Honors Program

I. Description

A student may pursue a curriculum in political science leading to a degree with Upper Division Honors or College Honors. Political Science majors satisfying the department's Honors requirements will be eligible to graduate with Upper Division Honors. Students who satisfy the program requirements will receive an appropriate indication on their diplomas and transcripts that they have graduated with honors. Honors students should have their program of study and their schedules approved by the Honors College advisor and by the Honors Advisor in the Department of Political Science and should coordinate their work closely between their departmental advisor and the advisors of the Honors College.

II. General Requirements

Students planning to major in political science and work toward a degree with Honors should declare their intention to do so through the Honors College. They should meet at an early date with a faculty advisor in the department and also with an advisor in the Honors College. Students may enroll for Honors courses as freshmen and sophomores and work toward the Sophomore Honors Distinction. Students seeking to earn a degree with honors in political science should enter the program no later than the beginning of their junior year. Students will not be considered for the program unless they have at least three semesters remaining prior to graduation. To enter the Honors Program a student must have a 3.3 average overall and a 3.5 average in political science. In order to graduate with honors in political science, students must complete 36 hours in political science, including 12 hours of honors work in political science; thesis hours may be counted toward these 12 hours. Students must maintain an overall grade-point average of 3.3 and an average in political science of 3.5. Honors students' course distribution within political science will follow the established course distribution for regular departmental majors except that the distribution must include at least one course in each of the four fields of the discipline.

III. Honors Seminars

Political Science 3809, an Honors seminar, will be taught at least once each academic year. Students pursuing a degree with College Honors will be expected to enroll for this seminar. The seminar will be open to qualified non- Honors students who are majoring in Political Science or in other disciplines.

IV. Honors Options

Students working toward a degree with Honors may complete the requirements of an Honors Option for 4000-level courses in Political Science (with the instructor's approval). Students must work out an Honors Option Agreement with the instructor and file it with the Honors College office. Earning credit in connection with an Honors Option will involve doing more work than is normally required in the 4000-level course.

V. Honors Thesis

A crucial part of the Honors program is the preparation of an Honors Thesis. Students may complete their thesis over a two-semester period or a one-semester period. They should consult with their thesis advisor about planning the thesis and about the composition of the three-member thesis committee. The thesis committee will consist of their thesis director and two other faculty members; the committee will serve as an examining committee. Students who pursue the one-semester option will first register for independent study courses in the department and then register for POLI 4998 HONORS. Students who choose to complete their thesis over a two-semester period will register for POLI 4999 HONORS both terms.
The following calendar should be followed in connection with the thesis:
For the one-semester option: submission of a completed draft prior to the beginning of the last week of classes of their thesis semester;
For the two-semester option: submission of a completed draft according to the deadline established by the Honors College.