Honors in the Major or Senior Thesis
The Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) Honors in the Major program is designed for students who wish to prepare for graduate or professional school through one of the most rigorous and rewarding academic experiences available on campus.
Honors students have opportunities to:
- Work closely with faculty through research and scholarly activities
- Complete an independent research project and senior thesis
- Engage with a community of motivated Honors students
- Explore advanced topics in molecular and cell biology
Most students declare Honors in the Major during their sophomore year or early junior year. To declare Honors in the Major, students should meet with the MCB academic advisor. You must declare HM for MCB with the L&S Honors Program.
Honors in the Major for MCB Requirements
To earn Honors in the Major in MCB, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major and the following additional requirements:
- Earn a 3.300 overall university GPA
- Earn a 3.300 GPA for all courses accepted in the major
- Complete at least 15 credits of honors courses in the major while in residence at UW-Madison. This requirement can be broken down as indicated below:
- At least 9 credits from the Breadth and Depth course options in the Molecular and Cell Biology major
- Complete two semester Senior Honors Thesis, a piece of original research composition.
- Complete one semester of the Molecular and Cell Biology senior honors seminar course.
Honors and Senior Thesis Proposal
Students must submit an Honors or Senior Thesis Proposal and Proposal Form, combined into 1 PDF file, to mcb@biology.wisc.edu. Due date for the proposal is one week before the start of the semester, (Ex. To begin a thesis in a fall semester the proposal is due by August 31). Thesis proposals must be approved by the Chair of the major and this process can take up to 2-3 weeks, please plan accordingly.
After approval, students receive permission to enroll in thesis credits.
Honors or Senior Thesis Courses
The Honors Thesis or Senior Thesis is a two-semester research sequence in which students work closely with a faculty mentor on a laboratory project designed jointly by the student and mentor.
Students completing Honors in the Major will enroll in:
- Molecular Biology 681–682: Honors Thesis
- Molecular Biology 686: Senior Honors Seminar
Students completing a Senior Thesis will enroll in:
- Molecular Biology 691-692: Senior Thesis
Together, these courses provide an intensive research experience culminating in an Honors or Senior Thesis.
A note about Thesis courses, Grades, and Credits
Molecular Biology 681 and 682 Honors Thesis
During the first semester, a student begins work on the project and is assigned a grade of “P” for progress for Mol Bio 681 by the faculty mentor. Your faculty mentor should grade your final thesis. Once the final thesis has been approved and graded, your faculty mentor will submit your final grade. The Registrar’s Office will update the “P” grade from 681 to match the assigned grade from 682, 6 credits total for both Mol Bio 681 and 682.
Molecular Biology 686: Senior Honors Seminar
Senior Honors Seminar in MCB is a required 1-credit class for students pursuing Honors in the Major that explores the origins, present frontiers, and future prospects of molecular and cell biology. Students will read, write about, and discuss papers from the original literature. Social and ethical issues related to technologies based on molecular and cell biology are considered. Prerequisites: Sr St; juniors may register with consent of instructor.
Molecular Biology 691 and 692: Senior Thesis
Senior Thesis in MCB is also a two semester sequence and this option is for students who are not completing Honors in the Major, but are working in a lab and want to pursue a Senior Thesis.
During the first semester of the thesis, a student begins work on the project and is assigned a grade of “P” for progress for Mol Bio 691 by the faculty mentor. Once the final thesis has been approved and graded and the final grade is submitted by the faculty mentor, the Registrar’s Office will update the “P” grade from 691 to match the assigned grade from 692, 6 credits total for both Mol Bio 691 and 692.
Final Thesis Submission
Upon receiving your thesis advisor’s approval for the finished thesis, submit the thesis as an email attachment to mcb@biology.wisc.edu. The final deadline to submit the thesis is on THE LAST DAY OF FINALS OF THAT SEMESTER.
If you anticipate needing additional time to complete the work, you must discuss this with your thesis advisor, and contact your MCB academic advisor. Your mentor will submit a grade of ‘incomplete’ if the thesis is not submitted and graded by the grade submission deadline. If you are graduating and need the 6 credits for graduation, you will not officially graduate until the thesis is reviewed and the ‘incomplete’ is removed.
Please see guidelines for incomplete grades in the Guide.