Frequently Asked Questions in Biology Honors Advising
Last updated Dec 2022
Q1: What are the options for completing Departmental or Multidisciplinary Honors (DH vs MH), and how do they differ?
The requirements for DH and MH are similar. For both, you must (1) receive a grade of B or higher in two honors courses, one of which is at the 300 level or higher, and (2) complete a senior capstone project (thesis). For DH, there are restrictions about which courses you may use to fill these requirements, described below. For MH, the honors courses and thesis may be conducted in any discipline. We encourage you to think broadly about your educational experience at UMass. If a non-biology Honors course is of interest, this can satisfy honors requirements for MH instead of Biology DH.
For Departmental Honors in Biology:
(1) You must receive a grade of B or higher in two Biology honors courses, one of which is at the 300 level or higher. Options to satisfy this requirement include Biology courses designated as honors, non-honors courses with a supplemental honors section, and honors independent study in biology (ISH). Biology courses at the graduate (600+) level also automatically count as honors.
You may also petition to ‘count’ honors courses in other departments with substantial biology content, or biology courses at the 500-level, as honors courses. 500-level courses should include components of typical honors courses, such as small class size, critical thinking and writing as evidenced by written assignments or in-depth projects, and interaction with classmates and the professor.
HPDs have just pre-approved several 500-level courses to count as honors. The following courses can count as honors courses without submitting extra paperwork:
Course Title
BIOL 476 Evolutionary Genomics
BIOL 501 Human Microbiome in Health and Disease
BIOL 523 Histology
BIOL 544 Ornithology
BIOL 550 Animal Behavior
BIOL 559 Cell and Molecular Biology II
BIOL 572 Advanced Neurobiology
BIOL 580 Developmental Biology
BIOL 582 DNA to Diversity
(2) You must complete a two-course Honors Thesis or Seminar (see https://www.umass.edu/honors/honors-thesis). An Honors Thesis involves taking BIOL 499Y and 499T while conducting and writing up independent research (see Q5 for more details).
For some students, completing an Honors Seminar (usually 499C) may be more appropriate for their career paths or interests. These are two-semester sequences that start in fall and continue until spring semester.
To find options for Honors Seminar courses, go to https://www.umass.edu/honors/honors-thesis/thesis-seminar.
For Departmental Honors, only Honors Seminars pertinent to Biology would be considered. Currently, the courses that can be used for Departmental Honors are:
Honors 499C (BIOTERRORISM: INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE ON INTERNATIONAL, POLITICAL AND SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGES), or
HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE INEQUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES)
KIN 499E/F (WEARABLE TECHNOLOGIES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH) or
PUBHLTH 499C (COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH, CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION, AND STRESS BIOMARKERS)
HONORS 499CK/DK (Open Science Instrumentation and Data Collection)
BIOL 499CB (Honors Thesis: Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer) [New as of Fall 2022!]
Q2: Can I do my Honors Thesis in a lab outside the biology department? Does this mean I’m doing Multidisciplinary Honors instead of Departmental Honors?
You can absolutely conduct your Honors Thesis in a lab outside the biology department, and this can be a great way to find opportunities (see Q3). As long as the research is in the life sciences, this would be considered Departmental Honors. If your thesis is in a different discipline (e.g., art, business, philosophy), this would be Multidisciplinary Honors.
Q3: I’m frustrated by my attempts to find a lab for my Honors Thesis. No one has any space. Do you have any advice?
We are aware of how challenging this is for our honors students, and wish there was an easy solution. Biology has no control over how many Honors Biology majors are admitted to UMass. There are currently approximately 300 Honors Biology majors and 40 faculty.
BUA (Biology Undergraduate Apprenticeships), emailing faculty directly, and visiting faculty during their office hours can all be great ways to make contact. Make your communication is professional and tailored to the specific lab to show your interest (e.g., sharing a polished and current resume/CV, reading and commenting on some recent publications from that lab).
We also encourage you to seek opportunities outside the biology department. The departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Vet and Animal Science, Environmental Conservation, Public Health, Kinesiology, and Psychology can all have excellent options for Biology Honors Theses – as do many others. Note that, regardless of the Department, many labs do not accept students in their Senior year, and prefer to accept students during their Freshman or Sophomore years. In short, start early and be persistent.
CHC encourages students to consider their education in the broadest possible context. Many humanities departments are actively recruiting honor students to conduct theses. If your interests are broad, consider expanding your horizons and making connections between disciplines to create a multidisciplinary honors thesis experience.
Q4: I’m currently doing research in a lab that is off-campus, or I did an REU with someone outside of UMass. I’d like to pursue this experience for my Honors Thesis. Can I do this?
Taking advantage of off-campus experiences can be a great way to complete your honors thesis, but note that there must be someone at UMass who is willing to serve as your official advisor for approving your 499Y and T proposals (see Q5) and assigning a grade. Your UMass advisor and your off-campus mentor should work together to make sure everyone agrees about how you will be advised and evaluated in your thesis work.
Q5: What is the process and timetable for registering for my Honors Thesis?
The first semester of the Honors Thesis is BIOL 499Y (for Year), and the second is BIOL 499T (for Thesis), typically taken for 3 or sometimes 4 credits (1 credit = approximately 3 hours/week of effort). These are usually completed in Fall and Spring of a student’s senior year, but it is also fine for a student to start in the spring (499Y) and finish the next fall (499T) or in unusual circumstances, complete their honors thesis in their junior year. Students conducting field research can do their research in the summer before officially taking the Honors Thesis classes.
You cannot register for 499Y or 499T on SPIRE. For each class, you must submit a proposal via the CHC Paths system. CHC provides explicit directions for the 499Y here:
https://www.umass.edu/honors/honors-thesis/individually-contracted-honors-thesis/499y-semester-plan-proposal
and the 499T here:
https://www.umass.edu/honors/honors-thesis/individually-contracted-honors-thesis/499tp-honors-thesis-proposal
Be sure to follow these directions exactly, including specifying every requested deadline in the Timeline, to avoid having your proposal returned for revisions.
CHC would like you to submit proposals for the Fall course by the end of the previous spring semester, but the absolute deadline is August 15. The deadline to submit proposals for the Spring semester is December 15. Note that the proposal for 499T involves substantially more work than for 499Y; plan your time accordingly.
After your proposal is submitted, it will be reviewed by your faculty advisor (and committee member for 499T), then your HPD, and then the CHC. If any of these reviewers have concerns, they may not approve it, and send it back to you for revisions. Once it is approved by the CHC, the course will be added to your SPIRE.
Q6: I just transferred to UMass and would like to enroll in Departmental Honors. How do I do that?
Welcome to UMass! You can apply to join both CHC and Departmental Honors at the same time. If you're applying to DH your application would be reviewed by a Biology HPD.
You can find more information at:
https://www.umass.edu/honors/apply/current-students
Q7: I have more questions and would like to meet with a Biology Honors Program Director. Who is my advisor, and how do I contact them?
We are happy to meet with you to discuss questions related to options about research, careers in biology, and navigating your departmental honors experience. Currently, the HPDs are Lynn Adler (@email; students with last names beginning with A-J), Akiko Okuso (@email; students with last names beginning with K-R) and Sarah Pallas (@email; students with last names beginning with S-Z). If you are working in a lab or already meeting with an HPD other than the one assigned to you, it is fine to continue working with that person as your HPD. If you are not sure who to contact, you can send a general email to honors@bio.umass.edu), and it will be directed to one of us