The political science honors program prepares excellent students to complete a senior-year research experience culminating in the production of a senior thesis. The program is designed to guide you through a series of supervised research projects in honors courses. See past thesis topics and thesis award winners.
Research Honors Departmental Distinction
The honors program is connected to departmental requirements for distinction. Only political science majors are eligible for any level of departmental distinction, and only majors in the honors program are eligible for high distinction.
To be eligible for distinction, you must
- Earn a university grade point average on this campus of at least 3.0,
- Earn a political science grade point average on this campus of at least 3.25,
- Be admitted to and maintain good standing within the departmental research honors program,
- Complete required coursework in the departmental research honors program,
- Complete a senior thesis, and
- Earn a grade point average in PS 495 and PS 496 (or equivalent coursework) of at least 3.67.
To be eligible for high distinction, you must
- Earn a university grade point average on this campus of at least 3.0,
- Earn a political science grade point average on this campus of at least 3.25,
- Be admitted to and maintain good standing within the departmental research honors program,
- Complete required coursework in the departmental research honors program,
- Complete a senior thesis, and
- Earn a grade point average in PS 495 and PS 496 (or equivalent coursework) of 4.0.
If you have any additional questions, please contact Aramis Martinez (aramis@illinois.edu)
Research Honors Program Admission Requirements
Students must apply to participate in the honors program. Normally, students will apply to this program after the first or second semester of their sophomore year, but applications from more advanced students are accepted as well. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Students not admitted to the program in a given term may reapply in subsequent terms. However, the program requires a minimum of three semesters remaining in residence on this campus, including the fall and spring semesters of their final year of undergraduate studies.
In addition to an application form, students are required to submit an official or unofficial transcript, a résumé, and writing sample from a political science, political theory or other social science course. Admission decisions are made by a departmental committee. Students who are admitted to the program must be able to demonstrate they have the interest and academic capacity to complete a senior thesis successfully. The program is open only to political science majors.
To apply for the honors program, students must meet the following requirements:
- Completion of 9 hours of political science coursework from the University of Illinois.
- Of those 9 hours, at least 3 hours must be advanced political science (300- level or above).
- An on-campus Political Science GPA of at least 3.50.
- Application and affirmative vote of a departmental committee.
Apply for the political science honors program online
If you have any additional questions, please contact Aramis Martinez (aramis@illinois.edu)
Research Honors Coursework Requirements
Students admitted to the honors program are required to take a series of courses in order to successfully complete the honors program and be eligible for departmental distinction.
| Requirement | Hours |
|---|---|
| Two of: PS 229 (Doing Politics Research), PS 230 (Introduction to Political Research), PS 231 (Strategic Models), PS 362 (Qualitative Methods, planned for near future), or another appropriate course on positive political theory or empirical methods approved by the departmental committee | 6 |
| PS 494 (Junior Honors Seminar) | 3 |
| PS 495 (Senior Honors Seminar) | 3 |
| PS 496 (Senior Thesis) | 3 |
PS 494
The department offers two sections of PS 494 every academic year. If students are in year-long (or back-to-back semester-long) off-campus programs, like study abroad, or if for other reasons they are not able to take the Junior Honors Seminar, they may seek a waiver of this requirement by submitting a request and a completed research-oriented writing project.
Note that PS 494 can count as an advanced level course required for completion of the political science major.
PS 495 and PS 496
The senior thesis is the capstone to the honors track. Students prepare for the thesis by taking the senior honors seminar (PS 495) in the fall semester of their senior year. They then complete the thesis under the supervision of a faculty advisor, enrolling in the senior thesis course (PS 496) in their last semester.
Some students – including some writing a political theory thesis – may instead complete two semesters of PS 496 in lieu of PS 495 and PS 496. Additionally, students writing a senior thesis as part of joint research work with faculty may instead complete two semesters of PS 492 in lieu of PS 495 and PS 496.
Note that, unlike PS 494, PS 495 and PS 496 do not count as advanced level courses required for completion of the political science major.
Students must submit a completed preliminary draft of the thesis to their thesis advisor at least one month before the end of classes in the semester in which the student intends to graduate. Students must submit three copies of the final version—an unbound copy signed by the thesis supervisor, a bound copy, and a digital copy—to the Political Science Undergraduate Studies Office on or before the last day of classes of the semester in which the student intends to graduate.
Thesis Submission Instructions
If you have any additional questions, please contact Aramis Martinez (aramis@illinois.edu)