The POIR Honors Programs provides highly-motivated students the opportunity to work closely with professors and other students in advanced levels of critical thinking, analysis, research, writing and communication. POIR offers honors sequences in International Relations and Political Science that are designed to foster intellectual curiosity and to provide a rich, diverse, and challenging educational experience.
Students admitted to the honors program must enroll in the Honors Thesis Seminar (IR 494) or Honors I: Undergraduate Seminar (POSC 391) in the Fall 2025 semester. This course is scheduled to meet on Thursdays from 2pm to 4:50pm.
Eligible students must have a 3.3 cumulative GPA and 3.5 major GPA to apply. Students enrolled in any major in the POIR department are eligible to participate in the Honors Program. Because of the requirements for the Intelligence and Cyber Operations major, those students must consult with their adviser before applying to assure that the program fits into their course plan. Selection for the honors program is competitive and students may not necessarily be admitted even if they meet the minimum requirements.
Interested students must submit their application no later than April 11, 2025. Students must complete the following for their application:
- Application Form: fill out the application form (link below) to confirm your eligibility.
- Research Statement: submit a 2-page statement describing your topic, what has prepared you for this experience, and why you want to write a thesis;
- STARS Report: upload a copy of your STARS Report to the application form;
- and Faculty Acknowledgement: POSC students should get a letter of recommendation from a POIR professor, while IR students should have a written acknowledgment from their proposed thesis advisor. Faculty should email this material directly to Professor Megan Becker.
Students will be provided with D-Clearance to register if accepted to the program.
Applicants are invited to attend an information meeting on Zoom on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 12pm. If you could not attend the information meeting, you may watch the video linked below. For more information about the honors program, please contact Professor Megan Becker.
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International Relations offers an honors program for International Relations, International Relations/Global Business, and International Relations/Global Economy majors. This program offers outstanding seniors an opportunity to pursue scholarly empirical research in international relations through a senior honors thesis, thereby sharpening research, critical thinking, and writing skills while gaining expertise in a particular area of interest. Students in the honors program gain the experience and skills necessary for graduate education, both at the Masters and Ph.D. levels.
The honors program is a full year commitment. IR majors are admitted into the program in the spring of their junior year. Admitted students enroll in IR 494 Senior Honors Research Seminar (Fall Semester) and IR 490 Directed Research with their substantive advisor (Spring Semester).
Honors applicants must obtain the support of an IR faculty member to advise them throughout the year on their substantive topic. Successful completion of the honors program leads to a B.A. degree with Honors in International Relations.
IR 494: Honors Research Seminar
This course introduces students to the practice of social scientific research in International Relations. It demystifies the process of doing original research and guides students step-by-step toward a successful senior honors thesis experience. During the first half of the semester, students are introduced to the basics of research design (reviewing the literature, identifying a research puzzle, developing theoretical hypotheses, and selecting empirical testing strategies) and produce a 1-2 page memorandum outlining their own research puzzle. During the second half of the semester, students are introduced to a variety of empirical research methods (historical documentary research, in-depth interviews, statistical data analysis, and field experiments) and develop their original research for a final paper of 20-30 pages in length.
IR 490: Directed Research
If the student receives a grade of B+ or above in both the overall class grade and final paper for IR 494, then they will take an IR 490 directed reading course during the spring semester. Under the guidance of a pre-selected faculty advisors, the student will revise the research paper produced in IR 494 and expand it into a larger senior honors thesis of 60-100 pages in length. This paper will be submitted in early April and students must achieve a B+ or better to receive the honors designation on their diploma. -
Political Science offers outstanding seniors majoring in Political Science an opportunity to learn how to conduct research and write a thesis on their chosen political science topic. The honors program provides and excellent research and writing experience, and an opportunity for students to distinguish themselves academically. Successful completion of the program leads to a B.A. degree with Honors in Political Science.
This program is divided into two semesters, POSC 391 in the Fall semester and POSC 392 in the Spring semester. In the Fall semester, students will learn the basic elements of the research process and develop an original research proposal. In the Spring semester, students will devote their time to researching and writing of a thesis in close consultation with the course instructor.
POSC 391 Honors I: Undergraduate Seminar
This course introduces students to the practice of social scientific research in International Relations. It demystifies the process of doing original research and guides students step-by-step toward a successful senior honors thesis experience. During the first half of the semester, students are introduced to the basics of research design (reviewing the literature, identifying a research puzzle, developing theoretical hypotheses, and selecting empirical testing strategies) and produce a 1-2 page memorandum outlining their own research puzzle. During the second half of the semester, students are introduced to a variety of empirical research methods (historical documentary research, in-depth interviews, statistical data analysis, and field experiments) and develop their original research for a final paper of 20-30 pages in length.
POSC 392 Honors II: Undergraduate Thesis
Students who successfully complete POSC 391 in the Fall will continue working on their thesis under the supervision of the course instructor. Students are expected to revise and enlarge their research paper from 391 into a thesis of 60-100 pages in length. The thesis will be submitted in early April and must receive a B+ or better to receive the honors designation on their diploma.