Chemistry 488

CHEM 488
Honors Thesis.

Catalog Entry

CHEM 488H. Honors Thesis.
Credit Hours (3).

Prerequisites: Chemistry major with senior standing; enrollment in Honors program; completion of all other Honors Program requirements; minimum 3.5 grade point average overall and in chemistry courses.

To earn a bachelor's degree with honors in chemistry, a student must complete a laboratory research project which has been approved by the Chemistry Department and the Honors Council, write a technical paper describing this research, and give an oral presentation of the results of the project. The oral presentation will be directed to the faculty in the Chemistry Department, other chemistry majors, and faculty and students in other departments who wish to attend. In order to receive honors credit, the student must earn a grade of "A" or "B" for this final project. The course may not be repeated.

 

Detailed Description of Content of the Course

The nature of the project will vary with each student. The ideas for the project must originate with the student and not the faculty supervisor. It is the student's responsibility to prepare a research proposal during the semester prior to the one in which the actual research is to be conducted. The final project must be approved by the Chemistry Department and the Honors Council.

 

Detailed Description of Conduct of the Course

The final project supervisor and two other faculty members, one of whom must be from the Chemistry Department, will serve as readers of the technical paper and evaluators of the overall project.

 

Goals and Objectives of the Course

The goal of this course is to provide students in the Honors program and majoring in chemistry with the opportunity to conduct original research that utilizes previous academic experiences. The final project should demonstrate the ability to plan research, synthesize ideas, analyze data, and to communicate results effectively both orally and in a technical paper. Successful completion of this course will be particularly valuable to students who intend to pursue advanced degrees in chemistry.

 

Assessment Measures

The supervisor of the project and the other two members of the project committee will be responsible for evaluating the success of the project and for assigning a final grade.

 

Other Course Information

None

 

Review and Approval

DATE ACTION REVIEWED BY
September 2001 Reviewed by Walter S. Jaronski, Chair