Combined Honours
An Honours program is a seperate pathway of the undergraduate degree, which involves more intensive—and extensive—coursework within a discipline, and requires students to maintain higher grades in relevant courses. It is thus generally seen as a more demanding and prestigious program of studies.
The Combined Honours is a modified version of the Honours program, which allows students to specialize in more than one discipline. Interested students should also review the procedures and requirements for the regular Honours program, listed separately.
In most cases, students apply to the Combined Honours program at the end of their third year, and, if accepted, are formally enrolled in the program at the start of their fourth year. It is, however, never too early to be thinking about Honours, and early attention to program requirements can help ensure successful applications and timely completion. Students considering an Honours degree in Political Science are encouraged to meet with the Honours Coordinator and the Undergraduate Advisor, who will be happy to assist in selecting classes and addressing any administrative questions that may arise.
The requirements listed below are just for admission to, and completion of, the Combined Honours program in Political Science. Combined Honours students must also complete the relevant requirements for the College of Arts and Social Sciences (“General Degree Requirements”).
The procedures and requirements for Combined Honours depend on which department the student chooses as his or her primary discipline. Those that choose Political Science as the primary discipline for their Combined Honours will apply through the Political Science department, be advised by the Political Science Honours Coordinator, and participate in the Political Science Honours Seminar. Those that choose another department as their primary discipline, will apply through and follow the guidelines for that other department; but they must still satisfy some basic requirements set down by the Political Science department (see below).
For both versions of Combined Honours, the deadline each year to apply is August 31st.
Combined Honours with Political Science as Primary Discipline
The Department offers a thesis-based Honours program, which involves independent research chosen by students, in consultation with their supervisor. Thesis-based honours degrees are designed to teach students how to design and execute focused research projects, working closely with the supervisor of their choice. Honours students in the Department are given special instruction, both individually and collectively, on methodologies, research design, data collection, ethical issues, and cutting-edge debates in the discipline. They work closely with other Honours students in sharing ideas and experiences as they pursue their respective research projects. The Honours degree is generally chosen by students planning to pursue graduate studies or a professional degree, but they can be a good choice for any student with good preparation, a strong work ethic, and a desire to produce original research. In terms of career development, Honours degrees are useful as they signal that an individual is capable of performing to high standards, can work independently, can think rigorously and creatively, and can express complicated ideas clearly and coherently.
Program Requirements
The requirements listed below are just for admission to, and completion of, the Combined Honours program, with Political Science as primary discipline. Combined Honours students must also complete the relevant requirements for the College of Arts and Social Sciences (“General Degree Requirements”) and for the BA (120 credit hour) Major in Political Science.
The program requires students to take some specific courses, and to choose some other courses from a list of designated courses, to ensure that they acquire the necessary preparation in core areas of Political Science. Exceptions to the requirements stipulated below can only be obtained through written petition to the Honours Coordinator, which reserves the authority to determine admission into the Honours program in these cases.
To obtain the Combined Honours, the student must also satisfy the specific program requirements required by the other (secondary discipline) department. These are listed separately, in the calendar entry for the other department.
Required Courses and Grades
To gain admittance into the Combined Honours program (with Political Science as the primary discipline), students must have:
- B grade average in their last 60 credit hours of coursework;
- B+ grade average in a group of 12 credit hours in Political Science, which must include
- The two core courses for the Political Theory subfield: POLI 2410.03 and POLI 2420.03;
- One of the following pairs of 2000-level core courses, representing one of the other subfields of Political Science:
Students in the Combined Honours program (with Political Science as the primary discipline) must complete all of the following courses by the end of their program:
- 1000 level: A minimum of six and a maximum of nine credit hours at the 1000 level in Political Science or the Foundation Year Program (with a final grade of B-or higher)
- 2000 level: POLI 2410.03 and POLI 2420.03, plus at least 6 additional credit hours from the 2000-level “core” courses listed above (i.e., POLI 2210.03 and POLI 2220.03, or POLI 2301.03 and POLI 2302.03, or POLI 2520.03 and POLI 2530.03);
- 3000 level: POLI 3492.03 and POLI 3493.03, plus at least 12 additional credit hours of 3000-level or 4000-level Political Science courses;
- 4000 level: POLI 4601.03 and POLI 4602.03 (including Honours thesis, described above).
Students considering a Combined Honours degree should seek advice, as early as possible, from the Honours Coordinator.
Combined Honours with another department as Primary Discipline
Students taking a Combined Honours degree with another department as the primary discipline will mainly be governed by the procedures and rules set by that department, and should seek advice from the relevant program coordinator.
However, in order to obtain a Combined Honours degree with Political Science as the secondary discipline, students must still fulfill specific minimum requirements set by Political Science.
To gain admittance into the Combined Honours program, with another department as the primary discipline, students must have:
- B+ grade average in a group of 12 credit hours in Political Science, which must include:
- One of the following pairs of 2000-level core courses, representing one of the other subfields of Political Science:
Students in the Combined Honours program, with another department as the primary discipline, must complete all of the following courses by the end of their program:
- 1000 level: A minimum of six and a maximum of nine credit hours at the 1000 level in Political Science or the Foundation Year Program (with a final grade of B-or higher)
- 2000 level: at least 6 credit hours from the 2000-level core courses listed above (i.e., POLI 2210.03 and POLI 2220.03, or POLI 2301.03 and POLI 2302.03, or POLI 2410.03 and POLI 2420.03, or POLI 2520.03 and POLI 2530.03);
- 3000 level: POLI 3492.03 and POLI 3493.03, plus at least 12 additional credit hours of 3000-level or 4000-level Political Science courses.
- An additional 6 credit hours in Political Science above the 1000 level.
Students considering a Combined Honours degree should seek advice, as early as possible, from the Honours Coordinator.