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Biomedical Engineering

  2. Biomedical Engineering
  3. Undergraduate Program
  4. BME Undergraduate Honors Program

BME Undergraduate Honors Program

With approval of the Honors Program Director, Dr. Amanda Lowery, juniors and seniors in biomedical engineering who have achieved a minimum quality point ratio of 3.5 may be accepted into the undergraduate honors program. Honors students take at least six credit hours of 5000-level (for graduate credit) or higher BME courses, which can be counted toward the undergraduate degree requirements as BME electives or which can be taken for graduate school credit. Honors students must make a quality point ratio of 3.0 in these classes and maintain an overall 3.5 GPA to be designated as an honors graduate. The diploma designation is Honors in Biomedical Engineering. Students in the honors program must also complete a two semester-long research project and present a research report; this can be accomplished through the BME 3860 and 3861 (240a and 240b) Undergraduate Research elective courses or through independent research during the school year. The report is due in manuscript form to the Honors Program Director the same day as it is due to the research course director and project preceptor.

The final manuscript should be a thoughtful combination of both research for credit semester reports and should include any further updates and observations.

To apply, fill out the Honors Program Application Form detailing how you plan to meet the requirements for the honors program, complete your Four Year Curriculum Spreadsheet, and meet with your academic advisor to obtain their approval before the start of your senior year. Once these steps have been completed, your advisor will fill out an online approval form which will be sent to the Honors Program Director (amanda.r.lowery@vanderbilt.edu) for approval.

BME Honors Final Thesis Information:

For those students who have applied to the Honors Program, each student must submit a Final Thesis by the same day day that research for credit report are due. Submissions must be sent by 11:59 PM. The thesis should appropriately state the problem, detail methodologies used, state results, and discuss implications of the work each student completed during the two mandatory research for credit semesters. The report should:

  • Be double spaced
  • Be approximately 7-10 pages in length
  • Formatted as to be submitted to a scientific journal for review (two columns, with appropriate sections, including an introduction)
  • Include at least 20 references, single spaced. References should be other scientific, published research articles
  • Combine and build upon findings in the student's first and second semesters of research for credit and should highlight future directions and/or any other findings since the completion of those semesters

Vanderbilt Honor Scholarships  :

The Office of Honor Scholarships provides information, outreach, and support to Vanderbilt students who have the potential to become candidates for nationally-competitive fellowships.

Though a record of academic excellence, leadership and service are necessary preconditions for candidacy, these fellowships are not a recognition of past performance, but an investment in future potential. Those who receive them are expected to use what they learn during the fellowship period to become leaders in science, government, education, and the arts.

The Office of Honor Scholarships is here to help you negotiate the wide landscape of funded academic opportunities, from helping you decide which programs to pursue to reviewing your application and helping you prepare for the next step when you become a finalist.