# HEB Honors Information ## expand\_more Any HEB Concentrator may pursue Honors. More information & required forms available via the [Harvard Life Sciences Website](https://lifesciences.fas.harvard.edu/heb-honors-info). ***For Thesis Honors, you need to:*** - **Write a thesis.** **Theses are due the Friday before Spring Break.** - **Register for two semesters of HEB 99: 99a in Fall Semester, and 99b in Spring Semester.** This is a supervised thesis research/reading/writing course with your Thesis Advisor. - **After completion of thesis, participate in a conference with thesis evaluators.** This conference is not graded, but intended to provide the evaluators with additional context when evaluating your written thesis document. ***For Non-Thesis Honors (NTH), you need to:*** - **Know that the NTH option is** ***not*** **open to joint or MBB track concentrators**, and there are *no Highest Honors awarded with this option.* - **Take two advisor-approved, upper-level courses.** **Honors determinations:** - You can receive Latin honors, which appears on your diploma, two ways. A "degree with honors in a field" is the most common. For this option, you need to be awarded honors by your department, *and* your cumulative GPA has to be high enough for the university to award you honors. Only a small percentage of students with the highest GPAs will receive honors from the university if they do *not* pursue honors in their field. - Latin honors, awarded by the university, are as follows: *cum laude*, *magna cum laude*, and *summa cum laude*. English honors, appearing on your transcript and awarded by your department, are: Honors, High Honors, and Highest Honors. - To be eligible for a degree *summa cum laude* in a Field, e.g., you must a) receive Highest Honors within your department, and b) your cumulative GPA must be above the University’s cutoff for a *summa* degree. If your cumulative GPA is above the cutoff for *summa*, but your department awards High Honors (rather than Highest), you would be eligible for only for *magna* or *cum* from the University. Alternatively, if your cumulative GPA does not surpass the cutoff for *summa*, but your department awards Highest Honors, you are still only eligible for *magna* or *cum*. In other words, the department sets the limit on the highest level of Latin honors you can receive, and in order to receive any Latin Honors in a Field, you must be awarded English honors in your department. **Thesis and Non-thesis honors determinations:** - **Thesis**: a score is calculated based on the grade for your thesis and your concentration GPA. This determines the **departmental English honors recommendation** *(*Honors, High Honors, Highest Honors*).* - **Non-thesis**: Your concentration GPA determines the **departmental English honors recommendation** (Honors, High Honors, but NOT Highest Honors). **Honors Levels:** - See the Registrar’s website for more information: - **Summa cum laude in field:** recommended for Highest Honors by concentration; outstanding overall; 4-5% of class. 2020 cutoff was 3.956**.** - **Magna cum laude in field:** recommended for Highest Honors or High Honors by concentration; highest overall GPAs not recommended for *summa*; *summa + magna* = 20% of class. 2020 cutoff was 3.853**.** - **Cum laude in field:** recommended for Highest, High, or Honors by concentration; highest overall GPAs not recommended for *summa* or *magna*; *summa, magna*, + *cum laude* = 50% of class. 2020 cutoff was 3.655**.** **How do I decide?** - Did you like your research seminar/91r? - Have you enjoyed working with a professor in the department? - What was the most interesting part of your coursework so far? - Consider your cumulative GPA—is it high enough to graduate with Latin honors, if the department recommends you? You may want to pursue a thesis or non-thesis honors even if you are pretty sure you won’t graduate with honors. **How can I learn more?** - Talk with your concentration advisors or other students who are pursuing honors to get more information about the experience. - Take another 91r. - Work in a lab (term time or summer; don’t forget faculty aide option). - Look through recent papers (e.g. PubMed). - Approach faculty members early! **Funding:** - *Funding for Life Sciences research* - [Harvard College's Funding Sources Database.](https://international.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate-funding-databases-and-resources) Search on keywords, concentrations, location, purpose of activity, and much - *The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF)* has many opportunities, and advice about [Funding Considerations](https://uraf.harvard.edu/funding-considerations) - The *Student Employment Office* — HCRP, Dean’s summer awards, etc. Dean's Summer Awards have an early April deadline - FAS Research Administration Services’ [*Funding Opportunity Databases*](https://research.fas.harvard.edu/funding-databases) - *Explorers Club Student Grants —* Deadline: Mid February - *Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research —* Two Deadlines: Mid March, Mid October. **Declaring non-thesis honors:** Complete [this declaration form (Qualtrics link)](https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6x9lRDAVMLLnZxH) prior to the course enrollment deadline. For information on qualified upper level (UL) courses, please see the [HEB course page](https://lifesciences.fas.harvard.edu/heb-course-list) or [qualifying courses list](https://lifesciences.fas.harvard.edu/files/lifesci/files/nth-qualifying_courses_20_21.pdf).