tamu honors thesis

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The Bush School of Government & Public Service

Public Service is a noble calling.

Honors & Thesis Program

High achieving students in both the Political Science Bachelor of Science (BS) and Bachelor of Art (BA) degree tracks are encouraged to take advantage of honors opportunities in our department and the University at large.

Participation in departmental honors provides students with a number of benefits, including:  

• Expanded course options, including smaller class sizes and innovative learning approaches
• Enhanced engagement with faculty through directed or capstone research opportunities
• Interaction with honors faculty, who will be essential for students needing letters of recommendation or help with applications for graduate, professional, or law school
• Early registration privileges

To receive departmental honors recognition at graduation, entering students must complete  18 hours of honors coursework  as described below:

• Exactly 6 hours of 400-level directed research or capstone research with honors credit (481, 485, 491, 497) (no more than 6 will count towards departmental honors).
• No more than 6 of these credit hours may consist of Political Science graduate courses (600 level) taken for graduate credit.
• 3 additional hours of honors credit outside the department.
• At graduation, a student must have a cumulative Texas A&M GPR of at least 3.5 and cumulative Honors GPR of at least 3.25.

Additional departmental honors information is available for more information.

Outside of the department, political science undergraduates are encouraged to explore options in the College, including the  Cornerstone Honors Program  and through the  University LAUNCH office 

Students completing directed research and capstone courses can also consider producing a  written honors thesis,  which can be done in conjunction with the  Undergraduate Research Scholars Program .  Completion of this thesis is highly recommended for students considering graduate studies in political science, public administration, or other related areas.

Interested in the Thesis Program? Find more information online on planning your Political Science Thesis.

During the 2019-2020 academic year, 12 undergraduates in political science completed a URS thesis.  For the most recent list of URS projects from our department visit  OakTrust .

Some of our past URS and honors students are now in successful graduate programs or academic careers at places such as Yale University, Arizona State University, American University, and Texas A&M University.

If you are interested in honors or discussing faculty advising options for a senior thesis, contact the Political Science Undergraduate Advising Office at (979) 845-3127.

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Engineering Honors - Computer Science and Engineering Track

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering's track of Engineering Honors is a program for computer science and computer engineering majors in the department. The program is designed to engage bright and inquisitive students and to give them opportunities to interact with each other and with our honors faculty. CSCE honors courses have small enrollments promoting close interaction between the faculty and students. However, the program is much more than just smaller and enriched courses. All honors students participate in an intensive undergraduate research experience, culminating in an honors thesis. Additionally, the program includes regular activities, such as monthly seminars and lunches with  faculty, designed to build a community of scholars and round out their educational experience.

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Departmental Honors Program in Biochemistry

The Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics invites motivated students who meet high academic standards to join our Honors Program. The Honors Program provides students majoring in Biochemistry with an enhanced curriculum and advanced research training. Participation in the Honors Program will position graduates to excel in professional and graduate training programs and achieve successful careers in diverse fields, from industry to academia and medicine. Honors students participate in specialized course sections structured around small, interactive groups of students and faculty. The Honors sections provide the students with experiences exploring academic subjects beyond that available in the standard classroom, learning scientific communication skills, and contributing to teaching. Honors students will complete a thesis based on their first-hand laboratory research and use this experience as a platform to communicate their work through a selection of writing and speaking formats such as our Honors Research Symposium. Graduates of the Biochemistry Honors Program will gain the knowledge and experience to position them to become leaders in a diversity of health and life-sciences professions.

Admission to the Honors Program in Biochemistry

Incoming freshmen.

Students are encouraged to indicate their interest in Biochemistry Honors on the ApplyTexas website by choosing “Apply to Any Honors Program.” Students may also apply below.

Application to the Biochemistry Honors Program will consist of a form with questions to assess the student’s motivation and preparation for joining the honors program. If provided, standardized test scores and class rank will also contribute to a holistic assessment of the application.

Current or Transfer Students

Current or transfer students with a cumulative TAMU GPA of 3.5 may apply below. The form will consist of several questions to assess the student’s motivation and preparation for joining the honors program. When applying, students should keep in mind that they will need to fulfill all honors requirements. It is recommended that current or transfer students meet first with the Honors Program Coordinator to determine whether they can satisfy all requirements.

Participants in the University Honors Program

Biochemistry students earning the  University Honors distinction  are encouraged to join the Biochemistry Honors program. The coursework required for Biochemistry Honors can be used to satisfy course requirements for the Honors Fellows distinction, and the Biochemistry Honors research requirement prepares University Honors students to participate in the Undergraduate Research Scholars honors capstone.

