Graduating with Honors in Political Science
Students may qualify to graduate with regular honors (i.e., cum laude,
magna cum laude, or summa cum laude) or with special honors in
political science.
Regular Honors:
- A student with a grade point average of 3.40 or higher and a minimum
of four A or A- grades in the major will graduate cum laude.
- A student with a grade point average of 3.60 or higher and a minimum
of six A or A- grades in the major will be recommended by the
department to the University Honors Committee to graduate magna cum
laude.
- A student with an grade point average of 3.80 or higher and a minimum
of six A- grades in the major may be recommended by the department to
the University Honors Committee to graduate summa cum laude. Summa cum
laude is awarded ultimately upon vote by the Faculty of Liberal Arts
and Jackson College. Students must also receive one A or A- in each of
the distribution areas that are part of the requirements for
graduation in the College of Liberal Arts. The University's Honors
Committee looks very closely at the overall breadth and diversity of a
student's choice of courses and weighs this heavily in making their
recommendation.
 Grades in courses taken at institutions other than Tufts shall not be
considered as criteria for honors, both in the calculation of
cumulative grade-point-average and in counting the total of "A" and
"A-" grades within the major.
Senior Honors Thesis:
The Department of Political Science offers the Honors Thesis Program for qualified majors in their senior year. Seniors work closely with a small committee of faculty members on a well-defined research project throughout the academic year. All senior thesis students will meet weekly in a seminar (PS 198) to explore research and methodological issues in political science and will also critique and improve each other’s written work. Under the rules of the College of Liberal Arts and Jackson College, the requirements for thesis honors in political science are as follows: (a) Appearance on the Dean’s List for at least one semester; (b) Acceptance into the Department’s Honors Thesis Program by the end of their junior year.
If you are a junior majoring in political science and wish to write an honors thesis, you must
submit an application by April 20th each year. Application forms will be available in the Political Science Department and on the Department’s webpage no later than March 1 each year. There will also be an information session for prospective applicants during the first week of March every year. Students who are away from the Medford campus during the second term of the junior year should take steps to submit their applications on time. The application to write a thesis must include:
- A written prospectus of no more than 5 double-spaced pages. This prospectus must clearly define the research question(s) that the thesis aims to answer; explain the theoretical and, where relevant, policy importance of the thesis; outline the plan of research (e.g., primary and secondary sources, press reports, interviews, data sources, etc.); briefly summarize the research methodologies to be employed; briefly review the two or three major scholarly works that address the research question(s); and include a list of your prior coursework that is specifically relevant to the proposed thesis.
The department expects that a senior thesis will build on substantial prior coursework.
- An unofficial transcript.
- The name of the political science faculty member who has agreed to serve as the principal faculty advisor for the proposed thesis. Before submitting the application, the applicant must consult with this faculty member. If you are on campus, you should do this
during office hours; obviously, if you are abroad, you will have to use E-mail. You are advised to choose a faculty member who is familiar with the proposed thesis and who can evaluate your academic background.
Students admitted to the Honors Thesis Program will enroll in PS198 and PS199 in the fall and spring semesters respectively. At the end of the fall term, the student must schedule a meeting of the committee to report on her or his progress and present at least one chapter of the thesis. If the committee determines at this meeting that insufficient progress has been made on the thesis, the thesis project will be terminated. In this case the student will receive one political science credit (for independent study) and a letter grade. The completed thesis must be submitted no later than the first week of April of the senior year. In order to complete the program, honors thesis students must successfully pass an oral examination on the subject of the thesis. The examination will be conducted by the student’s thesis committee.
NOTE: during Fall 2008, PS 198 will be taught by Professor Eichenberg in the Monday afternoon seminar block (1:30-4pm). All thesis writers must enroll in this seminar.
Download Honors Thesis Application Form.
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