Honors Program
The Earth Systems Honors program provides students with an opportunity to pursue individual interdisciplinary research. It consists of a year-long research project that is mentored by one or more Earth Systems-affiliated faculty members, and culminates in a written thesis. The Earth Systems Honors application deadline for 2023-24 is October 27th, 2022 and May 2, 2023.
For application instructions, please see: Applying to the Earth Systems Honors Program
To qualify for the honors program, students must have and maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.4. Potential honors students are encouraged to complete the EARTHSYS 111 Biology and Global Change and EARTHSYS 112 Human Society and Environmental Change sequence by the end of the junior year. Qualified students can apply in Spring Quarter of their junior year, or the fourth quarter before graduation (check with program for specific application deadlines) by submitting a detailed research proposal and a brief statement of support from a faculty research advisor. Students who elect to do an honors thesis should begin planning no later than Winter Quarter of the junior year.
A maximum of 9 units is awarded for thesis research through EARTHSYS 199 Honors Program in Earth Systems. Those 9 units may not substitute for any other required parts of the Earth Systems curriculum. All theses are evaluated for acceptance by the thesis faculty adviser and one additional faculty member, who is the second reader, and the Director of Earth Systems. Both the adviser and second reader must be members of the Academic Council. Acceptance into the Honors program is not a guarantee of graduating with the honors designation. The thesis must be accepted and approved by both readers and the Director of Earth Systems, and a minimum overall GPA of 3.4 must be maintained.
Honors students are required to present their research publicly at the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences' Annual Honors Symposium, which highlights undergraduate and graduate research in the school. Faculty advisors are encouraged to sponsor presentation of student research results at professional society meetings.