There are three types of honors at the UW: Interdisciplinary Honors, Departmental Honors and College Honors. For more information about how various honors designations appear on your transcript, visit the University Honors Program page.

Departmental Honors

Students qualify for Departmental Honors if they meet specific GPA requirements and complete honors coursework and honors capstone requirements as listed below. Students who meet the GPA requirements and are in interested in completing remaining work required to earn Departmental Honors need to email enviradv@uw.edu to request a DARS update to activate Departmental Honors.

GPA Requirements

• Minimum cumulative 3.50 UW GPA
• Minimum cumulative 3.75 GPA in all courses used to fulfill major requirements

Honors Coursework (4 credits from any combination of the following courses)

• ENVIR 497: Honors Seminar
• ENVIR 498: Independent Study
• ENVIR 499: Independent Research

ENVIR 497 is a 5 credit graded course offered in different quarters throughout the academic year. Check the time schedule in MyPlan for upcoming offerings that will vary by topic.

ENVIR 498 and 499 credits require a completed Learning Contract in order for the student to be registered for credits. See this page for more information on the Learning Contract, as well as requirements and deadlines for completion.

Honors Capstone Experience (3 additional credits)

• As part of fulfilling the Capstone sequence (ENVIR 490, 491, 492), honors students must complete 8 credits of ENVIR 491 (to be pre-arranged with Capstone instructor).

Environmental Studies students who complete Departmental Honors will receive a degree “with Honors in Environmental Studies.”