Major Code BS1937

Honors Tutorial College
35 Park Place
Phone: 740.593.2723
Fax: 740.593.9521
honors.college@ohio.edu
www.ohio.edu/honors

Janet Duerr, director of studies/contact person
duerr@ohio.edu
 

Program Overview

Modern neuroscience is a highly interdisciplinary field that brings together ideas and methodologies from a variety of traditional disciplines such as biology, chemistry, psychology, philosophy, physics, and mathematics. The Honors Tutorial College program in neuroscience provides students with a solid interdisciplinary foundation in modern neuroscience and allows them to pursue their individual interests within one of four major sub-disciplines or tracks: cell and molecular neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, neuroethology, or systems and quantitative neuroscience. The program is designed to provide maximum flexibility while ensuring that students are fully prepared for admission into the graduate or professional school of their choice.

Tutorials

Students are required to complete eight tutorials, including two devoted to the thesis for 2-6 credit hours.

In addition to the tutorials, the student must complete the Tier I English requirement, all core courses not covered by tutorials, and an appropriate number of approved electives. Internships and/or study abroad may be included within the program with special permission from the director of studies (credit will only be given once). Honors Tutorial students take a minimum of 15 hours per semester.

Advising and Monitoring

Each student receives initial advice from the director of studies regarding selection and sequencing of courses, choice of a thesis advisor, and other procedural matters. A committee, composed of the director of studies and the advisor, will monitor the thesis work. A typical tutorial will meet on a weekly basis for a minimum of one hour. The student and the tutor will discuss the current reading and written assignments, discuss problems and solutions, debate and offer critical analysis, and the tutor continuously evaluates the progress of the student. A final grade is made based on many facets of evaluation available to the tutor: written assignments, written exams, oral exams, discussions, presentations by the student, field work, etc.

The Honors Thesis

The honors thesis is a research project reflecting the student’s special interests. These projects are conducted in the laboratory of a faculty supervisor. Its acceptance, dependent upon an appropriate mixture of research and analysis, relies upon the judgment of the committee and the director of studies. It is expected that the research will be of the highest quality and result in publication in a peer reviewed scientific journal.

Evaluation

Students throughout the program earn letter grades consistent with the University grading system and are expected to maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Students who earn less than a B (3.0), or who maintain less than a 3.5 GPA  will need to confer with the director of studies and/or the Dean of the College. In addition to letter grades assessments, tutors complete semester based course descriptions and evaluations of each student’s work. In these assessments both the student’s academic standing and academic attitude are evaluated.
 

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission

Students are selected by the director of studies of the neuroscience tutorial program and the Honors Tutorial College on the basis of superior ability and sustained motivation. We look for good scores on standardized tests (30 composite score on the ACT or a combined score of 1300 on the SAT), but we also require a good high school record (class standing in the top 10%). An interview with the director of studies is required for acceptance into our program. Recommendations from two high school teachers are required. The personalized aspects of the tutorial system occasionally make it possible for us to accept students who have not performed well on standardized measures of ability but who demonstrate exceptional aptitude in other ways. The deadline for application for admission is December 1st, and admission interviews are held in January.

Change of Program Policy

First year students at Ohio University may apply to transfer into the neuroscience honors tutorial progam and the Honors Tutorial College. These students must meet the same entrance requirements as entering freshmen. The deadline for application is December 1st, and admission interviews are held in January.

External Transfer Admission

First year students at another institution may also apply to transfer into the neuroscience honors tutorial program and the Honors Tutorial College. These students must meet the same entrance requirements as entering freshmen. The deadline for application is December 1st, and admission interviews are held in January.
 

Opportunities Upon Graduation

This major will fulfill the admission requirements for either graduate work or professional school (medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, etc.).
 

Requirements