Applications for the Biology Department's honors program are due in mid-September, to allow adequate time for evaluation prior to the college-wide end-of-September deadline for declaration of intent to pursue honors (calendar found on this page).
Format: pdf copies of the two documents described below (application for honors + signed committee meeting agreement) should be submitted by email to the chair of the Biology Department; cc all members of your honors thesis committee.
APPLICATION FOR HONORS IN BIOLOGY
Your written application to pursue honors in Biology must include the following sections:
Synopsis: In approximately 500 words, describe your proposed project, including clearly articulated testable hypotheses. Include at least one figure representing work already completed, this can be conceptual and/or based on original data.
Plan of Future Work: In approximately 500-1000 words, describe the work you plan to execute during your senior year. Describe your anticipated process, answering questions such as: What methods will you use? When do you anticipate wrapping up data collection? How will you analyze your data? Be sure to include information about your timeline, e.g. what you plan to complete in fall, January, and spring.
Annotated Bibliography: Provide a minimum of 30 references, along with a brief summary of each (1-2 sentences, with a keyword to help your writing in the future). These references provide the intellectual context for your project: previous work on your system, background on methodologies, etc. Choose a citation format from a journal style that is consistent and appropriate for your discipline.
Example:
Coo, H. (2026) Studying the impacts of cute mascots on college student stress levels, as measured by blood cortisol. Journal of Mascot Physiology 36 (2): 21-44.
Cuter mascots (coos, squirrels, gophers) are more likely to be associated with lower cortisol levels of the student population, but this is only true in cold-climate states. In warmer state, the relationship doesn't hold. Not-cute mascots (knights, warriors, hurricanes) have no impact on stress levels.
keywords: stress, mammals, physiology
SIGNED COMMITTEE MEETING AGREEMENT
Honors thesis work requires commitment of time by both the student and their honors thesis committee. The committee is comprised of three members, two of which are based on campus and one from outside of Macalester.
If your work is based on campus at Mac, your thesis committee consists of (1) your Mac research advisor, (2) a second Mac faculty member with relevant expertise, and (3) one off-campus committee member - e.g. faculty or postdoc at UMN in a relevant field, or one of your research advisor's off-campus collaborators.
If your work is based off-campus, your thesis committee consists of (1) your off-campus research advisor, (2) a Mac faculty member with relevant expertise who agrees to advise you through our department's thesis process, and (3) one additional Mac faculty member with relevant expertise.