Graduating with Honors in SoMAS

Available to students enrolled in ATM, CCI, COS, EDP, ENS, MAR, MVB or SUS.

To graduate with honors, students must meet the following requirements:

1. Eligibility
   • This program is open to students in both STEM and non-STEM majors.
   • You must already have a mentor and a defined research project before applying.
   • You must have a minimum overall GPA of 3.5 at the time of application—no exceptions.
2. Application
   • Submit a short outline of your proposed thesis, including a clear and testable hypothesis or research question, framed appropriately for your field.
   • Send this outline to the SoMAS undergraduate director (Dr. David Black) and the Chair of the Honors Program (Dr. Sharon Pochron) no later than the third week of classes in your final semester.
3. Thesis & Presentation
   • On the day of your presentation, your advisor must submit a letter stating that they have read your thesis and approve of its submission to the committee. 
   • Your written thesis must follow the formatting style of a peer-reviewed journal in your field.
   • The thesis is due on the day of your oral presentation.
   • The oral presentation will be 12 minutes long, followed by 3 minutes of questions. Students who run significantly long or short risk disqualification.
   • If the committee determines the written thesis is lacking, one revision will be permitted. If an additional round of revisions is required, the student will no longer be considered eligible for honors.
4. Evaluation
   • The Undergraduate Research Committee will evaluate both the written and oral components.
   • Honors are awarded only to students who demonstrate superior performance in research and scholarly achievement.

Thesis Manuscript Rubric

	Not Honors level work	Passing	Excellent
Identification of research gap	The author fails to articulate how the project is novel and the importance of the study is unclear.	The proposed research appears to be filling a gap in the literature and an argument is made about why the particular project is important to study.	It is clear how the proposed research is filling a current gap in the empirical literature. An argument has been made about why this particular project is important to study.
Literature review	The literature review is insufficient to explain the current state of the research relevant to the project. It may be clear that there are critical research studies missing.	The existing literature relevant to the project has been reviewed in a way that demonstrates that the student spent sufficient time identifying sources.	The existing literature relevant to the project has been reviewed in such a way that demonstrates the student has spent significant time identifying sources.
Methods	The methods are either unclear, are not well supported, or are not adequately explained in the paper.	The methods utilized are well supported by existing research.	The methods are explained in a way that is accessible to individuals outside of the particular sub-discipline. The methods utilized are well supported by existing research.
Results	The analysis and/or results may not be linked to the proposed hypotheses/research questions, or may be inappropriate given the type of data. Best practices in that discipline are not followed.	The standard of reporting data for that discipline is followed in the manuscript.	The analysis and results are appropriate given the hypotheses/research questions of the project. The standard of reporting data for that discipline is followed in the manuscript.
Discussion and impact of the research	Either the discussion is too brief and does not consider the impacts of the research, or the conclusions drawn are not supported by the data.	The manuscript considers what the results of the study mean in the broader scientific field.	The manuscript considers what the results of the study mean in the broader scientific field. There is consideration for the “so what” of the project.
References	In-text citations may not be used properly, there may be no clear citation style used, and/or other significant issues occurred with referencing existing research throughout the manuscript.	In-text citations are mostly used correctly and sufficiently throughout the paper. A single reference style is used mostly consistently throughout the paper.	In-text citations are used correctly and sufficiently throughout the paper. A single reference style is used consistently throughout the paper.

If a student receives “Not Honors level work” in 4/6 categories, they will be disqualified from receiving Honors.

 

Thesis Oral Defense Rubric

	Not Honors level work	Passing	Excellent
Content of the presentation	The presentation does not effectively cover the important sections of the manuscript and/or the flow of information is confusing. The level of detail is not sufficient to fully explaining the research project.	The presentation mostly covers all of the important sections of the manuscript (e.g., literature review, methods, results, discussion). The flow of information is easy to follow and the level of detail is somewhat high.	The presentation effectively covers all of the important sections of the manuscript (e.g., literature review, methods, results, discussion). The flow of information is easy to follow and the level of detail is high.
Visual communication tool	The visual communication tool distracts from the speaker and negatively impacts the talk.	The visual communication tool (e.g., PowerPoint) does not detract from the presentation and helps keep the attention of the audience.	The visual communication tool (e.g., PowerPoint) is an asset to the presenter in that it helps keep the attention of the audience and further explain information being talked about by the speaker.
Public speaking skills	The speaker either speaks for less than 10 minutes or more than 13 minutes and/or the public speaking is very poor.	The speaker speaks for between 10 and 12 minutes. Best public speaking practices are mostly followed such as making eye-contact, facing the audience, and speaking slowly enough to be understood.	The speaker speaks for between 10 and 12 minutes. Best public speaking practices are followed such as making eye-contact, facing the audience, and speaking slowly enough to be understood.
Responses to audience questions	The student struggles to answer audience questions and it is unclear the extent to which the student led the research project and/or understands the nuances of the project	The student makes clear in responding to questions that they are the experts on their project. The student takes care to mostly fully answer audience questions and may provide additional detail not included in the presentation.	The student makes clear in responding to questions that they are the experts on their project. The student takes care to fully answer audience questions and provides additional detail that may not be have been able to be shared through the presentation.

If a student receives “Not Honors level work” in 4/6 categories, they will be disqualified from receiving Honors.