Human Development and Aging, Honors Programs (BS)

USC Davis offers an honors program to outstanding students already pursuing studies for the BS in Human Development and Aging degree. This program offers students an opportunity to participate in mentored undergraduate research, taking course work in research methods and statistics in aging, and experience in writing an honors thesis that summarizes the research project. Honors students are required to complete GERO 497a , GERO 497b , GERO 497c  for a total of 6–8 units, beginning in the fall or spring of the junior year. In the senior year, they must complete GERO 593 Research Methods  with a minimum grade of B. GERO 593  is offered only in the fall semester. Completion of the program requires a minimum GPA of 3.5 in gerontology and 3.3 in other courses. The program leads to the designation on the transcript of Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Aging with Honors.

The student takes 2 units of GERO 497a  in the fall or spring of the junior year as a mentored research course to begin the process of developing an honors thesis. This would be in lieu of elective units. In the fall of the junior or senior year the student would complete GERO 593  for 4 units and 2 units of GERO 497b , both in lieu of elective units. Also during the fall semester, the research design and methods for the honors thesis are finalized and the research project begun. In the spring, the student would register for 2–4 units of GERO 497c  in lieu of elective units. The goal for that semester is to complete the research and write the honors thesis.