Biochemistry Honors Requirements

Successful completion of the Biochemistry Honors program requires both Honors classes and undergraduate research under the mentorship of a faculty advisor. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative Texas A&M University GPA of 3.5 with a minimum of 3.25 in Honors classes. Students falling below these standards will be placed on probation for the next semester. Students unable to meet these standards for a second consecutive semester will be dismissed from Biochemistry Honors. To count towards Biochemistry Honors credit, Honors classes must be completed with a grade of A or B.

Students wishing to pursue honors distinctions in Biochemistry must earn 18 credits in Honors courses which must be completed as follows:

Cornerstone Biochemistry Courses (9 credit hours):

Students are strongly encouraged to take BICH 440H in the fall and BICH 441H in the spring, when honors sections of these courses are offered.

Additional Honors Courses (3 credit hours):

3 credit hours: Any 100/200/300/400/-level honors course or a 600-level course that is required or elective for the Biochemistry major, excluding non-STEM core curriculum and elective courses.

Non-honors sections may be contracted for honors credit if an honors section of the course is not available in the same semester

Additional Course Requirements:   Because the field of biochemistry is increasingly reliant on Big Data (e.g., analysis of large data sets or molecular modeling of protein structures), Honors program students must select at least one quantitative or computational biochemistry elective. These courses include BICH 419, BIOL 350, BIOL 451, BICH/GENE 464, STAT 446, and VTPP 438. Students may petition the Honors Program Coordinator to determine if other courses meet this requirement. If students have already taken or plan to take a different honors or graduate course (such as a 100- or 200-level biology or chemistry honors course), this elective can be taken for regular non-honors credit.

AP and IB credit may not be used towards Honors credit

Research Option (6 credit hours):

Research and Teaching Option (6 credit hours):

Descriptions

BICH 491H Research:  Honors students can enroll in research hours in any lab in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department or labs in other departments conducting biochemical research. Biochemistry Honors students are strongly encouraged to start BICH 491H no later than their sophomore year. Students are also encouraged to participate in the Undergraduate Research Scholars program. BICH 491H has additional expectations beyond non-honors BICH 491. One requirement is to attend an Honors Symposium at the end of each year, in which students completing BICH 491H-W will present their research. Second, students must complete an additional activity that differentiates their Honors research from non-Honors 491. This activity must be described on the registration form for BICH 491H. Examples of additional activities are:

• An oral or poster presentation at a national or international meeting
• An oral or poster presentation during Student Research Week
• Development of novel shared research resources such as software programs, laboratory protocols, new apparatus, or analytical procedures
• Applications for scholarships, including Goldwater, Astronaut, NSF
• Lab leadership, including responsibilities for training and coordinating personnel
• Students, in consultation with their research advisor, may propose other activities to the Honors Program Coordinator for approval.

BICH 491H-W:  The final credit of BICH 491H will be a writing-intensive credit, in which students write a paper describing research they conducted over multiple semesters of BICH 491H research. In addition, they will present their research in the Biochemistry and Genetics Honors Symposium, which will be held in April each year. The research paper will be replaced by an Honors Thesis if students participate in the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program.

BICH 485H : Students who have a strong interest in developing teaching and communication skills may replace up to 2 credit hours of BICH 491H with a teaching-intensive BICH 485H – Directed Studies. Students who select this option will be mentored in course design, development, and instruction by a Biochemistry or Genetics instructor. Specific activities will be determined in consultation with the instructor, but they may include conducting small group discussions, lecture design and delivery, problem-solving sessions, and individual help sessions. The courses are limited to 400-level lecture courses and above. Students must have completed the course to which they are assigned and receive approval from the instructor.

Graduating with Biochemistry Honors

To graduate with the Biochemistry Honors distinction, students must achieve the following:

• Complete the Biochemistry Honors course requirements with a minimum cumulative Texas A&M University GPA of 3.5 and a minimum of 3.25 in Biochemistry Honors Courses.
• No grade lower than a B in courses counting towards Biochemistry Honors. (If a student receives less than a B in an Honors course they will still receive credit for that course towards Biochemistry Honors. However, they must take a different course to fulfill their Honors requirement with a grade of B or above).
• No F* (academic dishonesty) on the transcript.

