To graduate with Honors in Geography, Geology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, or Meteorology, students must meet the following requirements:

1. Satisfy all the requirements for the degree sought and for the Major in Geography, Geology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, or Meteorology.
2. Maintain at least a 3.2 GPA overall and a 3.2 GPA in all geography, geology, earth sciences, and meteorology courses taken at UNC Charlotte to satisfy major requirements.
3. As part of the final 15 hours of coursework, students must: (a) register for at least 3 hours of the Honors section of GEOG 4800 , GEOL 4800 , ESCI 4800 , or METR 4800  (Individual Study in Geography/Geology/Earth Sciences/Meteorology), and (b) complete a research project and an Honors thesis to be submitted to the Department Honors Committee composed of department faculty that certifies that the project merits Honors distinction. Candidates must earn a grade of A on the thesis research (Honors section of 4800) and present the results in a public forum. To be certified as Honors quality, projects must contain original research and demonstrate a high degree of scholarship.

Students seeking the Honors designation must notify the Department Honors Committee of their proposed research plan during the semester prior to undertaking the research project and must submit an Application for Admission to Candidacy to the Honors Council. Both the Department Honors Committee and the Honors Council must approve the proposed research plan before the student can be admitted to candidacy as an Honors student.

Faculty members who serve on the Department Honors Committee will not evaluate projects completed under their supervision. Instead, another faculty member will be asked to evaluate the project in question along with the other members of the Department Honors Committee. Should the Department Honors Committee agree to confer Honors on the student’s project, it will certify this to the Department Chair and to the Honors Council. Should the Department Honors Committee decide that the project does not warrant Honors, students will still receive whatever grade the faculty member supervising the project assigns.

The honors notation will appear on a student’s official transcript.