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 (June 2025): Pending UW Honors approval, as of Autumn 2025, both GPAs needed to declare ESRM Department Honors will be rising substantially.  ESRM Major GPAs are available at the bottom of ESRM degree audits in the Honors section.

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.  Additionally, with the substantial growth we’ve experiences in the ESRM major in recent years, we do not have the number of faculty needed to accommodate the number of currently eligible ESRM majors in an Honors Capstone.  Based on recent student data, we are anticipating the new GPA requirements will make the top 25% of ESRM Majors eligible to declare Department Honors if they wish.  Honors Declaration requires an application process and a successful research placement, and there are more students interested in doing a senior capstone (whether for Department Honors purposes or not) than spots available.

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

Any student in either the BSE or ESRM 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 

UPDATE (July 2025): New Capstone and Department Honors declaration forms and processes launching soon.

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.   Sign up forms (Senior Capstone Registration Form, Undergraduate Research Registration form, Department Honors Registration form) are available on the Student Forms, Policies and Procedures page. 

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.”