Departmental Honors

1. Students are required to maintain an overall 3.40 grade point average and a 3.40 in major coursework.

2. Students will complete a total of 16 credits including the Honors Senior Thesis to meet Animal Science B.S. Honors-in Major-requirements.

3. Students must choose 2-3 courses from the following courses (8-12 credits):

• ANSC 605H Poultry Production and Health Management
• ANSC 609H Principles of Animal Nutrition
• ANSC 612H Genetics of Domestic Animals
• ANSC 620H Equine Diseases
• ANSC 625H Diseases of Small Ruminants, Swine, Poultry and Camelids
• ANSC 701H Physiology of Reproduction
• ANSC 708H Ruminant Nutritional Physiology
• ANSC 710H Dairy Nutrition
• ANSC 715H Physiology of Lactation
• ANSC 724H Reproductive Management and AI
• ANSC 725H Equine Sports Medicine

Instructors shall retain flexibility in implementing additional assignments that elevate the course's educational content to justify Honors designation, which will likely involve activities such as extra reading or writing assignments, laboratory or field experiences, or classroom presentations. In order to add an honors designation to a course, students must obtain permission from the instructor and complete the Honors Designation Form in the Time and Room Schedule and return the form to the Registrar's Office during the first three weeks of the semester. In order to receive credit for an honors designation, the student must achieve at least a B- grade.

4. At least 4 (but not more than 8) credits of the 16 Honors credits required must be as Honors Thesis (ANSC 799). Thesis work must encompass two consecutive semesters of 1-4 credits each semester, and the student should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week for each hour of course credit. Students will receive a grade for the course. A grade of B or better on the thesis is required for completion of Honors in Major. The student (through their own initiative) must identify a faculty mentor to supervise their thesis work, which will involve investigation of some aspect of Animal Science. Students are urged to visit faculty websites to discover which faculty research interests align with their own. Students should then make an appointment with the faculty member to discuss possible projects and expectations for conducting thesis work with them. It is strongly recommended that the student identify a faculty mentor and begin planning the thesis work by the end of their junior year. A written thesis and public presentation of the thesis work are typically expected for successful completion of this requirement.

5. In order to enroll in ANSC 799, a permission slip must be obtained from the Animal Science Honors Program Coordinator, Liz Brock, DVM.

1. Students are required to maintain an overall 3.40 grade point average and a 3.40 in major coursework.
2. Students will complete a total of 16 credits including the Honors Senior Thesis to meet Equine Studies B.S. Honors-in-Major requirements. Usually 8-12 credits come from course work and 4-8 come from the completion of the Honors Senior Thesis. Many courses required for the Equine Studies major can be designated as Honors courses, with the consent of the course instructor. In order to justify the Honors designation, the instructor will likely implement additional assignments such as readings, writing, laboratory or field experiences or classroom presentations. In order to receive credit for an Honors designation, the student must achieve at least a B- grade in the course.
3. Students must choose 2-3 courses from the following courses and designate them as Honors (8-12 credits):
   • ANSC 504H Equine Science
   • ANSC 620H Equine Diseases
   • ANSC 640H Principles of Riding Instruction
   • ANSC 641H Principles of Dressage Instruction
   • ANSC 642H Principles of Jumping Instruction
   • ANSC 643H Principles of Therapeutic Riding Instruction
   • ANSC 724H Reproductive Management & AI
   • ANSC 725H Equine Sports Medicine
   • KIN 798H Equine Facilitated Mental Health

   Additional courses may be considered for Equine Studies Honors-in-Major requirements with the approval of the Honors-in-Major coordinator.

4. Students must complete ANSC 799 - Honors Senior Thesis. 4-8 credits total are required over the course of two semesters.
   Thesis work must encompass two consecutive semesters of 1-4 credits each semester, and the student should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week for each hour of course credit. Students will receive a grade for the course.  A “B” or better on the thesis is required for completion of Honors in Major.

   The student (through their own initiative) must identify a faculty mentor to supervise thesis work, which will involve investigation of some aspect of Equine Studies that considers and applies the student's classroom education and potential career opportunities. A written thesis and public presentation of the thesis work are typically expected for successful completion of this requirement. It is strongly recommended that the student identify a faculty mentor and begin planning the thesis work by the end of the junior year.

In order to enroll in ANSC 799, students must obtain a permission slip from the Equine Honors Program Coordinator, Sarah Rigg.

General Requirements for Completing Honors-in-Major

• Register with the University Honors Program using the on-line form. 
• Overall GPA of 3.40 or greater (3.50 or greater for students entering Fall 2017 or later)
• Earned GPA of 3.40 or greater at time of graduation in all courses with the NUTR course prefix (3.50 or greater for students entering Fall 2017 or later)
• A total of 16 credits of honors-designated work, which includes:
  • Approved Honors-designated courses (8-12 credits, ~ 2-3 courses).
  • Senior Honors Thesis (4-8 credits, conducted over the equivalent of two semesters)

• Note: You do not need to be in the University Honors Program in order to complete Honors-in-Major. For more information go to University Honors (typically started in the freshman year). 

Enrolling in the Honors-in-Major Program:

• Sophomore year is not too soon to begin exploring research areas that interest you, as well as talking with potential faculty who might mentor you in a Senior Honors Thesis.

  • Information about faculty research can be found in the Faculty Directory or in individual faculty profiles found through the COLSA website.
  • Your academic advisor can also offer advice about selecting an Honors Thesis Advisor.
  • Projects performed off-campus should have an on-campus faculty liaison to supervise overall project compliance and to submit grades.

