Honors in International Studies
A student who is interested in conducting advanced independent research by working closely with one or more faculty members may apply for honors in international studies. Requirements for admission to the honors program include:
- A 3.70 GPA in International Studies and an overall 3.33 GPA at the time of application;
- A letter of support from a faculty advisor directing the student's honors project; and
- An honors application that includes a statement of purpose that describes the research topic; a detailed proposal for the research project; a faculty thesis advisor; and a thesis committee composed of an additional one or two faculty members from different academic programs than their thesis advisor with a total of at least two core IST faculty members.
Objective: Successful honors theses in international studies culminate in a 20–30 page work of original research and analysis of a caliber that could result in a undergraduate conference presentation and journal submission.
Spring Semester and Summer of Junior Year: Students who are interested in applying for honors in international studies must declare their intention to do so to their major advisor and the director of international studies by the end of the spring semester of their junior year. Students who do so may begin working with their advisor to develop their honors application over the summer before their senior year.
Fall Semester of Senior Year: Students who have declared their intent to apply for honors in the spring semester of their junior year will register for a half-credit (IST 970: Independent Study) course with their advisor during the fall semester of their senior year to continue developing and submitting their honors application. This half-credit independent study course will result in a 30-minute (20-minute presentation and 10-minute question & answer) discussion of the student’s work with their thesis committee at the end of the fall semester. A final grade of A- or above will result in the student’s application to pursue honors in international studies being approved; a grade of less than an A- will result in the student’s application for honors being declined.
Spring Semester of Senior Year: During the spring semester of their senior year, students whose applications for honors in international studies have been approved in the previous semester will register for another half-credit independent study (IST 970: Honors Thesis) course with their advisor to complete their thesis work. Students will also be required to present their progress orally and in writing to the members of their thesis committee part-way through the spring semester, and to meet with their other thesis committee members as needed to obtain their advice and guidance. The culmination of this work will result in a brief presentation at the annual International Studies Senior Research Symposium; the completion of a 20–30 page honors thesis; and a thesis defense with members of the thesis committee. Successful completion of the defense and any requested modifications to the thesis will result in the student being awarded honors in international studies at commencement.
Students who are planning on graduating early may need to declare their intention to pursue an honors in international studies before the end of the spring semester of their junior year. For more information about the honors program in international studies, students should reach out to their academic advisor or the director of international studies.
