CALS Honors
CALS Honors Scholars Certificate
The CALS Honors Scholars Certificate Program is for students who have:
- Declared a major in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
- Accumulated at least 60 credits toward graduation
- A 3.75 or greater overall Upper-Division GPA
CALS Honors coursework is identified as such on the transcript. Students that successfully complete the CALS Honors Program are designated as CALS Honors Scholars, and receive a Scholars Medallion and certificate. Successful completion of the CALS Honors program (GPA, courses, and thesis) automatically qualifies students for graduation from UF with magna cum laude or summa cum laude honors.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Are The Deadlines For Submitting A Proposal and Final Thesis?
- If you are graduating Spring 2025: Proposal is due to CALS Honors Program Director by Friday, September 20,2024.
- Thesis (signed and approved by your thesis mentor and Departmental Honors Coordinator) is due to CALS Honors Program Director by Friday, March 28, 2025. Please note, if you are a CALS Biology major and wish to be considered for the Biology Honors Awards, you need to turn your completed thesis into Dr. Mutahi by March 15, 2025.
- If you are graduating Summer 2025: Proposal is due to CALS Honors Program Director by Friday, February 7, 2025.
- Thesis (signed and approved by your thesis mentor and Departmental Honors Coordinator) is due to CALS Honors Program Director by Thursday, July 3, 2025. Please note, if you are a CALS Biology major and wish to be considered for the Biology Honors Awards, you need to turn your completed thesis into Dr. Mutahi by June 20, 2025.
- If you are graduating Fall 2025: Proposal is due to CALS Honors Program Director by Friday, May 30, 2025.
- Thesis (signed and approved by your thesis mentor and Departmental Honors Coordinator) is due to CALS Honors Program Director by Friday, November 7, 2025. Please note, if you are a CALS Biology major and wish to be considered for the Biology Honors Awards, you need to turn your completed thesis into Dr. Mutahi by October, 20, 2025.
- What is an Honors Thesis?
- An Honors thesis is a written report of a creative, scholarly project dealing with teaching, research, or outreach. It has clear objectives and conclusions and involves original, independent work of the student. It is NOT a book report or literature review of a topic, an opinion paper on why something is good or bad, or a paper that lacks novel and critical analysis.
- How Long is A Typical CALS Thesis?
- There is no length requirement; typically theses are 10-50 pages double spaced, not counting figures, tables, literature cited, and appendices. The focus is quality, not quantity.
- Should I Do An Honors Thesis?
- Yes if you:
- Are in the CALS Honors Program
- Wish to graduate UF with magna or summa cum laude Latin Honors
- Like to work one-on-one with distinguished faculty
- Can devote up to several hours per week to your project
- Are self-motivated and manage time effectively
- Wish to enhance your qualifications for graduate or professional school admission
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- At the college level, contact Matt Brannan (352-392-1963) or Dr. Al Wysocki (352-392-1963).
- UF students looking for an opportunity to volunteer in support of a UF/IFAS research project can search research opportunities.
- Departmental Honors coordinators can help you find a faculty mentor and conduct a project related to your interests.Who Can I Contact To Obtain More Information
Courses
CALS Honors Scholars Certificate courses are designed to give you individual and small-class interactions with faculty and fellow students. Faculty get to know CALS Honors Scholars Certificate students, and can help with letters of recommendation and advice on employment and higher degree opportunities.
To complete the CALS Honors Scholars Certificate, you must take ALS 3923 (1 credit Honors Orientation), XXX 4915 (3 credit Honors Project) plus 4-6 additional credit hours of honors courses taken as part of an Honors Course Contract (see below). The 4-6 additional hours must come from upper division courses not previously counted for credit.
To graduate with Honors from UF without completing the CALS Honors Scholars Certificate you must write an honors thesis as part of the coursework requirement.
NOTE
You can write an Honors Contract on upper-division courses in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences only! We cannot change course titles in other colleges to include Honors - only CALS.
Graduate Courses and UF Honors Courses: UF Honors courses numbered 3000 or above and not previously counted for credit will also satisfy CALS Honors course requirements if you go through the CALS Dean's office, using an Honors Contract form signed by your instructor to create an honors section of a course you are currently enrolled in. Graduate courses are those numbered 5000 and above, and they require the consent of the instructor for you to enroll; contact the instructor directly.
Questions about coursework? Ask your Departmental Honors Coordinator, or the CALS Dean's office.
- ALS 3923 -- Honors Orientation [Web] (1 cr)
- This course orients students to the CALS Honors Program and assists them in getting started with a thesis project. The course features guest lectures, class discussions, interactive exercises, and online assignments.
- XXX 4915 - Honors Project (0-3 cr)
- Each CALS department has "Honors Project" or "Honors Research" courses, to be taken while you are working on your thesis project. Outside of CALS, departments may not have a XXX 4915 course, so consult your to determine what to take if your mentor is not a member of CALS. You can use ALS 4915 for this purpose. View the ALS 4915 undergraduate honors project student contract that must be completed before you register for this honors project class.
- Honors Course Contracts involve scholarly inquiry and faculty mentoring linked to upper division courses within your major. Together with your instructor, unique course requirements are developed, and the course receives Honors status. Students must submit the Honors Contract form to the Dean's office no later than 3 weeks after the first day of classes of the semester in which the course is taken. This is the most common way that CALS Honors coursework is completed.
Requirements
Consider applying to the CALS Honors Scholars Certificate program if you meet the following admission requirements:
- You are a student in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
- You have earned at least 60 credits toward graduation
- You have an overall UF upper-division GPA of 3.75 or greater
Hours: 9 credits with minimum grades of C or S
Students earning the CALS honors scholar certificate must complete at least nine credit hours of honors coursework and an undergraduate honors thesis. The coursework, thesis topic and thesis adviser are unique to each student and are subject to approval by the CALS honors program director.
- Maintain an upper division GPA (last 60 hours) of at least 3.75.
- ALS 3923 Honors Orientation (1 credit).
- XXX 4915 Honors Project (or similar independent study/research course to be completed as the student is working on their thesis research) (3-4 credits). In each department, there is a course designated for this purpose; register for this during the semester that you are performing or writing your honors project. The zero credit option for XXX 4915 will NOT count towards the CALS Honor Scholar Certificate.
- Additional Honors courses. Honors course work is identified as such on your transcript. These additional credits of honors coursework (4-5 credits) are taken as:
- Existing 3000/4000-level honors courses, approved by the honors program director
- Existing 3000/4000-level CALS courses taken as honors contract courses, approved by the honors program director
- CALS graduate-level courses, approved by the honors program director
- Complete an Honors thesis, approved by the research mentor, department honors coordinator and honors program director.
- Be sure to double check with your Departmental Honors Coordinator for any additional requirements.