• Before the end of your junior year:
  • Identify a faculty member who will serve as your Honors Thesis Advisor and obtain their permission to register for NUTR 799H in the Department Office.
  • Contact the Honors Program Liaison for your major to declare your intent to carry out Honors-in-Major.
  • Discuss with your academic advisor or with the Honors Program Liaison the honors coursework you plan to take to fulfill the requirements of the program.
• If feasible, consider beginning your thesis project in the summer before your senior year.  Also consider applying to the Hamel Center for a SURF that would allow you to receive a stipend to conduct nine weeks of full-time research.
• Early in fall semester of your senior year, complete the Student-Thesis Advisor Contract and submit the form to the Honors Program Liaison.

Honors Coursework (8 to 12 credits)

• Students must take one of the following courses with an Honors designation as one of the requirements to complete the Honors-in-Major requirements: 

  • NUTR 720 - Community Nutrition
  • NUTR 733 - Investigations of Diet Supplements & Herbs
  • NUTR 750 - Nutritional Biochemistry
  • NUTR 751 - Nutritional Biochemistry of Micronutrients
  • NUTR 755 - Treatment of Adult Obesity
  • NUTR 773 - Clinical Nutrition
  • NUTR 780 - Critical Issues in Nutrition
• Any other 600- or 700-level courses in Nutrition or closely related fields that are on the Nutrition Checklist for the option that the student is participating in can also be used to satisfy the requirement for 8-12 credits of Honors coursework.
• To designate a course as Honors, complete the UNH Honors Designation Form in consultation with the course instructor.
• Additionally, the UNH Honors Designation Form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar (requires signatures of instructor and Honors Liaison).

Honors Senior Thesis - NUTR 799H (4-8 credits)

• In combination no more than 8 total credits of NUTR 795 Investigations and NUTR 799H Honors Senior Thesis may be used to fulfill the Honors-in-Major requirements.

Senior Honors Thesis Overview (NUTR 799H; 4 to 8 credits)

• Research/scholarship is normally conducted over a period of two consecutive semesters, during which the student enrolls each semester for 1-4 credits of NUTR 799H.

  • Expect to spend a minimum of 2-3 hours per week on the project for each credit-hour.
• Within the first month of commencing the senior honors thesis, a thesis project proposal is written.
• The thesis proposal is reviewed and approved by the Thesis Advisor and a copy sent to the Honors Liaison.
• Students are encouraged to seek funding for their thesis research project by submitting a proposal to the Hamel Center. Hamel Center proposal deadlines are usually about 3-4 weeks into each semester.
  • Students cannot receive payment for work for which they will receive course credit, but can receive financial assistance for expenses related to the conduct of the research project.
  • During the academic year, students may apply to the Hamel Center for an Honors Thesis Grant which provides funds to help pay for expenses associated with the thesis.

• At the end of the first semester, an “IA” grade will be submitted for NUTR 799H, indicating that the work is still in progress. The final grade will be reported at the end of second semester for all earned NUTR 799H credits.
• The final product consists of a written thesis and a public presentation of the work accomplished.

The Written Thesis

• Length: 20-40 double-spaced pages.

• Components of the written thesis usually include: Abstract, Introduction/Background/Literature Review, Statement of Hypothesis, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References Cited.
• Writing the Senior Honors Thesis is an iterative process that involves writing a draft of the thesis, having the document reviewed by your Thesis Advisor, and incorporating their comments into a revised version.  Two or three iterations of the writing process are typical before the final version is completed.
• Two paper copies of the Thesis must be submitted to the student's Thesis Advisor for grading no later than the last reading day of the semester (before finals commence).  One copy will be returned to the student with comments and a final grade; a duplicate of the graded copy is sent to the Honors Liaison. The second copy is retained by the Thesis Advisor.
• Upload your thesis to the UNH Scholars' Repository.

The Public Presentation

• The public presentation should be modeled on presentations typically given at scientific conferences or meetings of professional societies.

• A poster presentation or PowerPoint slide presentation are both acceptable formats.
• Presenting at the COLSA Undergraduate Research Conference or University URC is encouraged. A departmental seminar, classroom setting, or an off-campus scientific conference are also acceptable public settings for your presentation.

Certification of Completion

• Two months before graduation, complete the Certification of Completion form.

Nutrition Honors Liaison

• Dr. Amy Taetzsch

Honors in Major (Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems) requires that a student complete the following:

• Maintain an overall 3.5 GPA in courses completed at UNH and a 3.4 GPA in all courses required for the SAFS major.

• Complete 16 credits of SAFS major requirements (Core Courses, Program Electives, or Self-Designed Emphasis Courses) with Honors. Many courses required for the SAFS major can be designated as Honors courses, with the consent of the course instructor. In order to justify the Honors designation, the instructor will likely implement additional assignments such as extra reading or writing assignments, laboratory or field experiences, or classroom presentations. In order to receive credit for an honors designation, the student must achieve at least a B- grade.

• At least 5 (but not more than 8) credits of the 16 Honors credits required must be as Honors Thesis (SAFS 799). Thesis work must encompass two consecutive semesters of 1-4 credits each semester, and the student should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week for each hour of course credit.  Students will receive a grade for the course.  The student (through their own initiative) must identify a faculty mentor to supervise their thesis work.  Students are urged to visit faculty websites to discover which faculty research interests align with their own.  Students should then make an appointment with the faculty member to discuss possible projects and expectations for conducting thesis work with them.

• In order to add an honors designation to a course, students must obtain permission from the instructor and complete the Honors Designation Form in the Time and Room Schedule and return the form to the Registrar's Office during the first three weeks of the semester.

In order to enroll in SAFS 799, a permission slip must be obtained from the student's advisor.