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Geology Department
HONORS PROGRAM



ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

You must have a 3.25 GPA within the major (including courses required for the major such as CHE 101-102, etc), junior status and have completed at least three courses in geology.


APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Apply in writing to the Undergraduate Committee. List the courses that you have taken within the major and the grades received. You should have made preliminary contact with a potential senior thesis advisor (see below) and indicate in your letter to whom you have spoken and whether the faculty member has agreed to supervise your research. You will receive written notification of your acceptance into the Honors Program.


GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Grade point average - There are three levels of achievement within the Honors program based on the level of your GPA within the major upon graduation. These are:

Honors = 3.25, High Honors = 3.50, Highest Honors = 3.75

Senior Thesis - Honors students must complete an original research project under the supervision of one of the faculty in the Department of Geology. Select an advisor based on your interests in geology and the faculty member's willingness to advise you. Sign up for at least 3 hours of independent study with your advisor during each of two consecutive semesters in their senior year. Early in the first semester, you and your advisor must develop a research plan and supply a copy to the Undergraduate Committee. By the end of the second semester, you must submit a written, scholarly thesis to your advisor that describes the rationale of the study, the procedures followed, and the results obtained, accompanied by a discussion of the significance of the work. Your faculty advisor will approve the work based on its quality (both the research and its presentation) and the degree to which it meets the original plan of study. A copy of the approved senior thesis must be submitted to the Undergraduate Committee prior to the end of exam week in the semester of your graduation.

Electives - In place of the usual elective requirement of the B.A. degree in geology, honors candidates will complete:

GLY 441 - Geophysics,
GLY 461 - Geochemistry of the Earth, and
GLY 480 - Geological Evolution of North America

Together with the independent study credits accrued in pursuit of the senior thesis, these courses will fulfill your elective requirements. This represents a increase in the credit requirements for the degree of 3 semester hours. You may propose an alternative elective program by petition based on your professional goals.




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