Honours Program

General Information

Students in the MBB Honours degree program complete the required coursework for an MBB Majors degree, but also complete a 15-unit Directed Research Semester (DRS) where they carry out a research project, write a thesis and defend it, allowing them to gain valuable research experience. The MBB Honours program requires a minimum of 124 units to be completed. A minimum 3.0 CGPA, 3.0 UDGPA, and department permission is required for admission.

There are two options for the Directed Research Semester:

Option A is to complete the research in a single semester by enrolling in MBB 481-5, MBB 482-5 and MBB 483-5. These courses require the student to work full-time (35-40 unit hours per week) on the research project and thesis.

Option B is to divide the research over two consecutive semesters by enrolling in MBB 491-5 followed by MBB 492-10, and working proportionally less time on each course.

The students should keep a good record of their experimental work and will likely attend lab meetings and have an opportunity to present their work in progress. Early in each research semester the students will write a proposal, and near the end of the semester they will write a thesis describing their research, and present their findings to their research group and, in the case of MBB 481/2/3 and MBB 492, to a committee. They will be graded on their performance in the laboratory and on their thesis and presentation. Students are required to take the lab facilities tour and the complete set of SFU safety workshops; these typically occur in the second week of each semester.

Option A: These three courses are taken simultaneously in one semester.

•     MBB 481-5 Directed Research - Honours Thesis
•     MBB 482-5 Directed Research - Honours Research Performance
•     MBB 483-5 Directed Research - Honours Thesis Defense

Downloadable pdf application form and guidelines for MBB 481/2/3.

Option B: These two courses are taken in consecutive semesters (MBB 491-5 then MBB 492-10).

•     MBB 491-5 Directed Research I
•     MBB 492-10 Directed Research II

Downloadable pdf application form and guidelines for MBB 491 and MBB 492.