All honors courses will be denoted as honors on students’ official transcripts. Furthermore, students completing the Biochemistry Honors Program will have the Biochemistry honors distinction, as well as any earned university or college distinction, noted on the official transcript.

Dr. Margy Glasner,  Director of Honors in Biochemistry and Genetics [email protected]

Biochemistry Undergraduate Program Biochemistry Building (BICH) Room104 979-458-1136 [email protected]

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Class of 2025 honors thesis deadlines.

Please note the following  changes happening for theses in the 2024-25 academic year.

Because of the schedule for our move back into the HOP, any 2025 Thesis projects that involve staged work will be performed in Winter 2025 (rather than in Spring 2025, which would be the usual schedule). This means that the calendar for submitting proposals and taking Thesis credits (THEA 91 and THEA 92) is pushed earlier than usual.

  Here's the key info you need right now:

You can complete a Theater major very successfully without doing an Honors Thesis. But if you wish to explore the possibility of doing an Honors Thesis, a ll  the  information can be found  here  on the website and will be continuously updated.

What is Honors Thesis? Do I meet the criteria?

Any student who has completed at least five major Theater courses with a GPA of 3.4 or higher  is eligible to propose an Honors Thesis project.  If you successfully complete a thesis,  you will be given a  graduation designation   of Honors or High Honors.   

What can I do for an Honors Thesis Project?

Honors theses can take many forms ranging from academic research papers (Caileigh Dowell's academic paper is about stage management and intimacy directing) to staged creative projects (David Katz is directing Dream Play this Spring). Regardless of the topic or format, this project should be a culmination of your work in the Department. 

What are the steps to an Honors project?

• Preliminary Proposal: Meet with your faculty advisor and talk about any ideas you may have, then write 2-3 pages about that idea (more info on the website).
• Full Proposal: Work with your Thesis advisor to develop your Preliminary Proposal to be the project that you want to work on.
• Register for THEA 91: Work on research and developing your project.
• Register for THEA 92: Make that project come to life whether onstage or in a paper.

What are the deadlines for rising seniors? The deadlines are different this year because any staged Thesis projects will have to be performed in WINTER 2025 (rather than the usual spring term).  

Deadlines for STAGED projects:

Preliminary honors proposals due Friday, April 5, 2024      

Full proposals due Friday, June 28, 2024

Register for Fall 2024: THEA 91: The Honors Thesis I – Research/Design Meetings

Register for Winter 2025: THEA 92: The Honors Thesis II – Rehearsals/Performances  

Deadlines for ACADEMIC PAPER or DESIGN projects:

Preliminary honors proposals due Friday, May 10, 2024

Full proposals due Friday, September 20, 2024

Register for Winter 2025: THEA 91: The Honors Thesis I – Research

Register for Spring 2025: THEA 92: The Honors Thesis II – Final Project

Please reach out to your faculty advisor or Catherine Jacobs !  

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Downes, Lechartre, and Mathews claim top honors in 2024 Shaheen Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) finals

Published: March 12, 2024

Author: Mary Hendriksen

“Your Research Matters...Share it!” proclaimed the banners on the stage of the Graduate School’s 2024 Shaheen Three Minute Thesis (3MT ® ) Finals Competition , held Wednesday evening, February 28, in Jordan Auditorium at the Mendoza College of Business.

Since 2016, Notre Dame has taken part in a competition that graduate schools around the world and their students have embraced since its founding at the University of Queensland in 2008. The event was co-sponsored by the Graduate School and the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development with support from the Colleges of Arts and Letters, Engineering, and Science; the Shaheen Family; Graduate Career Services; Graduate Student Government; Graduate Student Life; Hesburgh Libraries; Notre Dame Research; University Relations; and the University Writing Center.

“Your research does matter,” said Mary Ann McDowell , professor of biological sciences and associate dean for professional development, as she extended a welcome to the contestants and the audience. “How to convey the essence of that research is one of the most important skills a researcher must develop,” she continued, whether it arises when sharing knowledge of a particular research problem to a colleague or to someone outside of the field.

“This is your moment!” she counseled. “Make it succinct—and make it fascinating!”

Nine graduate-student finalists rose to the challenge and came to the stage as storytellers—storytellers who had three minutes, and not a second more, to frame their research, its findings, and why both matter to the five judges and an audience that included faculty, administrators, and more than one hundred of their peers.

The judges announced two winners, and the audience chose a third:

Henry Downes, Economics

Advisers: Kasey Buckles, Ph.D. and William Evans, Ph.D. 1st Place Winner: $2000

One of the 20th century’s great puzzles is the question: What caused the U.S. Baby Boom?

