Requirement for admission for continuing NIU students:
Any student who has completed at least 60 semester hours of course work at NIU and has completed 15 semester hours of political science courses at NIU with a grade point average of 3.70 or higher (both cumulative and in the major) is eligible for admission to the political science degree with honors program.
Requirement for acceptance for transfer students:
Transfer students must meet the following three criteria for acceptance into the departmental honors program:
1) Students must complete at least 15 semester hours at NIU, including two 300- or 400-level political science courses. Students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.70 in those courses. 2) Students must obtain a letter of nomination from one political science tenured or tenure-track faculty member. The letter of nomination should be sent to the department’s director of undergraduate studies. 3) Students must be approved for the departmental degree with honors program by the department’s undergraduate committee.
Senior transfer students will not be eligible for the departmental degree with honors.
Requirements
Requirements to Graduate with Departmental Honors:
In addition to all degree requirements, students must complete three requirements to graduate with departmental honors in political science:
1) Complete at least 3 semester hours of POLS 491
2) Complete at least 3 semester hours of POLS 496
3) Complete 1 semester hour of POLS 497 no more than two semesters prior to the semester in which they complete the thesis (499)
4) Complete 3 semester hours of POLS 499 within two semesters following completion of POLS 497. The departmental honors thesis must be approved by the student’s thesis director and a faculty member appointed by the director of undergraduate studies.
Students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.70 both in the major and cumulative to graduate with departmental honors. Students who fail to receive at least a B in POLS 497 and POLS 499 and a S in POLS 491 will not graduate with departmental honors. Students are expected to present their departmental honors thesis at the annual Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day held in April.
Withdrawal from the program:
Students may choose to withdraw from the departmental honors program at any time. If students are taking POLS 491, POLS 497, or POLS 499 when they decide to withdraw, they must either complete that course or drop it. If students choose to drop the course, they must do so before the university deadline for course drops.
For more information on the department’s degree with honors program, please contact the department’s director of undergraduate studies.
The University Honors Program is separate but complimentary to the departmental degree with honors. Eligible students may participate in one or both programs simultaneously since there is some overlap in the requirements. Students interested in the University Honors Program are encouraged to contact the University Honors office for more detailed information.
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