Checklist for Departmental Honors in Physics

Obtain and read the key Departmental Honors in Physics (aka Sr. Honors Thesis) documents available on the departmental Website (under Major/Minor Information and Majors-Best Kept Secrets page). This document contains all the pertinent info and it is the student's responsibility to make sure all requirements are adequately met. An abbreviated (but not guaranteed complete-see item above) set of requirments follows.

1. You must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher (overall and in the department and related areas).
2. You must apply or be nominated by a member of the physics department faculty. Usually this is no earlier than the spring semester of the sophomore year and no later than the end of the spring semester of junior year. Application forms are available from the department chair.
3. Upon provisional acceptance, select a supervising professor from the physics faculty under whose direction six credits of directed research must be completed.
4. Choose a thesis advisory committee/ fill out a committee request form available from the department chair. Arrange regular meetings with thesis advisory committee.
5. With supervising professor, prepare a project prospectus for presentation to the thesis advisory committee.
6. Finish project.
7. Write the senior thesis.
8. Orally defend the work to the thesis advisory committee. Note: the deadline for this is usually mid March!
9. Present results at the physics senior seminar or at acceptable scientific meeting.