Major: Bachelor of Science

These courses include additional Biofoundations (BIO 80-series) courses (limit 1), lab courses (limit 1 of BIO 43, BIO 44, BIO 45, or BIO 47), 100-level Bio courses, and courses from the menu of upper-level courses that were not used to fulfill other requirements.

Students may also choose from a list of out-of-department STEM courses, consisting of most 100-level courses in STEM subjects and some lower-level courses. Please refer to the Depth in Discipline section above for a full listing of these courses.

Course Requirements:

1. 10 units of BIO 199 or BIO 199X (must submit BIO 199X petition opens in a new tab) from your Honors lab completed during your junior and senior years only. 7 of the 10 units of BIO 199 or BIO 199X can double count toward additional electives requirement.

   1. If this poses a challenge, we will consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis for students who have completed comparable experience through federal work study, paid research experience, etc.

2. 3 units of BIO 199W. Fulfills WIM. BIO 199W can double count toward additional electives requirement.

To graduate with departmental honors, a student must conduct an independent research project during their junior and senior years. Research must be done in a Biology Department lab or a lab in another department for which the student has obtained prior approval.

Administrative steps include:

1. Submit an approved honors proposal during the winter quarter of junior year.

2. Complete at least ten units of an approved research project from the same lab. Students conducting research in a lab outside of the Department of Biology must submit an Out of Department Research Petition opens in a new tab either before they start their research or, if the research was started before declaring the Biology major, as soon as their major declaration is approved. Only research units from BIO are counted toward the ten-unit requirement.

3. Obtain at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average (GPA) in all Biology major requirements taken at Stanford (foundational, breadth, and elective courses).

4. Participate in the annual Achauer Undergraduate Biology Honors Symposium by presenting a poster or giving an oral presentation. The symposium is typically held in mid-May.

5. Complete and, by the published deadline during the spring quarter of senior year, submit online an honors thesis approved by at least two readers. At least one reader must be from the faculty of the Department of Biology, and both readers must be Academic Council members. The title page of the honors thesis must include the student name, thesis title, name and department of research sponsor, and name and department of the second reader. Students must submit this page with original ink signatures to the student services office by the published deadline for the quarter in which graduation is expected.

 Honors Program and Undergraduate Research in Biology opens in a new tab for further information on the honors program.

Courses taken for Menu I requirement cannot double count toward additional electives.

Courses taken for Menu I requirement cannot double count toward additional electives.