The senior program in Environmental Studies is composed of four formal components, two of which are required - Environmental Studies Senior Seminar (ENVS 0401) and the ES Colloquium Series - and two of which are optional - independent study and program honors.
1. SENIOR SEMINAR. All ES majors are required to enroll as seniors in one semester of ENVS 0401 (Environmental Studies Senior Seminar). ENVS 0401 is an interdisciplinary course that serves to integrate student learning from the cores, cognates, and foci. The course focuses on a local or regional environmental issue and is offered at least once each semester. Students must have completed all of the ES core courses (ENVS 0112, ENVS 0211, ENVS 0215, GEOG 0320) before taking this seminar.
2. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES COLLOQUIUM SERIES. The ES Program sponsors the Howard E. Woodin Environmental Studies Colloquium that meets each Thursday during the fall and spring semesters from 12:20p to 1:20p. The colloquium is open to everyone, including faculty, students, staff, and interested members of the non-College public. All students enrolled in ENVS 0401 are required to attend as a part of that class, which results in all ES majors attending the colloquium for at least one semester. All students who are enrolled in either ENVS 0500 or ENVS 0700 are also required to attend. All additional ES majors are encouraged, but not required, to attend the colloquium. The colloquium currently meets in The Orchard (Room 103) in Hillcrest Environmental Center and features a free lunch for all attendees.
3. INDEPENDENT STUDY. Students are encouraged to think about whether they wish to pursue independent study no later than three semesters before their graduation (e.g., by the spring of the junior year for students who will graduate in May of their senior year). Independent study may be pursued in two different ways, either through the ES Program or through the department allied with the student's focus. Note that several foci require independent work as part of the focus. Any ES major wishing to graduate with honors in the major must complete either an ES thesis or an environmentally-related thesis in another department that is part of the student's focus (e.g., a geology thesis is required for an environmental geology focus) or part of a joint or double major. To receive honors, a student must have at least a 3.3 GPA for all courses that count toward the major and receive at least a B+ on the thesis.
a) Independent study through the ES Program b) Independent study through the department affiliated with the focus
4. PROGRAM HONORS. Students who complete the ES major and a thesis will be awarded Program Honors based on the following criteria.
a) Students must have a 3.3 average or better in all courses that count toward the ES major (cores, cognates, foci, and ENVS 0401). If a student takes extra cognates and/or extra courses for the focus, all such grades will count in determining honors. The grade received on the thesis will not count in determining this major GPA.
b) Students must meet the final draft of the thesis submission deadline. Failure to meet this deadline is a sufficient cause for denying an award of honors.
c) The thesis grade is based on a written thesis and an oral defense. The grade will be based on the quality of the written thesis as well as the oral defense, with the preponderant weight given to the written work. The thesis should be free of grammar, spelling, and typographical errors.
d) In order to receive honors for the thesis, the student must receive a grade of at least a B+, in addition to the course grades requirement discussed above. There will be only one category of honors for those doing an ES thesis who meet the 3.3 or better GPA and the B+ or better thesis grade: High Honors.
e) Any appeal of a thesis grade, or the award of honors, shall be made to the Program Director, who will either make the final decision or request an evaluation by another colleague.