Students are awarded honors in physics on the basis of excellence in the three areas of academics, scholarly achievement, and service to the community. To apply for honors recognition, a student must submit an application to the Physics & Astronomy Department Chair before November 1 of their year of graduation. The application will consist of a current resume and a 2-page statement addressing the following issues:

The application must show that the student has maintained a 3.50 GPA in courses required for the physics major (inclusive of midterm grades in the semester in which the application is submitted), has actively engaged in and contributed to original scholarly work which extended the bounds of human knowledge of physics or a related field, and has contributed physics-related service to the school, college, or wider community. This service component might consist of activities such as (but not limited to) physics outreach presentations, peer mentoring and tutoring, student leadership, and any other relevant participation in projects serving the public interest.

The final decision to award honors is made by a vote of the general physics & astronomy faculty.