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We encourage all CHEM majors who are hoping to graduate with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or above to consider the departmental Honors thesis option. The departmental Honors thesis allows you to engage in your education in a unique and challenging way, paving the way for your development as an independent thinker. Additionally, an Honors thesis is a highly valuable asset for entry into graduate programs or medical school, as it allows you to obtain personal and insightful letters of recommendation from your thesis advisor and committee members, and to distinguish yourself for employers.

Enrolling in CHEM Honors

• Be a CHEM major with a cumulative CU GPA of at least 3.3. Students with GPAs in the range 3-3.299 can request an exception from the Departmental Honors Committee (see below). Students with GPA in the range 2.8-2.999 could be considered under exceptional circumstances (see below). Students with cumulative GPA lower than 2.8 cannot be considered for the CHEM Honors program.
• The CHEM program is part of the Arts & Sciences Honors Program. A&S Honors run a tight ship, and we adhere closely to their guidelines. Please review carefully the��extensive information on their website, including their��Frequently Asked Questions. Any applicable deadlines are listed on that website.
• Interested students should discuss their research interests with relevant CHEM��faculty members. CHEM students can also be advised by faculty from other departments, as long as the project is relevant to chemistry. For CHEM students interested in non-chemistry topics, or those who wish to combine Chemistry with another discipline (e.g. Chemistry and Art History, Chemistry and Political Science, etc.), please consider the��General (Interdisciplinary) Honors program.
  • Eligible faculty as Honors thesis advisors (and outside readers) are tenure track and teaching track faculty who have a record of undergraduate teaching and mentorship. For research faculty, faculty new to CU, or new to undergraduate mentoring, they can request approval by the A&S Honors Program by filling out the��“exception request form”.
• Once a faculty member has agreed to supervise your Honors thesis, prepare a 1 page proposal / abstract for your thesis research, and have it reviewed by your faculty advisor. It should be limited to ~250 words, and it may include 1-2 figures, if relevant.
• You need to identify an��outside reader for your thesis committee, in consultation with your thesis advisor.
• Your thesis committee will be composed of your faculty advisor, the outside reader, and one of the members of the CHEM Honors Program Committee:��Dr. Joel Eaves for projects in Physical Chemistry; TBD for projects in Organic Chemistry, Materials, or Nanoscience; or��Dr. Jose-Luis Jimenez for projects in Analytical / Atmospheric Chemistry.
• Once you have completed the steps above, email the departmental Honors Program Chair,��Dr. Jose-Luis Jimenez and the relevant CHEM Honors Program Committee member (before the��applicable deadline) to request admission into the CHEM Honors program. You should include the following in your email:
  • Your current cumulative GPA
  • Identify the area of your thesis (physical; organic / materials / nanoscience; or analytical / atmospheric)
  • A PDF of your 1-page thesis proposal / abstract
  • CC your faculty advisor and outside reader
  • If your current GPA is below 3.3, your faculty advisor should separately email��Dr. Jose-Luis Jimenez and the relevant CHEM Honors Program Committee member to request an exception and make a case for your admission into the program.
• If approved, the relevant CHEM Honors Program Committee member will email the A&S Honors Program (CC’ing the student and thesis advisor) to communicate the approval of your thesis.
• You should then register your thesis with the A&S Honors program using��their web form before the applicable deadline.
• At that point, you are done with the administrative steps, and you can focus on your Honors thesis research.

Completing a CHEM Honors thesis

• You need to register for 6 (or more) credit hours of independent study (CHEM 4901) before your thesis defense. With the approval of the Department Honors Advisor, a student may substitute an equivalent amount of research work done through the UROP or Hughes Initiative programs, or through other individual arrangements. In exceptional circumstances, with prior approval, students may satisfy the requirements for advanced work with 3 credit hours of independent study and 3 credit hours in a formal, graduate-level course.
• During the semester in which you expect to graduate and be considered for honors, you must defend your thesis. Part of the defense is oral, the other is written. You must schedule an oral presentation on your thesis work and coordinate with your thesis committee so that they can be in attendance. As before, the committee will include your thesis advisor, outside reader, and the departmental Honors Committee member most appropriate to your project. If you need to make changes to your committee before your defense, you may consult with your advisor or with your departmental Honors Committee well before your defense date. You should give the committee a written copy of your thesis at least two weeks ahead of your defense date. If you don’t provide your committee at least two weeks to read your thesis, you may endanger your consideration for honors. A typical length for an undergraduate thesis is about 25-40 pages, excluding references.
• The oral thesis defense is a university requirement for earning Honors. The defense talk provides experience in scientific speaking and answering questions posed by a discerning, but friendly, committee. Members of the public, such as your friends and family, are welcome to attend but will be excused after your presentation and public questions period, so that the thesis committee can ask detailed questions. Prepare a talk for a scientifically knowledgeable audience who may not be experts in your specialized field of study.��
• Your Honors thesis committee makes a recommendation for Latin honors–cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude–based on your GPA and the quality of the research accomplishments, evaluated from your written thesis and oral defense. Your committee will not reveal its recommendation to you. While the departmental Honors committee can make a recommendation, Latin Honors is ultimately determined by the A&S Honors Council (composed of faculty from all A&S departments). Although designations of “no honors” are rare, they do occur.��