Departmental Honors Requirements

Summary of Minimum Requirements for the Award of Departmental Honors to Graduating Seniors
The following requirements for nomination for Departmental Honors in the Geosciences Department satisfy the minimum requirements of Union College. The purpose of Departmental Honors in Geosciences is to recognize outstanding work in the field of Geosciences. We emphasize that the requirements below are minimum standards, and students meeting these requirements not necessarily be nominated for Departmental Honors as a matter of course.

Nomination forms are available from the Dean’s Office, and are due by a deadline sometime in May. For further information, students and faculty should get from the Dean’s Office the pamphlet on Honors Theses and the sheet on Departmental Honors.

1. Candidates for Geosciences Department Honors are nominated by Geosciences Department faculty.
2. Candidates must have fulfilled Union College requirements for departmental honors. These include, but are not limited to, a cumulative grade index of at least 3.3, and a grade index for the Geology major of at least 3.3.
3. Candidates must have at least three courses in the Geosciences major with a grade of A or A-.
4. Candidates must finish a research thesis and must receive a grade of A- or better.
5. To be considered for Departmental Honors a complete draft of the thesis must be submitted not later than one week before the deadline for Honors nominations.
6. Candidates must present their thesis work at the spring Steinmetz Symposium.