Honors
Students earning either a BA in Biology or BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology are eligible to receive their degree with honors. The following requirements are in addition to the regular requirements for the degrees.
- GPA of 3.5 or higher in N and Q courses. Use the Honor’s GPA Worksheet from Academic Advising to calculate your GPA in these courses and attach a transcript
- 6 credits of registered independent research (note that this is already a requirement for the BS degree)
- A letter of support from your research supervisor (the PI of the lab)
- Physical Presentation of your independent research as a seminar or poster presentation
You should apply for honors in the semester that you intend to graduate.
Starting in Spring 2029, honors will require 3.8 GPA.
Once you have the above materials assembled, please complete the Application for Honors in Biology or Molecular & Cellular Biology form by March 16 for spring graduation or October 16 for fall graduation. These deadlines are early so that we can inform the office of academic advising of who intends to receive honors.
The deadline for submission of the letter of support from your research supervisor is March 31 for spring graduation or October 31 for fall graduation.
If your research presentation takes place after you have submitted your honors application, please email the required photo proof to Anthony Mberekpe ([email protected]) prior to March 31.
Undergraduate Research Awards
Our department confers three awards for undergraduates every spring. In spring 2026, these are open to people who graduated in December 2025 or are graduating with their BA or BS degrees in May 2026–master’s students are not eligible for these awards for work done during their master’s year. Applications are due March 16th including the letter of recommendation. The awards are described below:
The McElroy Award honors students with excellent GPA and research in biology. This award is open to anyone doing research in Biology department labs (including any professors with dual appointments in multiple departments).
The Margoulis Award recognizes outstanding academic work and research in Biology. This award is open to any MCB or Biology major regardless of where their research is performed.
The Oppenheimer Award acknowledges students with great promise in research and teaching. This award is open to any Molecular and Cellular Biology major or Biology major.
Each application requires a transcript, cover letter, and letter of recommendation from a faculty member or supervisor (research supervisor for McElroy and Margoulis, and research or teaching supervisor for Oppenheimer). In the cover letter, briefly introduce your qualifications for the award and describe who will be writing letters of recommendation on your behalf. There is a separate form for uploading letters which is found in the awards application. As is the case with departmental honors, any PIs who cannot access the submission link may email it to Anthony Mberekpe in our administrative office: [email protected]
Frequently-Asked Questions about Awards
Q: Can one person apply for more than one award?
A: Yes! You can select all that apply (our favorite). If you include the Oppenheimer award, please add an additional teaching-related recommendation letter.