School of Politics and International Relations Research School of Social Sciences College of Arts & Social Science

Honours in Political Science & International Relations

The following information is intended for students who are enrolled in, or have just completed, a B.A. degree with a major in Political Science or International Relations at the Australian National University and for those who are completing, or have completed, a degree course at another university and wish to apply for the Honours program as an External Applicant.

Qualifying for Honours in Political Science

To qualify for the fourth-year Honours course in Political Science or International Relations, you will need to have completed the following: All the requirements for successfully completing the Bachelor of Arts pass degree. Two first-year courses in Political Science to the value of 12 units. Eight later-year courses from the Political Science Major or the International Relations Major to the value of 48 units For entry into Political Science Honours, applicants must have completed the eight later-year courses with a Distinction average (i.e. an average of 70%) or better. For entry into International Relations Honours, applicants must have completed all eight later-year courses at Distinction level or better. To qualify for admission to Combined Honours, (see section on Combined Honours over the page), you will need to have completed all the requirements for the pass degree including two first-year courses in Political Science (12 units) and six later-year courses from the Political Science or International Relations major to the value of 36 units. Applicants for Combined Honours with Political Science need to complete the six later- year courses with

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a Distinction average (i.e. an average of 70%) or better. Applicants for Combined Honours with International Relations need to complete the six later-year courses at Distinction level or better. External applicants for the Honours degree in Political Science, the Honours degree in International Relations, or a combined Honours degree with Political Science or International Relations should see the section External Applicants below for further information on entry requirements.

The Honours Year

The structure of the Honours degrees in Political Science and International Relations has three components: Two seminar courses taken in the first semester to be chosen from a list of options which normally includes courses in political institutions/public policy, international politics, and political theory. The options will vary from year to year. Attendance at a series of Honours thesis-writing workshops towards the end of the first semester. An Honours thesis of between 18,000 and 2 0 , 0 0 0 words on a topic approved by the Head of School. The thesis is to be submitted at the end of the year (normally by the third week of October). Please note that the Honours thesis is subject to the Universitys rules on research ethics and may require approval and clearance by the ANU Research Ethics Committee. If your planned thesis topic involves the use of interviews or questionnaire survey research, you will need prior approval. You should discuss this with your supervisor and/or the Honours Adviser. Final Honours results are determined on the basis of grades obtained for the Honours thesis and for the two seminar courses. The Honours thesis counts for 50% of the overall assessment and the two seminar courses are worth 25% each. The Honours thesis- writing workshop is a non-assessable part of the Honours program.

The Application Process

To apply for admission to the Honours year, you will need to complete a College of Arts and Social Sciences Application for Admission to Honours form which is available from the College of Arts and Social Sciences Office, or can be downloaded from the ANU web page

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at: http://cass.anu.edu.au/future-students/honours External applicants will need to complete the College of Arts and Social Sciences Application for Admission to Honours form and also need to complete a general ANU admission application form, Application for Undergraduate Admission. Both of these forms are available online at the website listed above. Applications for admission to Honours in 2014 must be submitted to the College of Arts and Social Sciences Office by Thursday 31st October 2013.

External Applicants
External applicants for the Honours year in Political Science or International Relations at the Australian National University will need to have achieved a level of performance in their undergraduate courses comparable to the requirements listed above for ANU students. Before you submit a formal application, you should seek advice from the Political Science Honours Adviser about whether your undergraduate record will satisfy our entry requirement. In cases where the points value of courses at your original university differs from that of ANU, the Honours Adviser will make a determination about comparability taking into account these and other differences between undergraduate degree programs at ANU and other universities. External applicants for the Honours year should not assume that qualification for Political Science Honours in another university is sufficient for admission to Honours at ANU, nor should it be assumed that just having a major in Political Science will satisfy the ANU Honours entry requirement. In most cases, it does not.

All external applicants are advised to make contact with the Honours Convenor prior to submitting an application. Admission to the Honours year is dependent not only upon satisfying entry requirements, but also on securing a supervisor for the Honours thesis [see box below Your Thesis and Your Supervisor].

No applicant will be admitted to the Honours year without satisfactory supervisory arrangements in place at the time of application. While this might be difficult for external applicants, the Honours Adviser will advise you on possible supervisors and initiate contact between you and the potential supervisor, but it must be stressed that locating and securing the agreement of a potential supervisor is the applicants responsibility. A list of academic staff in the School of Politics and International Relations together with their fields of expertise is available on the School webpage.

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Your Thesis and Your Supervisor

An offer of admission to Honours in the School of Politics and International Relations is conditional on the ability of the applicant to secure confirmation of a thesis supervisor before submitting an application. Intending Honours students in Political Science and International Relations will need to discuss a potential thesis topic with a member of staff in the School of Politics and International Relations and secure his or her consent to supervise the research during the Honours year. Please note that no student will be admitted to the Honours year without a supervisor.

Applicants are strongly advised to do this as soon as possible. The application form for admission to Honours requires you to identify, and obtain a signature from, an Honours supervisor.

Part-Time Enrolment in Honours

Part-Time enrolment in Honours is possible, but is not an automatic option and is granted at the discretion of the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences. Students who wish to enrol on a part-time basis must complete and submit the Application for Approval to Undertake Honours on a Part-time Basis form. This form is available online at http://cass.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/images/studentoffice/Honours%20Application%20for%20P_T%202012.pdf Part-time Honours is spread over four semesters. There are a number of conditions to be satisfied before part-time enrolment is approved. Applicants who wish to be considered for part-time enrolment should discuss this with the Honours Adviser in the first instance.

Mid-Year Entry
Mid-year entry into an Honours program in Political Science or International Relations is not permitted.

Combined Honours
Students may combine Honours in Political Science with Honours in another subject, the overall work load being equivalent to Honours in a single subject. Students intending to take combined Honours should take account of the Honours requirements in both disciplines and consult the Honours Adviser in both departments concerned.

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Deferring Your Honours Year

If you qualify for Honours this year, you may seek permission to defer for one year. Deferment has to be approved by the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences. In very exceptional circumstances a longer deferment may be possible. If you wish to seek a deferment of entry to Honours, you are strongly advised to discuss it with the Honours Adviser before you make any final decision.

Companion to Honours
The ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre publishes a booklet, Honours Gui de , which contains valuable information and advice about the Honours experience, scholarships for Honours students, managing the Honours year, and writing your thesis. All applicants for Honours in Political Science are strongly advised to read it. Copies may be obtained from the Academic Skills and Learning Centre or from the Honours Adviser.

College of Arts and Social Sciences Honours Student Guide

The College publishes annually a guide for Honours students. It contains a lot of useful information in addition to the information given in this document and potential applicants for Honours are well advised to read it.

The current edition (2012) is available online at: http://cass.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/HonoursStudentGuide2012.v5_1.pdf For general inquiries about CASS programmes or Honours please contact the CASS student office at students.cass@anu.edu.au Tel: (02) 6125-2898.

The Political Science Honours Adviser

If, after reading this document, you have further questions relating to Political Science and International Relations Honours, please contact the Honours Adviser, Dr. Andrew Banfield, Room 1219, Haydon Allen Building. Tel: (02) 6125-2679.

July 2013

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