Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College

Students receive a Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences,[6] with a concentration in a specific area of study.[7] The Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College offers majors and concentrations in American Studies, Anthropology, Art (Transdisciplinary Visual Arts), Biological Chemistry, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Economics, English Literature, Environmental Studies, History (Interdisciplinary), Interdisciplinary Critical Theory, International Studies, Latin American Studies, Law and Society, Marine Biology, Mathematics, Mathematical Sciences (Interdisciplinary), Medical Humanities, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Pre-Med, Psychology, Spanish, Women's Studies, and Writing[8]

Wilkes Honors students may apply to a highly selective, early admission program into The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. Students in this program receive a B.A. from the Honors College, and an M.D. degree from Florida Atlantic University's College of Medicine in seven to eight years. Students accepted into the Wilkes Medical Scholars Program are guaranteed a spot in the Medical School upon successful completion of the Medical Scholars Program requirements.[9]

65% of the Honors College alumni enter graduate school, and have gone on to pursue graduate degrees at institutions such as MIT, Harvard Medical School, the University of Chicago, Georgetown, and UC Berkeley.[10]

Each honors student must complete an honors thesis as partial fulfillment of the degree he or she obtains. The theses are composed with the guidance of a primary faculty advisor and a second reader on a topic chosen by the student. Students register for thesis credits during the fall and spring semesters of their senior year, and are turned in prior to graduation.[13]

Students have composed theses in numerous concentrations, including anthropology, biology, marine biology, zoology, chemistry, biochemistry, economics, environmental studies, American history, world history, international studies, law, American literature, English literature, Spanish literature, mathematics, multi-disciplinary studies, neuroscience, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, and women's studies.[14] Some students are able to publish their theses alongside their faculty advisor in peer-reviewed journals.[15]

The Honors College Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Research is an annual event that showcases student research in a conference format with talks, a poster session, and a visual arts presentation. Each year, the Chastain Honors Symposium Lecture is given by a faculty and staff chosen keynote speaker, and is open to the public. Past presenters have included The Honorable Carole Y. Taylor, a judge on the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, and Dr. Michael Ruse, Guggenheim Fellow and editor of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Darwin and Evolutionary Thought.[16]