491H

Earning Honors Credit for 491 Research to be Used for Biology Honors

Graduation with Biology Honors requires 6 total hours of 491 research taken for Honors credit (Honors credit cannot be earned for 291 research). Honors students can enroll in research hours in any lab in the Biology Department or labs in other departments conducting biological research. To obtain Honors credit for 491 research students must complete and submit the Request for Approval to Register for Honors Research 491 form (even if registering for research hours outside Biology).

Procedure for obtaining Honors credit for undergraduate research:

1. Download the Request for Approval to Register for Honors Research 491 form from the Biology Undergraduate Research webpage or obtain the form from the Biology Advising Office in Butler Hall. ( NOTE: They have a special gold form just for Honors research.) This form must be submitted and approved to obtain Honors credit, even if registering for 491 hours in a department other than Biology. Honors credit is not available for summer 5 week sessions, only for summer 10 week sessions. Biology 491H can not be taken for writing-intensive credit.
2. Complete the form, including a brief description of planned research. Pay particular attention to the section describing how your Honors research will qualify for Honors credit by differing from a normal, non-Honors 491. This usually includes additional expectations such as:
   • An Undergraduate Research Scholars thesis or other formal written document
   • An oral or poster presentation at a national or international meeting
   • Development of novel shared research resources such as software programs, laboratory protocols, new apparatus, or analytical procedures
   • Applications for scholarships, including Goldwater, Astronaut, NSF, or Hollings
   • Lab leadership, including responsibilities for training and coordinating personnel
3. Submit the form to Dr. Ryan for Honors approval either in person or by email to biohonors@bio.tamu.edu before the first class day of the semester.
4. After approval by Dr. Ryan, submit the signed form and any required safety documents to Vanessa Nordell in the Biology Advising Office in Butler Hall, Room 107, for registration of students in 491-HNR sections.
5. Students will be enrolled in an Honors section of Biology 491 whenever possible. If students must enroll in a 491 section in a different department it may be necessary to complete the Honors Independent Study application on the LAUNCH website to receive Honors credit.