The University of Toledo

Qualified juniors and seniors working on degree programs within the Department of Environmental Sciences (DES) may be invited to work for one of the following citations, consistent with their degree program: "Honors in Biology," "Honors in Environmental Sciences," "Honors in Environmental Studies," or "Honors in Geology."  

The Departmental Honors program is open to DES majors and may be taken concurrently with College Honors. Admission to the Departmental Honors program is based on academic achievement. Normally, students invited to participate will have achieved a 3.3 or better overall GPA by the end of the sophomore year.

A student must satisfactorily complete from 3 to 6 credits of EEES 4910: Directed Research and graduate with a 3.3 overall GPA in order to receive the Honors citation. Candidates must prepare a written thesis based on their research and present an oral report at an open forum. Candidates also will provide bound copies of the approved thesis to the research adviser and the Department. This program provides an opportunity for the exceptional student to work closely with a faculty adviser on an independent research topic. This research experience often leads to publication and is an excellent preparation for graduate studies.

• Complete from 3-6 credits of EEES 4910;

• Graduate with a 3.3 overall GPA;

• Prepare a written thesis based on research and provide one softbound copy to the faculty research advisor and one softbound copy signed (approved) by the faculty research mentor to the Department;

• Present an oral report at an open forum based on research.

1. Meet with the Departmental Honors Advisor (Dr. Todd Crail) to discuss the program and determine eligibility.

2. Contact a potential faculty research mentor to discuss the possibility of conducting research under their supervision. A mentor list is available here.

3. Conduct an original research project under the direction of the faculty research mentor.

4. Register for 3-6 credits of EEES 4910. This does not need to be in the same semester(s) that are you actually doing your research, but this requirement must be completed before graduation. To register, you will need to use a paper form (available from Departmental secretary). Your section number will depend on who your faculty research mentor is. Have your faculty research mentor and your academic advisor sign the form, and then take it to the registrar’s office in Rocket Hall to complete your registration.

5. Notify the Departmental Honors Advisor (Dr. Todd Crail) that you have registered for the EEES 4910 credits.

6. Upon completion of your research, you must prepare a written thesis; these are usually 10-30 pages in length depending on the nature of the research. Please follow the undergraduate thesis formatting instructions found here to prepare the final thesis. Your research advisor should edit and approve this thesis before you turn it in to the Departmental Honors Advisor for final approval.  You must give one softbound copy to your faculty research mentor, and one softbound copy signed by the faculty research mentor to the Department.

7. Notify the Departmental Honors Advisor (Dr. Todd Crail) that you have completed your written thesis and turned in the two softbound copies.

8. Schedule and give an oral presentation for your thesis. Presentations can be made on campus at the Honors Brown Bag seminar, special seminars in the Department of Environmental Sciences or at the Lake Erie Center, or alternatively at a professional meeting or conference. Campus presentations should be publicized by notifying the Departmental Secretary of the date, location, and title of your presentation. Campus presentations usually last between 30 minutes to 1 hour.

9. The Department Honors Advisor should be notified both in advance of the presentation and after the presentation has been completed.

10. Around the middle of your last semester at UT, provide the Departmental Honors Advisor with an unofficial transcript to assure that that the 3-6 credits of EEES 4910 are in order.

11. Upon completion of all the requirements the Departmental Honors Advisor will notify the person in the Tri-College Advising Office who is responsible for Graduation Evaluation (John Klear) that the student has completed all requirements for the Departmental Honors Citation.  This needs to be done several weeks before graduation in order for the citation to appear in the graduation programs.