Honors Guidelines

Honors Thesis grading for POLS majors

 NOT enrolled in the Honors Program:

A. Students must have a minimum of 3.5 cumulative GPA in order to attempt an Honors Thesis Option. 

B. Students must enroll in a sequence of the following HONR and POLS courses:

• 1 credit Honors thesis prep course (HONR 396) in the Spring of Junior Year,
• Departmental Senior Research Seminar in either Spring +or Fall semester of Senior Year (POLS 361-365)
• Honors thesis course (HONR 398) in the opposite semester of Senior Year

C. To receive Departmental distinction, a thesis must achieve an "H" grade following thesis defense.

The Political Science Department has defined only an "H" as deserving of departmental distinction. The department will not assign any grade points for Honors thesis (i.e. HONR 398). In other words, the grade of "H" or "S" will receive four credits but will not be calculated into a student's GPA.

• All work deserving of Honors will receive H; less than H will be marked S or U.
• Students earning "H" will receive department distinction and 4 credits in HONR 398.
• Students earning "S" will not receive departmental distinction, but will earn 4 credits in HONR 398.
• Students earning "U" will not receive departmental distinction and will not earn any credits in HONR 398. 

NOTE: Not all students who attempt to do an Honors thesis achieve Departmental Distinction for their effort. The grade is determined by the final quality of the thesis produced. To receive "H" and qualify for Departmental Distinction, a thesis should be judged by faculty to be at the quality equivalent of an A or AB level.

Honors Thesis grading for POLS majors

 who also participate in the Honors Program:

Students who have been participating in the Honors program and are also POLS majors, must also earn "H" following defense of their Thesis to qualify for Departmental Distinction.

• Students earning "H" will receive department distinction and 4 credits in HONR 398.
• Students earning "S" will not receive departmental distinction, but will earn 4 credits in HONR 398.
• Students earning "U" will not receive departmental distinction and will not earn any credits in HONR 398.
• The grade of "B" could be earned instead of an "S" which will allow the student to receive All College Honors, 4 credits in HONR 398, but not departmental distinction.

NOTE: Not all students who attempt to do an Honors thesis receive Departmental Distinction for their effort. The grade is determined by the final quality of the thesis produced. To receive "H" and qualify for Departmental Distinction, a thesis should be judged by faculty to be at the quality equivalent of an A or AB level.