2025-2026 Calendar

Current calendar coming soon.

Application Process and Calendar

Students apply to the program during the second semester of their second year. Interested students do not have to be declared Government or Foreign Affairs majors.

Candidates have usually completed at least two courses in the Department of Politics by the time they apply, but the program will consider candidates with less if they can otherwise demonstrate their commitment to the study of politics. Although there is no GPA requirement, successful applicants typically have at least a 3.7 GPA.

An open meeting for interested students is held in February. At the meeting, the Director and members of the 3rd and 4th year Honors classes discuss the program and answer questions that prospective applicants might have.

Application materials other than recommendation letters should be combined into a single PDF document and submitted by email to Undergraduate Assistant Sharon Marsh by the application deadline (listed below). Faculty letters of recommendation should be separately sent to: Sharon Marsh by email or mailed to: Politics Honors Program, c/o Ms. Sharon Marsh, Department of Politics, P.O. Box 400787, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904.

After reviewing all applications, a panel of Honors faculty will interview a limited number of applicants. All students will be informed of admission decisions very quickly after the interviews.

Questions about the admission process can be directed to Professor Todd Sechser

2026 Application Calendar

Dates coming soon.

Each application must include:

• Completed application form and checklist
• Resume
• UVa Transcript (SIS)
• Two graded term papers from any course in any department, not to exceed 8-10 pages each
• Two short essays, each one discussing an idea or issue in politics that you would like to investigate during your time in the Honors program. Explain why you believe these issues are important to the broader study of politics. The two essays combined should be no longer than two single-spaced pages.
• Letters of recommendation from any two University faculty members. These letters should be sent separately to: Politics Honors Program, c/o Ms. Sharon Marsh, Department of Politics, P.O. Box 400787, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, or by email to Sharon Marsh.

Academic Components of the Honors Program

Honors Seminars

Starting in the Fall semester of their third year, Honors students take a series of four intensive seminars, one in each of the four sub-fields of politics: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. The four seminars form the core of the Honors program, and each seminar is taught exclusively for the students admitted into the Program each year.

The seminars include challenging readings, regular written assignments, intensive interaction with faculty, and focused discussion among faculty and students, which together are designed to develop students’ capacity for critical analysis and verbal and written expression. Faculty provide students with regular constructive evaluations of their work, and also submit to the Program Director a detailed written evaluation of each student’s performance at the end of each seminar. Each seminar counts for nine credit hours, and students take these seminars on a pass/fail basis, not for a grade.
 

Honors Thesis Workshop

Honors students take a course in their third year to help them plan and design their thesis. This thesis workshop covers topics such as framing research questions, research design, and different approaches to political analysis. The workshop meets approximately eight times during the spring semester. It counts for three credits, and is taken on a pass/fail basis.

Outside Courses

Honors students broaden their backgrounds and consider diverse analytical approaches and issues by taking a minimum of six courses (18 credits) outside the program. Many take more. Students may choose to take these courses on a pass/fail basis. Some Honors students take individual courses in order to add intellectual breadth to their Honors course work. Others specifically complete a second major or a minor in another discipline. The Program works closely with students to enable them to use these courses to serve their intellectual needs.

Honors Thesis

Honors students research and write an original thesis on the topic of their choice, selected in consultation with the program’s Director. Students then select a faculty member who advises them on how to best achieve their research goals. 

Limited funding is available to all Honors students to support their thesis research. Please see the Funding page for more information about the funds and application process.

To accommodate their thesis research, 4th year Honors students can (but do not have to) register each semester for sections of PLAD 4999, a three-credit course titled “Senior Thesis,” which is taken on a pass/fail basis.

Final Examinations

Students take written and oral examinations at the end of their fourth year. These exams cover each of the four subfields and are based on the syllabi that 4th year students used in their Honors seminars. Each exam consists of several essay questions addressing key issues covered by an Honors seminar. Students have three hours to complete each written exam, one on each of four consecutive business days. The University Honor Code applies to these exams as it does to all University assignments.

Following their written exams, each 4th year student also takes an oral exam with the panel of examiners and the Program Director. Examiners are free to pose questions about broader issues in the sub-field as well as material covered by the written exams. These oral exams are approximately 30 minutes long.

Levels of Honors

The Program Director and the panel of examiners review each student’s overall record in the Program over two years in order to determine the level of Honors that students will receive on their transcripts and diplomas. Students can graduate with Highest Honors, High Honors, Honors, and No Honors. The last is the equivalent of graduating as a regular major.

Frequently Asked Questions

In addition to the four core seminars and the thesis writing workshop, how many courses outside the Honors Program can I take in my third and fourth years?

• In addition to the core seminars spread and PLAD 4990, you must take at least six other courses. They can be in any field you wish. If you choose, you can apply them toward a second major or a minor. Many Honors students take many more than these six courses. Of course, in addition to the courses students take in the Honors Program during their last two years, they must have completed standard College requirements for graduation.

Does my GPA “freeze” when I enter the Politics Honors Program?

• Honors students have the choice of taking classes on a pass/fail basis or for a grade, so long as the faculty member teaching any given course agrees. If students take all of their classes on a pass/fail basis, their GPA will be frozen at the level it was at the time they entered the Program. Courses that students decide to take on a graded basis will be included in the final calculation of their GPA.

Can I double-major or minor in another Department?

• Yes. Many students in the program have double-majors or minors in another department, ranging from Economics and Computer Science to Poetry Writing. The Politics Honors Program supports students’ efforts to augment their study of politics in this way.

Can I study abroad or take a semester at another university and still participate in the Program?

• In order to complete the Honors seminars, students must remain on the grounds for the spring and fall semesters of their third and fourth years. This means Honors students cannot study abroad for a fall or spring semester. As a result, many Honors students study abroad during summers.

Can I write my thesis on a topic that is not covered in the core seminars?

• Absolutely. You are free to work on whatever topic you wish providing it is approved by the Program Director. Originality and creativity are strongly encouraged.

Where can I find the official academic requirements for the University?

• The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. The Undergraduate Record and Graduate Record represent the official repository for academic program requirements. These publications may be found at https://records.ureg.virginia.edu/.

Honors Cohorts

4th year Honors Program Cohort (graduating 2026)

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3rd year Honors Program Cohort (graduating 2027)

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Stevenson Prize Winners