SEFS participates in the UW Honors Program, so there are two Honors options open to SEFS undergraduate students:

Departmental Honors

Participating in the Departmental Honors program allows SEFS students to explore their major in greater depth by completing an Honors-level thesis or other research project.  As UW Honors describes, all departmental honors programs have the same foundational goals: 

• to allow students the opportunity to explore their chosen major in greater depth and with greater personal ownership; 
• to extend the departmental or disciplinary vision into individual student work in new and creative ways; and 
• to facilitate mentorship and scholarly guidance from a faculty adviser. 

Eligibility

UPDATE (December 2025): As of Spring 2026, the required GPAs to declare ESRM Department Honors will be rising.  See below for numbers.  

Any ESRM major who is first declaring ESRM department honors in Spring 2026 or later will need a UW Cumulative GPA or at least 3.7 and an ESRM Major GPA of at least 3.7 to be eligible.  Students who began their Honors Capstones prior to Spring 2026 are unaffected by the new eligibility requirements.

This is occurring because the present GPA standards make a large majority of ESRM majors Department Honors-eligible, and we want to make Department Honors status more meaningful. Based on recent student data, we are anticipating the new GPA requirements will make the top 30-40% of ESRM Majors eligible to declare Department Honors if they wish.  

BSE Department Honors GPA requirements will remain the same as indicated below.

Any student in the BSE major with a UW cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 AND a Major GPA of at least 3.5 is eligible to join Departmental Honors.  You must maintain both these minimum GPAs throughout your degree program to graduate with Departmental Honors.   

Requirements for Departmental Honors Completion 

Currently in SEFS, to earn Departmental Honors, students must complete 10 credits of either an Honors Senior Capstone (ESRM majors), or 10 credits of an Undergraduate Research project (BSE or ESRM majors).  When you sign up for your Capstone or Research you will simultaneously sign up for Department Honors.   

Diploma Recognition  

Graduates who successfully completed the requirements for Departmental Honors will see their degree listed on their diploma as “Bachelor of Science in [Discipline] with Departmental Honors.” 

Interdisciplinary Honors 

The UW’s Interdisciplinary Honors program is operated directly by UW Honors, and more information about it is on their website. They provide a variety of details there, including details about the program benefits.  The Interdisciplinary Honors program admits students at 3 points: 

• 1st year admission 
• 2nd year admission 
• Transfer student admission 

If a student completes interdisciplinary honors, their SEFS degree will be listed on their diploma as “Bachelor of Science in [Discipline] with Interdisciplinary Honors.” 

College Honors 

Completion of both the interdisciplinary and departmental honors programs is a particularly impressive achievement.  If a student completes both interdisciplinary and departmental honors, their SEFS degree will be listed on their diploma as “Bachelor of Science in [Discipline] with College Honors.”