The Honors major consists of a series of special academic opportunities supplementary to the Earth and Environmental Science major. The Honors major is tailored to fit the interests of qualified students and offers an opportunity to increase the breadth and depth of their undergraduate experience. Eligible students are juniors with a 3.4 minimum GPA in Earth and Environmental Sciences courses, plus a 3.4 minimum cumulative GPA overall.
Ideally, students declare the Honors subplan at the beginning of the junior year, but qualified students may be admitted to the plan as late as the end of the junior year. After establishing a faculty mentor willing to advise a thesis, students declare the subplan by meeting with the major advisor.
Honors Thesis
Honors students complete a thesis prior to graduation, under the supervision of a faculty advisor. The Honors Thesis must be approved by the student's faculty advisor first; a second reader is optional.
Cover Pages and Signatures
The thesis must have the appropriate cover page:
Honors Thesis Cover Page: Earth and Environmental Sciences
Once the cover page has been updated with the correct information, the faculty advisor must sign-off on the thesis by adding their signature, and the student must indicate their permission for the thesis to be uploaded to DeepBlue (including the student’s signature).
Honors Thesis Submission
Completed Honors Theses are accepted April 1 (for winter term graduations), August 1 (for summer graduations), and December 1 (for fall graduations). Delayed submission of a senior honors thesis will delay a student’s graduation date if they wish to graduate with an “honors” designation. Students should have a discussion with their research advisor about timelines and milestones throughout the year and should expect deadlines in advance of this final submission deadline to the department.
The thesis must be submitted by email to the department's associate chair for undergraduate studies and outreach coordinator.
