Honors Program

To enter the program, students should have completed all but 6 hours of the AXLE requirements, and have a minimum overall GPA of 3.6. They should also have a minimum GPA of 3.6 in all the political science courses they have taken up to the point at which they enter the Honors Program. They must have exhibited to the department additional evidence of an ability to do independent work. Finally, they must be nominated by the director of the undergraduate studies program.

In addition to requirements set by the College of Arts and Science, the following requirements must be met in order for honors in political science to be awarded:

1. 30 hours in political science, as well as all of the requirements for political science majors.
2. 3.6 grade point average in all political science courses, and a 3.6 average in courses that count toward honors in political science.
3. Completion of an honors thesis, under the direction of a faculty adviser. Students will enroll in Senior Honors Research (299a and 299b), during the semester(s) when they work on the honors thesis.
4. An oral exam on the honors thesis in the last semester of the senior year.

Students in the Honors Program are encouraged to take PSCI 270 before they enter or during their first semester in the Honors Program.

A three-member Honors Committee will be appointed to administer each student’s program. Students should submit the names of a faculty adviser and the other two members of the committee to the director of the Honors Program as soon as possible after they are accepted into the Honors Program. The committee will administer the oral examination, after which it will also decide whether the student will receive honors, or high honors. Successful candidates are awarded honors or high honors in their field, and this designation appears in the Commencement program and on their diplomas.