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Political Science and/or Public Administration Honors Program Requirements

Why Participate in the Department Honors Program?

The Department's Honors Program is not to be confused with the University's General Honors Program.  Department honors applies only to those who are political science and/or public administration majors.

There are several good reasons why a student may wish to participate in the Departmental Honors Program:

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Completion provides immediate recognition of scholarships and achievement.  Students who successfully complete the Honors Program will be recognized at graduation and there will be a notation on the student's transcript.  In addition, honors students will receive a certificate at the annual PSA Spring banquet.  Employers and graduate schools are likely to take notice.

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The Honors Program provides intellectual challenge.  It requires completion of a thesis, oral defense of the thesis, and passing of a terminal examination.

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The Honors Program will help prepare a student for the rigors of graduate study.  The requirements are similar in nature to what a student can expect at the graduate level when pursuing a master's, a doctoral degree, or a law degree.

The Department Honors Program seeks to provide an opportunity for in-depth research, reading, and writing for department majors. The program emphasizes highly personalized student-teacher contact and discussion.

The minimum requirements are:

Admission

  1. Junior standing

  2. Twelve credits in the major completed

  3. Cumulative grade point average of 3.25 in the major

  4. Recommendations from two faculty members from the department

Once a student's qualifications have been established by the Department's Honors coordinator, an Honors committee of three faculty members with one of the committee designated as the student's primary honors "adviser" will need to be established.  The student's faculty Honors committee will be responsible for reading and grading the honors paper, hearing the oral defense of the paper, and grading the terminal exam.

Program

  1. Completion of the regular major

  2. Completion of POL 361, 496H, and 498H

  3. Passing of a terminal examination

Evaluation

  1. Cumulative 3.50 grade point average in the major and a

  2. Distinguished performance on a paper or project developed in POL 496H

  3. Presentation of paper or project to a colloquium of faculty and students

  4. Superior performance on a terminal examination in conjunction with POL 498H

POL 496: Honors Seminar requires the writing of a major honors paper or thesis.  The paper must be accepted by the student's honors faculty committee.  This is followed by an oral defense of the paper to the honors committee.

Having completed POL 496, the student must complete POL 496: Honors Reading and Research.  The student's Honors committee adviser will assist in working out a program of reading and will administer the terminal exam which will be read and graded by the entire Honors committee.

It is expected that students will take POL 496 in the semester preceding graduation and POL 498 in their graduating semester.

Contact Bob Freeman with questions