Admission
Students should apply for admission to the program during the winter or spring quarter of their junior year. To be eligible for the honors program, a student must be a political science major and have earned at least a 3.2 grade point average overall and a 3.5 GPA in their political science coursework.
Interested students should submit the following to the Department of Political Science by emailing pga@pdx.edu:
- PSU and other college transcripts (unofficial transcripts will suffice).
- Letters of recommendation from two PSU political science faculty
- Statement of purpose (500 words or less) indicating your interest in the program, the area of research for your honors thesis, and the faculty member you would like to supervise your work
Course Requirements
| Course # | Course Name | Credits |
|---|
| PS 411 | Advanced Overview of Political Science | 4 credits |
| PS 491 | Testing Theories in Political Science | 4 credits |
| PS 403 | Honors Thesis | 12 credits |
Check the Course Offerings to determine which term the course requirements are taught in. You sign up for PS 403 through the By Arrangement System. Normally, 4 credits of PS 403 are taken each term of the student’s senior year.
The Department recommends this timeline for the thesis project:
- Fall term: preparation of research proposal and start of investigation
- Winter term: continuation of research and first draft of thesis
- Spring term: revision of thesis and defense
The student is awarded credits and works closely with the faculty supervisor at all stages of thesis research and writing . At the start of Spring term, two additional faculty members are selected to join the supervisor as a thesis review committee. At the end of their Senior year, the student submits and defends the thesis before the review committee and any others the student may wish to invite to the colloquium.
For political science students who are also enrolled in the University Honors Program, the process is designed to satisfy the thesis requirements of both programs, although these students have the option of enrolling in up to 4 credits of HON 403 rather than PS 403.