MCB Undergraduate Program - The MCB Honors Program

The MCB Honors Program

The MCB Honors program offers outstanding seniors the opportunity for recognition of their research through presentation and a thesis. H196 students usually work in an MCB laboratory. A student may work in any appropriate lab, on campus or off campus, and receive H196 academic credit for the research, with sponsorship from an MCB faculty member or head advisor. A student is regarded as participating in the MCB departmental honors program once he/she has been accepted into a laboratory and has enrolled in MCB H196 (independent study). We strongly encourage students who are interested in pursuing departmental honors to look for a research spot during their first semester of their junior year. Students who fulfill all MCB Honors criteria receive a notation on their transcript and diploma which reads "Department Honors in Molecular and Cell Biology."

The Honors Research Program consists of up to 8 units of independent research. Please be aware of relevant deadlines and feel free to ask questions along the way.

To participate in the honors program seniors must:

have completed at least MCB 100B or 102 and one upper-division MCB requirement, which can be a non-MCB course;
currently have a 3.0 cumulative UC Berkeley grade point average;
currently have a 3.3 grade point average in EITHER all courses required for the major, OR all upper division MCB courses;
work in a lab and have an MCB faculty research sponsor; and
enroll in MCB H196A/B by submitting a completed application each semester.

Note: Only UC Berkeley courses are used in major grade point average calculations; H196 grades are not used in calculations.

To graduate with honors in the major, students must

complete at least two semesters of research including 4 units and no more than 8 units of MCB H196A/B;
have a cumulative UCB grade point average of at least 3.3 or higher in all work completed at UCB;
have a MCB major or upper-division GPA of 3.5 or higher. MCB H196B cannot be used to calculate their MCB upper-division GPA;
present their research in an approved forum, such as an MCB symposium or poster session, or other scientific meeting; and
write an honors thesis approved by their MCB faculty sponsor. An H196 Honors Approval form must be submitted to the UAO on the last weekday of final exams of their graduating semester.

Students participating in the MCB Honors Program are encouraged to enroll in appropriate graduate level courses and to take advantage of other MCB opportunities such as MCB 119 and the annual MCB Undergraduate Poster Session. Additional information on H196 and receiving honors is available in the Undergraduate Advising Office. To find out about how to get on the Dean's Honor List, click here. To find out how to qualify for distinction in general scholarship at graduation, click here.

You can calculate your major GPA here.

Last Updated ( Monday, 11 February 2008 )