Science Research Fellows
The Science Research Fellows major in the College of Arts & Sciences aims to develop a research-rich curriculum that prepares students in multiple aspects of scientific inquiry and place them in research labs by the fall of their sophomore year, where the student will continue to conduct research until they finish their degree. Because of the heavy emphasis on research, Science Research Fellows are exempt from most core curriculum requirements. Recognizing the importance of a broad undergraduate education, Science Research Fellows are strongly encouraged to take a rich variety of liberal arts courses.
Admission to the Program
Students will be able to apply to the Science Research Fellows once they have committed to Baylor University by:
- Submitting an application online.
- Answer 4 essay questions on why the Science Research Fellows major is a good fit.
- Provide two letters of recommendation from high school teachers (at least one from a science teacher) to be sent to the Science Fellows Program Director.
Maintaining Science Research Fellows Status
To remain in and graduate from the program, Science Research Fellows must demonstrate satisfactory progress defined as maintaining an overall GPA of 3.5, performing satisfactorily in their research, comporting themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity, and earning a grade of B or better in all SRF courses and all science courses from ANT, BIO, CHE, ENV, GEO, PHY, and PSY. If released from the program, students must then fulfill the general requirements of the university in addition to the requirements for a major.
Degree Requirements
The requirement for minimum hours for the degree, advanced credit, and residence are the same as for the Bachelor of Science degree.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Requirements | ||
| Chapel | ||
| Two semesters of Chapel | ||
| Common Courses | ||
| REL 1310 | The Christian Scriptures | 3 |
| REL 1350 | The Christian Heritage | 3 |
| PSC 1387 | The U.S. Constitution, Its Interpretation, and the American Political Experience | 3 |
| English | ||
| PWR 3300 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| Formal Reasoning | ||
| MTH 1321 | Calculus I | 3 |
| MTH 1322 | Calculus II 1 | 3 |
| or STA 2381 | Introductory Statistical Methods | |
| Subtotal | 18 | |
| Science Research Fellows Requirements | ||
| SRF 1306 | Research Techniques I | 3 |
| SRF 1307 | Research Techniques II | 3 |
| SRF 4101 | Senior Research Seminar I | 1 |
| SRF 4102 | Senior Research Seminar II | 1 |
| Complete eight additional hours of SRF courses | 8 | |
| Twenty-one semester hours of 3000-4000 level science courses from the following prefixes: ANT, BIO, CHE, ENV, GEO, NSC, PHY, or PSY 2, 3, 4 | 21 | |
| Total Hours | 55 | |
- 1
or an additional mathematics or statistics course that has MTH 1321 Calculus I as a prerequisite
- 2
Students must pass these courses with a grade of "B" or better.
- 3
The following ANT courses count toward this requirement:
ANT 3331/FORS 3331, ANT 4314, ANT 4330, ANT 4333, ANT 4335, ANT 4340, ANT 4348, ANT 4355/FORS 4355, ANT 4358, ANT 4365, ANT 4371, ANT 4372, ANT 4380, ANT 4690, ANT 4V16, ANT 4V17, and ANT 4V70.- 4
The following courses cannot count toward this requirement
CHE 3341, CHE 4327, ENV 3300, ENV 3303, ENV 3320, ENV 4306, ENV 4307, ENV 4310, ENV 4323, ENV 4327, ENV 4330, ENV 4331, ENV 4350, ENV 4351,ENV 4362, ENV 4369, ENV 4389, ENV 4393, ENV 4394, ENV 4410, GEO 4314, GEO 4487, PHY 3305, PSY 3321, and PSY 3341.
For Science Research Fellows in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, BIC courses will substitute for the following required courses: PWR 3300 Technical Writing and PSC 1387 The U.S. Constitution, Its Interpretation, and the American Political Experience. BIC 3358 Examined Life II: Biblical Heritage and Contemporary Ethical Issues will substitute for REL 1310 The Christian Scriptures and REL 1350 The Christian Heritage. All other Science Research Fellows and BIC requirements must be fulfilled. For BIC, this includes completion of designated course requirements on the B.S. degree for the language and culture requirement, formal reasoning requirement, and four Creative Arts Experiences, in addition to the rest of the BIC curriculum.