate Honors Thesis Application Form<\/a>&nbsp;and attach to their proposal as a cover letter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unofficial transcript<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":344,"menu_order":16,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-73","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6799,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/73\/revisions\/6799"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krieger.jhu.edu\/neuroscience\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}