Any Biology major working toward the requirements below is considered a Biology Scholar. Any student who completes the below requirements earns Biology Departmental Honors and will be recognized at graduation, receive a certificate from the department, and have this designation noted on their transcript.
- Have an overall 3.5 GPA upon graduation.
- Complete two courses that satisfy ANY of the following criteria:
- Biology Scholars or Honors course/section (must have BIO prefix or be an accepted upper-level elective; Honors section of BIO 199 will not count here);
- 400G BIO course or accepted upper-level elective in which the graduate-level assignments were completed*;
- Graduate level (500 or 600-level**) BIO course or accepted upper-level elective;
- Honors course agreement (https://honors.uky.edu/course-agreement) of a Tier I or Tier II Core course or an accepted upper-level elective.
- Check here for which courses are accepted upper-level elective.
- Complete 6 hours of Independent Research (BIO 394, BIO 395, BIO 397, or BIO 398) or course-based undergraduate research at the 300-level or above (check with the DUS about specific courses).
- Publicly present your research results or write a thesis. Presentations can take many forms such as a talk or poster at a professional meeting or to some other group larger than a research lab. The University hosts an undergraduate research poster session late in each Spring semester. A thesis is also acceptable (see UK thesis guidelines); contact DUS for more information on the thesis.
- Complete the Biology Scholars Application during the semester of your planned graduation.
Deadline to apply for December graduation: third Friday of October
Deadline to apply for May and August graduation: third Friday of March
*To receive Scholars credit for a 400G course, you must complete the graduate level course requirements. Inform your instructor that you would like to use the course as a Scholars course and submit written verification from them that you completed the "G" requirements of the course.
**600 level courses require special permission to register. Complete the “Undergraduate Enrollment in a Graduate-Level Course” form.
All courses used to satisfy Biology Scholars requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
For additional information, please email biology@uky.edu.