Honors Program

All NBB majors are eligible to join the Honors program if they meet the Emory College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program requirements and have an Emory faculty mentor supporting their research project in NBB.

NBB program-specific requirements include:

NBB application for honors

Since the Honors Program must be completed in the last two semesters of college, students must apply for the program in the semester before participation.

• The application deadline for spring graduates is June 15, and for Fall graduates it is December 15. 
• The application requires a brief title that illustrates how the project falls within the broad scope of NBB and/or Neuroethics research.
• The application is here.
   

Participation in NBB Honors Courses

NBB honors students will enroll in NBB495A in their first semester and NBB495BW in their second. Both courses primarily support the time spent on research with course credit, but each class also has regular meetings and assignments. 

• These two NBB495 courses can count toward the NBB major requirements by fulfilling the optional two “Research Electives” toward the major's seven required electives.
• Students must participate in all course activities and complete all assignments to successfully complete the NBB major honors program.
  • Significant assignments in the first semester include a 3-5 page project proposal, formation of the examination committee, and scheduling the progress report meeting.
  • Significant assignments in the second semester include completing an oral progress report, completing the written thesis, defending the written document in an oral examination (defense), and presenting the work at the Spring Symposium.

Graduate or Advanced course requirement

To complete the NBB honors program, students must earn a grade of C or higher in an additional course (i.e., beyond the 7 needed for NBB majors) with the following requirements:

• The class must be at the 400-level or higher and taken for at least:
  • 3 credit hours (400 level)
    OR
  • 2 credit hours (500 level or above)

• The class must be:
  • Listed as a “Regular” elective for the NBB major
    OR
  • Approved by Honors Director and course instructor

Although the NBB Honors courses must be taken in the student’s last two terms, the graduate or advanced course can be taken any semester. 

Most NBB majors work with faculty mentors in research experiences, and many students co-author manuscripts published in leading peer-reviewed journals. However, only honors students are mentored through the process of writing and defending a thesis. Students may work with any Emory faculty member in any department for their Honors Thesis, but the project must have neuroscience and/or behavioral biology as a major focus or lens.

All student theses are published online through the university library and, after embargo to allow for data to be included in other articles, the theses are available to search.

After writing the thesis, honors students defend their work to a committee of at least three Emory faculty members.

In consultation with their faculty research mentors, honors students form their committees during the first semester of honors. Students submit the written thesis and then present an oral summary of their work to the committee.

The committee questions the student about the rationale, methods, interpretation, and overall importance of the work. Upon completion of the defense, the committee determines whether the student has earned honors.