Honors
Students with a 3.5 or better upper division grade point average will automatically receive the honors distinction.
High Honors and Highest Honors
Students seeking high and highest honors must complete a thesis of 40-60 pages (double-spaced), though quantitative projects may be shorter in length.
The thesis will be completed under the mentorship of a UF faculty member and can be prepared over the course of one semester or two. Students who take “INS4930: Senior Research Seminar in International Studies” in their second-to-last semester may use that work as a springboard to complete the longer thesis in their final semester. Students may also write an honors thesis as an alternative to completing the INS4930 research project.
The requirements for completing a thesis in the International Studies Program are:
Grade Point Average
Students must have a 3.5 or better upper division grade point average to be eligible for the honors program.
Proposal
Students must submit a 2-3 page (double-spaced) proposal to the INS Undergraduate Coordinator (UGC) in the semester prior to preparing the thesis. The proposal should include:
- Topic and research questions
- Mentor’s name and affiliation
- Timeline for completion of project
Mentor
Typically, students choose a professor with whom they have already taken a course. A less common option is to find an advisor who you have not taken a class with, so long as that faculty member is willing to advise you.
INS4911: Undergraduate Research in International Studies
Students may enroll in INS4911 for 0-3 credits for one or two semesters while researching and writing the thesis. Students will receive a letter grade for this course, typically matching the grade given by the mentor for the research project. If using a thesis completed through INS4911 to substitute for the INS4930 project, the course must be taken for three credits with a letter grade.
Determination of Honors Designation
Students who successfully complete an honors thesis will have their work evaluated by a committee of INS and/or affiliated faculty who will recommend candidates for either “high” or “highest” honors. In evaluating the student’s thesis, the following factors will be considered:
- The student’s mastery of the relevant academic literature
- Originality of the student’s research
- The contribution of the student’s research to international scholarship
- The student’s ability to compose a clear and coherent paper
All INS undergraduate theses will be evaluated using the INS Senior Project Grading Rubric. It is possible that students may complete a thesis and not obtain high or highest honors if the work does not meet a minimum level of quality.
Faculty Responsibility and Evaluation of Theses
Faculty thesis mentors agree to meet with students on a regular basis and provide feedback on the progress of the student’s project. The faculty mentor is primarily responsible for evaluating the student’s thesis and determining if a high/highest honors designation is warranted.
Thesis Submission Guidelines
Final copies of theses are due to the faculty mentor and INS Undergraduate Coordinator two weeks before the last day of class in the semester that the student is completing the thesis. Exact dates will be announced each semester by the INS Undergraduate Coordinator.