Programs: Honors Program

• Honors Thesis Application
• Honors Thesis, by year

The Public Policy Program gives students the opportunity to pursue honors work. To graduate with honors in Public Policy, a student must:

1. Apply for admission to the honors program no later than the end of Spring Quarter of the junior year;
2. Complete the requirements for the B.A. in Public Policy and achieve an GPA of 3.5 in the following courses: the Public Policy core, the student's concentration area courses, the Senior Seminar; Public Policy 199 (Senior Research); and Public Policy 105. Students are encouraged to complete Public Policy 105 by the end of Spring Quarter of the junior year and Public Policy 200A during Autumn Quarter. Courses not taken at Stanford are not included in calculating the GPA;
3. Submit an honors thesis by enrolling in at least 8 but no more than 15 units of Public Policy 199 during the senior year, and receive a final grade on the senior thesis of at least a B+.

Students who intend to pursue honors work should plan their academic schedules so that most core courses are completed before the beginning of the senior year, and all core and concentration courses are completed by the end of Winter Quarter of senior year. This scheduling gives students both the time and the necessary course background to complete a senior research project in the Spring Quarter. In addition, honors students are encouraged to enroll in Public Policy 197, Junior Honors Seminar, during Winter or Spring Quarter. This course focuses on developing a research plan and the research skills necessary to complete a thesis.

To apply, a student must submit a completed application to the Public Policy Program office with a brief description of the thesis. The student must obtain the sponsorship of a faculty member who approves of the thesis description and who agrees to serve as a thesis advisor. Students intending to write a thesis involving more than one discipline may wish to have two advisors.

The honors thesis must be submitted to both the thesis adviser and the Public Policy Program office. Graduation with honors requires that the thesis be approved by both the adviser and the Director of the Public Policy Program. The role of the Director is to assure that the thesis deals with an issue of public policy and satisfies the standards of excellence of the program. However, the grade of the honors thesis is determined solely by the adviser. The thesis adviser sets the deadlines for receiving the final draft of the thesis; the director sets the deadline for theses to be considered for University and department awards. To graduate with honors at the Spring commencement, a student must submit a final bound copy and an electronic copy of the thesis to the Public Policy program office no later than the last Friday in May. To be considered for awards given to outstanding senior theses, a student must submit a copy of the thesis to the Public Policy program office no later than the third Wednesday in May.

Members of the core faculty, staff, and the honors director in Public Policy are available to provide assistance in selecting a senior thesis topic.