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JUNIOR SPRING / SUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEAR
Honors students must head into their senior year ready to work independently on an original research project with the support of a Macalester Biology faculty member. How to make this happen:
On-campus research: Prior to senior year, have a conversation with a Mac faculty member about joining their lab and completing a project related to the faculty member's research program.
Off-campus research: If you have done or plan to do research off-campus (e.g. at UMN or during a summer REU elsewhere), have a conversation with a Mac faculty member about the possibility of continuing the work during your senior year. This typically requires significant investment of time and effort from your off-campus advisor throughout the year so is not always feasible for off-campus projects, especially those based outside of the Twin Cities.
SENIOR YEAR
Submit an honors application on or before September 19, 2025. There is a college-wide deadline for declaration of intent to pursue honors at the end of September (Mac's college-wide honors calendar is on this page); applications must be submitted ahead of this date so that the Biology Department can evaluate your proposal prior to this deadline.
Register for 4 credits of Honors Independent Study (BIOL-644). This can happen in either the fall or spring semester; note that you may count only one 4-credit Research In, Independent Study, or Honors Independent Study credit toward the major in Biology. Students may additionally register for BIOL-642 (2 credits) in January if appropriate for their timeline. You must register for Honors Independent Study credits with S/SD/NC designation. Forms for registering for for Honors Independent Study are here.
Meet with your honors thesis committee in December to provide an update on progress and plan your written thesis and oral thesis presentation and defense. At this time, the committee will evaluate your work and determine whether you pass, fail, or pass conditionally.
Give a 20-30 minute oral presentation on your work, covering what you accomplished during the fall semester and a timeline to complete the thesis
Determine whether you will register for BIOL-642 during J-term
Schedule your oral thesis presentation and defense (2 hours total) prior to mid-April (to meet the college-wide deadline, found on this page)
Submit a first draft of your written thesis before the spring semester begins. At the end of January there is a college-wide deadline for confirming students who will complete honors (found on this page); drafts must be submitted with enough time for your honors thesis committee to evaluate your draft prior to this deadline.
CULMINATING PRODUCTS: WRITTEN & ORAL THESIS
Submit your written thesis to your committee a minimum of 2 weeks prior to your oral presentation.
Public oral presentation on or before the college-wide deadline (found on this page). You will give a seminar-style presentation on your research. You will speak and show slides for ~45 minutes, followed by questions from the audience. Anyone from the Macalester community may attend, and we encourage you to invite everyone who has supported you along your journey at Mac! The deadline to complete honors thesis presentations is set by the college (full schedule found on this page). Note: delivering this presentation fulfills the capstone requirement for the major.
Oral defense of the thesis. After your public presentation, you will meet with your honors thesis committee to discuss your written and oral thesis for ~1 hour.
Revise your written thesis before the last day of classes. Address all feedback received from your committee. You must submit a pdf of your fully revised written thesis to the Academic Programs and Advising Office on or before the college-wide deadline (found on this page).
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