Fifth-year graduate student Henry Downes’ research explores a previously unexamined cause of fertility increases during that time—including the years before the U.S. entered World War II.

Using novel historical data, Downes discovered an important relationship between fertility increases during the Baby Boom and growth in union membership. Birth rates increased by about twice as much in counties with strong union growth relative to comparable counties with weak union growth, even accounting for many factors that might otherwise influence fertility. When there is stability in employment and confidence in earnings, workers who had steady, good-paying jobs married at younger ages, began having children sooner, and ultimately had larger families.

More fundamentally, his research highlights the central role played by labor market institutions in shaping family decisions and demographic outcomes. It suggests that America’s demographic challenges are unlikely to be solved without addressing economic precariousness in the labor market.

Joséphine Lechartre, Peace Studies and Political Science

Adviser: Guillermo Trejo, Ph.D. 2nd Place Winner: $1500

How do the survival decisions that civilians make amidst genocide influence the emergence of new political cultures that drive political participation after the end of violence?

Using Guatemalan refugees who fled genocide and spent 14 years in refugee camps in Mexico as a case study, the research of sixth-year graduate student Joséphine Lecharte showed that refugees who became active participants in the administration of their camps developed strong democratic political cultures; whereas those who had only limited input in camp affairs did not, and experienced social dislocation.

Her findings have important consequences. Members of the first group of refugees are today highly active in democratic politics. Members of the second group have remained marginalized, with lagging economic development and levels of social dislocation that have led to a rise in criminality.

O. Amandhi Mathews, Biological Sciences

Adviser: Cody J. Smith, Ph.D. People’s Choice Award Winner: $1000

The embryonic construction of the human nervous system requires neurons to navigate to a precise target at which they form connections to other neurons and make functional circuits. Neurons use a guidance system, a "neuronal GPS" third-year graduate student O. Amandhi Mathews calls it, to form these circuits. These primary circuits allow organisms to sense and respond to their environment and are thus critical for survival.

This process must happen accurately. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders result from incorrect wiring within the nervous system. Our ability to treat such disorders depends on an in-depth understanding of the genetic blueprints that inform the neuronal GPS that helps neurons navigate accurately. Using zebrafish neurodevelopment as a model system, Mathews’ research investigates the role of the gene svip in neuronal navigation. Her goal with this study is to advance scientists’ understanding of the genetic and molecular pathways involved in neurodevelopment.

Other finalists in the competition were:

Bo Wei Cynthia Chen (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering); Liliya Chernysheva (Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Science); Nicholas Herrud (History); Kurt Kohler (Biological Sciences); Hoon Lee (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering); and Gowthami Mahendran (Chemistry and Biochemistry).

Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications  Pedro Ribeiro was emcee of the evening.

Judges were:

• Michael Hildreth, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School; Associate Provost and Vice President for Graduate Studies; and Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy
• Monica Arul Jayachandran, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech University and winner of the 2019 Shaheen 3MT competition
• Essaka Joshua, Ph.D . Professor, Department of English and former Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Letters
• Margaret Meserve, Ph.D. Glynn Family Honors Collegiate Professor of History and Vice President and Associate Provost for Academic Space and Support
• Jeff Rea President and CEO, South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce

Downes will move on to the next round—the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) competition in Clayton, Missouri on April 5, 2024.

2024 Shaheen 3MT ® Finalist Presentation Videos

To view videos of each competitor's presentation, click on the link below.

• Bo Wei Cynthia Chen , Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Cost of Natural Gas: Wasted Energy in Production
• Nicholas Herrud , History: Ukrainian Identity through Borders and Memory in the Inter War Period
• Henry Downes , Economics: Did Organized Labor Induce Labor? The Surprising Role of Unions in the American Baby Boom
• O. Amandhi Mathews , Biological Sciences: The Neuronal GPS
• Hoon Lee , Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering: Electron Transport: What We Can Learn from Missing Data
• Liliya Chernysheva , Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences: The First Step to Cleaning Up Our Environment Is Analytics
• Gowthami Mahendran , Chemistry and Biochemistry: Giving Smooth Brain Babies a Shot at Life
• Joséphine Lechartre , Peace Studies and Political Science: Collaborative Decision-Making: Learning Democratic Participation in Refugee Camps
• Kurt Kohler , Biological Sciences: Building a Homestead in the Catheterized Bladder: A Bacteria’s Survival Guide