Departmental Honors

The Departmental Honors program is designed to help students carry out research projects and to present their results to their colleagues.

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) recognizes students with high achievements in coursework and laboratory research by awarding Departmental Honors. Students earning a B.A. degree in Biology, Biochemistry, EEOB (Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology), Microbiology, MCDB (Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology), or Human Biology (Biology Concentration*) or a B.S. degree in Biochemistry, EEOB, Microbiology, or MCDB are eligible for Departmental Honors.

Guidelines for Graduation with Honors in Biology  describes the procedures, advice, and requirements for attaining Biology Honors. Candidates should submit a completed Departmental Honors Intent form (.docx) no later than January 30 of their final (Senior) semester. In addition, and also by January 30, candidates should fill out the online form at the College. The form link can be found at the College Honors Webpage. Thesis will be due on April 26, 2024.

*These guidelines do not apply to Honors in Human Biology with concentrations in Anthropology, Applied Behavioral Science, Psychology, and Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences and Disorders. Students pursuing these concentrations should follow the departmental honors guidelines for the individual departments.

This page describes the procedures and requirements for Departmental Honors. To learn about University Honors, consult the University Honors Program Website.

Departmental Honors Students:

Design and carry out research projects in collaboration with a faculty member.
Learn how KU biology professors became interested in research and discuss their current projects in Biology 499.
Develop skills to present research projects to a group of peers in the classroom (Biology 699) and to the general public in the Honors Research Symposium at the end of the senior Spring semester.
Write an honors thesis. The link to Honors Thesis Guidelines provides further information on how to write the thesis.
Honors Thesis Guidelines

If you have any questions about graduation with Departmental Honors, contact Dr. Justin Blumenstiel (Biology Honors Committee Chairperson: jblumens@ku.edu)