Students majoring in Political Science are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of work, distributed as follows (see the Undergraduate Catalog for course descriptions):

Graduate Courses
Qualified undergraduates may enroll in graduate courses with the consent of their adviser, the course instructor, and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Honors Program
Information concerning admission to and requirements of the departmental honors program is available from the departmental Director of Undergraduate Studies.

The program requires:

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. PSCI 290a and PSCI 290b, Directed Readings.

4. 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.

5. 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.

To Declare Your Major in Political Science
Please come by the departmental office (Calhoun 301) to be assigned an adviser. You will also obtain the two Major Declaration forms (3 if you are double majoring) at that time. Once your new adviser has signed all of the Major Declaration forms, leave one in Calhoun 301, take the other to the A&S Registrar's Office in Kirkland 311 (If you are double majoring, the third Declaration card goes to the department office for the second major.) If you have questions about this process or anything else related to declaring your major, please don't hesitate to ask.

Director of Undergraduate Studies……………………………… James Ray, Calhoun 327
Chair of the Department………………………………………..…  Bruce Oppenheimer, Calhoun 301C,
Administrative Assistant………………………………………….. Tina Bembry, Calhoun 301
Office Assistant……………………………………………………. Darlene Davidson, Calhoun 301,
All of the above can be reached at………………………………. 322-6222

The University reserves the right, through its established procedures, to modify the requirements for admission and graduation and to change other rules, regulations, and provisions, including those stated in this electronic document and other publications, and to refuse admission to any student, or to require the withdrawal of a student if it is determined to be in the interest of the student or the University. All students, full- or part-time, who are enrolled in Vanderbilt courses are subject to the same policies.