Departmental Honors Program

The Department of Political Science offers a separate and unique Honors Program for motivated students. The program is ideal for students seeking jobs in public or nonprofit sectors as well as advanced degrees in law, public policy, or graduate study. It exposes students to advanced course content, provides the chance for students to engage in rigorous research, and gives students a unique opportunity to work closely with select political science faculty members.

To meet program requirements, students complete a two-semester Honors Seminar sequence, culminating with an original research project, defined here as a full-length (35 page) scholarly paper or an applied project, which combines research with policy analysis, professional experiences, or civic learning exercises.   

The first step is to take Honors Seminar I in the fall semester. The topic for Honors Seminar I is based on the research expertise of the faculty member conducting it for that year. This course is based on an advanced reading of the core texts of that research topic and helps students build a foundation or their research paper. It also allows students to work individually with a faculty member to prepare their literature review and methodology for their research project. 

The next step is to take Honors Seminar II in the spring semester. This course provides students the opportunity to build off their work in the fall and develop their own original research project.The honors project will most commonly culminate in the production of a 35-page (minimum) scholarly research paper, though individual faculty may provide additional opportunities for applied research projects to fulfill program requirements (such as a policy analysis paper or an internship paired with a written analysis). All honors students will be expected to present their project findings at a spring event organized by the Department of Political Science.

Honors Seminar topic for 2021-2022 academic year: The Return of Great Power Politics (Professor Boyle)

Honors Seminar topic for 2022-2023 academic year: TBD

Program/Course Requirements

Any political science major with a 3.0 grade-point average in the major and an overall GPA of 3.0 is eligible to apply for the honors program. Any four-year student meeting the eligibility criteria may apply beginning in the second semester of sophomore year. Any transfer student meeting the eligibility criteria may apply after completing one full semester at Rutgers-Camden.

• PLEASE NOTE: Completion of 790:102 The Study of Politics is a prerequisite for the Honors Seminar sequence, meaning it must be completed before beginning Honors Seminar I.
• Transfer students (or juniors just joining the major) should make it a priority to take 102 in their first year on campus or in this major to make sure that they can complete the honors sequence. Freshman and sophomores should take the 101/102 sequence their first year in the major.
• Earn a B or higher in BOTH Honors Seminar I and II.
• Maintain a 3.0 grade-point average in the major and an overall GPA of 3.0 by the time of graduation.

Program Application

Eligible students must submit their Honors Application to the Department of Political Science. Admission is subject to department approval.

Any four-year student meeting the eligibility criteria above may apply beginning in the second semester of sophomore year. Any transfer student meeting the eligibility criteria may apply after completing one full semester at Rutgers Camden. 

All applications must be submitted by end of the spring semester of a student's junior year in order to be considered for admission.

Contact/Further Info

Contact Dr. Maureen Donaghy, Chair of the Rutgers-Camden Political Science Department: maureen.donaghy@rutgers.edu.