Academic Integrity
All students should have a copy of "Academic Integrity at Tufts," which is available from the Office of Undergraduate Education. When an examination, essay, term paper, or report bears the student's name as the author, this is taken by the instructor to guarantee that it represents the student's own work and ideas, apart from indicated acknowledgements. The use of source materials of any kind in the preparation of essays or laboratory reports must be fully and properly acknowledged through footnotes and bibliographies. Note that even where there may be no conscious intention to deceive, the failure to make appropriate acknowledgements may constitute plagiarism. Any quotation must be place in quotation marks and the precise source(s) cited. Any material that is summarized or paraphrased must be specifically acknowledged and footnoted even if it is thoroughly reworded. All sources that have been consulted should be listed in a bibliography.

Other examples of academic dishonesty include handing in an identical or substantially similar paper for two or more courses without consent of the instructors involved, dishonesty in examinations, and the purchase of term papers for submission in the course as one's own work. Faculty members will report instances of academic dishonesty to the Department Chairperson and then to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action. When appropriate, infractions will be considered by the Committee on Student Life, whose decisions may result in expulsion, suspension, disciplinary probation, or letter of reprimand.

Grades
A grade of C- or better is required for a course to count within the IR major, whether it is taken at Tufts or at another institution. No course taken pass/fail may be used within the IR major.

Honors
Students may earn distinction through general university honors (also called Degrees with Honors). Requirements for cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude are described in the Tufts University Bulletin.

NOTES: Students should keep in mind that courses selected on their degree sheets will be used to evaluate honors eligibility. Therefore, if more than one course meets a given requirement, students may wish to use the course that carries the higher grade.

In addition, grades in courses taken at institutions other than Tufts shall not be considered as criteria for honors, both in the calculation of cumulative GPA and in counting the total of "A/A-" grades within the major. Likewise, courses applied toward the IR Language Requirement do not count toward the "A/A-" totals required within the 12-course IR Major.

Double Majors
A significant number of IR majors choose to double major.  Students who choose to double major should be aware of university restrictions on overlap permitted between majors outlined in the Tufts University Bulletin.

• For most, only 50% of the courses taken in one major may be applied toward completion of requirements in a second major. The number of courses permitted toward double-counting is reached by taking half the total of the major with the fewest courses required.
• Students who double major in IR and a language may overlap 80% when counting courses taught in a foreign language (including those taken abroad) beyond the third-year level of instruction.

Students pursuing a double major are ultimately responsible for monitoring their compliance with this requirement. The IR Double Major Form (see Forms page) facilitates this task for both students and advisors. Make sure to use this form from the moment you declare a double major, as advisors will take special care to monitor overlap rules when they review degree sheets in your senior year.  Questions regarding overlap may be directed to your advisor, the IR Program office, or to the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Education.

Minor Field of Study
Although the IR Program does not offer a minor field of study, many majors pursue a minor within another department. The policy on minors is fully outlined in the Tufts University Bulletin.

Experimental College and Institute for Global Leadership
Ex-College and IGL courses may not be used for credit towards the IR major.

Declaring the IR Major
To officially declare a major in International Relations students must submit the Declaration of Major/Change of Advisor Form (Liberal Arts) to Student Services (Dowling Hall). Students are encouraged to declare anytime freshman or sophomore year and need to do so by the end of sophomore year.

Choosing an IR Advisor
Students can review the list of IR Core Faculty to help narrow down their choices. They can also learn more about new faculty through interviews published in the IR newsletter. Then, they should introduce themselves to a few prospective faculty members during their office hours in non-registration periods. This is the best way to discover shared interests and find an advisor that best suits your interests. Faculty stress the importance of meeting face to face and not looking for an advisor over email. NOTE: Students who need additional help finding an advisor that suits their needs are invited to meet with the IR Program's Assistant Director during office hours. It is possible to declare the major before securing an advisor. Simply submit the Declaration of Major Form, and an IR advisor will be assigned to you.

Before visiting a prospective faculty advisor, students should prepare the IR Planning and Concentration Forms, Parts A and B (see Forms page) outlining both courses taken and the requirements fulfilled to that point. They should also think through what their tentative academic and career goals are and ask the faculty member to suggest how the IR major can best meet those goals.

Maximizing the Advising Experience
Many students go through Tufts knowing only their advisor's signature, which is a lost opportunity to maximize one of their most valuable resources. Advisors can suggest multiple academic alternatives to accommodate students' needs and potential career paths, and they are often the best resources for letters of recommendation.

IR Transfer of Credit
For complete details on study abroad opportunities and transfer of credit procedures, visit the Study Abroad page on the IR website. Overall, there are three important things to keep in mind:

1. The transfer credit process should begin BEFORE you leave to study abroad. Follow the steps at the above-mentioned web link to secure pre-approval for the courses taken on any foreign study program (Tufts and Non-Tufts programs).
    
2. Courses taken at Tufts and Non-Tufts Programs must be approved by the IR Program in order to be used to fulfill IR requirements.
    
3. Beginning with the Class of 2014, no more than a total of three (3) courses taken abroad may be applied toward the 12-course IR major requirement. Only one (1) of which can be applied toward the IR Core requirements. There is no limit on language courses taken abroad for the IR major language requirement.

How to Graduate: Degree Sheet Process
In order to graduate, eligible students need to submit the following forms to the IR Program office (Cabot 605) by the due dates listed below:

1. University Degree Sheet (complete on-line and print directly from your Webcenter account). NOTE: When filling out Part III for the IR major courses, please list your IR language courses under the "Related Fields" section.
    
2. IR Planning and Concentration Forms (Parts A and B). NOTE: Part A lists your core and language requirement courses. Part B lists your thematic concentration courses.
    
3. IR Double Major Form: This form lists the "overlapping" courses between majors.

Once all the above-mentioned forms are completed, please visit your advisor(s) for their review and signatures. ALL forms MUST be completed and signed BEFORE you bring them to the IR Office. This includes degree sheets from other departments for double major students.

Once the degree sheets are submitted to the IR Office and the director has signed off, the IR Program will send the degree sheets to Dowling Hall. NOTE: The IR Program can only send completed degree sheets to Dowling, so again, please make sure all your forms are completed and signed before you bring them to the IR Office.

For a list of the most common mistakes made on degree sheets, visit Frequently Asked Questions.

2011–2012 DUE DATES for submitting degree sheets to the IR Program office:

Monday, October 3 – For students graduating in February 2012
Monday, November 7 – For students graduating in May 2012

Letters of Recommendation
Whether for career opportunities, graduate school, study abroad, scholarships, internships or academic honors, students will at some time during their undergraduate career need a letter of recommendation from their advisor or a faculty member they have come to know. There are a few things students should keep in mind when making such requests. Letters of recommendation are time-consuming for those who must write them, and certain times of the year are likely to be busier for faculty than others. To facilitate the writing of letters of recommendation, the following guidelines should be observed:

Prepare in advance: Make any requests for recommendations months before deadlines. Faculty are under no obligation to meet your last-minute requests.

Select someone who knows you: Make sure your advisor (or professor) knows who you are. Nothing is less compelling than a letter of recommendation from someone who does not know you. It is your responsibility to get to know your faculty as early as freshman or sophomore year. Your senior year may be too late.

Provide useful information: A transcript, resume, and information about the scholarship, graduate program, or job to which you are applying are very useful for your advisor or professor when writing.