Students in the International Affairs Program who have demonstrated a superior competence in the field have the opportunity of graduating with departmental honors. There are three grades of honors: cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude. Honors are awarded by the University Honors Council on the basis of: overall academic record, performance in the writing of an honors thesis, and performance in a one-hour oral exam.

IAFS Honors Program - IAFS 4800 syllabus, Fall 2009

IAFS Honors Program - 2008-09(pdf)

IAFS Honors Program - 2007-08 (pdf)

IAFS Honors standards (pdf)

Request for major credit for IAFS 4810

Qualifications
Candidates for honors in International Affairs must have achieved at least an overall cumulative grade point average of 3.3 and a 3.4 grade point average in International Affairs courses.

Honors Seminar
Students pursuing honors in International Affairs will be required to complete the honors in International Affairs seminar in the Fall semester and thesis writing class in the Spring semester. The seminar, IAFS 4800, will be offered each Fall semester. You need not take the seminar and/or write the honors thesis in the year that you graduate. For example, if you are planning to graduate in December it is advisable to take the honors seminar and write the thesis the year before you graduate. This seminar will fulfill the critical thinking requirement for the Arts and Sciences Core.

During the Spring semester following your enrollment in the honors seminar, you are required to enroll in a thesis writing class, IAFS 4810. The three credits gained from this will qualify as three credit hours towards your geographic concentration or functional area, if the thesis topic is relevant. Please see IAFS office in CLUB A5 for IAFS 4810 enrollment procedures.

Research Requirements and Opportunities
Human Research Committee (HRC) - All research involving human participants that is conducted by UCB faculty, staff or students must receive some level of review by the Human Research Committee. Information, instructions, and downloadable forms needed to complete the review process can be found on their site.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) - UROP funds undergraduate research, scholarly and creative work with several types of grants. Apply early! More information and application process can be found on their site.

Honors Program Office
Interested students should contact the Honors Program Office located in Norlin M400. The program may also be reached at 303-492-6617. The honors program office will be able to provide you with the application form and a schedule of activities for the semester in which you plan to apply for honors.

Honors students! Know your deadlines! Check with the Honors Program website for a list of deadlines for graduating with honors.

Thesis and Oral Exam
As noted above, each candidate for International Affairs departmental honors must complete an honors thesis written in close consultation with a faculty member whose primary role is thesis advisor. A one-hour oral exam is also administered by a three member faculty committee consisting of the thesis advisor, a member of the Committee on International Affairs, and at least one other professor.