Planning your Honors Project

Picking Your Advisor: Picking your faculty adviser for the honors project is especially important because you will be working with him or her intensively. Your faculty adviser generally helps you in defining and structuring the project and, together with the honors program director, provides feedback all along the way. Those who can serve as advisors for papers in the honors seminar track or the independent study track are tenured/tenure track faculty in PPS, tenured/tenure track Duke faculty with secondary PPS appointments, or PPS faculty members actively engaged in research endeavors. The director of the honors seminar, in consultation with the PPS department chair and DUS, approves the assignment of advisors in both routes to graduation with distinction. A list of Sanford faculty by policy area can be found here.  

Timeline--Honors Seminar Route: In the beginning of your junior year, begin thinking about possible honors project topics. Try to select your courses to give you adequate background to do the honors project. Make sure you will not encounter problems during your senior year in completing your major or fields-of-knowledge requirements. During fall registration, register for the honors seminar (PUBPOL 198S) for the spring semester. At this time, you should seriously begin the search for a faculty adviser who is appropriate for the topic you are planning. If you need suggestions, do not hesitate to contact the DUS.

  • By November 5, 2007: SUBMIT TO THE DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES (KEN ROGERSON) YOUR "APPLICATION FOR THE HONORS PROJECT IN PUBLIC POLICY STUDIES." The application form (PDF) requires the title of the project, the central question being examined, the name of the adviser, and a statement of why your topic is well suited for an honors project.
  • Some of the best honors projects have been based upon research connected with the summer internship. Keep this in mind and be alert to provocative data or new ideas during the summer between your junior and senior year.
  • During the spring semester, in the full-credit honors seminar (PUBPOL 198S) you will work closely with your adviser and classmates to define your project and do much of your research. The seminar is designed so that students will have their projects substantially under way by the end of the spring semester. Students will receive a Z grade for the spring semester and finish the project in the fall semester by enrolling in PUBPOL 199S, a one-credit seminar.
  • In PUBPOL 199S, students work intensively to complete the honors project and to present the findings to peers and faculty members. The final grades for both PUBPOL 198S and PUBPOL 199S are determined when the honors project is evaluated at the end of the fall semester; the grade is assigned by the honors seminar instructor, in consultation with your project adviser and the DUS.

Timeline--Independent Study Route: If you complete a seminar/independent study in PPS and write a paper that earns an A- or higher, you may be interested in transforming this into an honors project. You will need to submit to the DUS the application for honors project, along with a copy of the seminar paper and a proposal from you that describes how the paper could be transformed into an honors project. The DUS will pass this application on to the honors program director, who will provide feedback on the proposed topic. You then may register for an independent study to expand the research into an honors project. The final honors project can be submitted in December or April of the senior year. Honors will then be determined in the manner described above.

Formatting Your Final Paper: The text of the final document submitted for the honors project should be double-spaced (12 pt. type). Typically the papers run between 40 and 75 pages. You may also want to include appendices and other supporting materials. The final document should include a formal cover page and a two to three-page executive summary. In addition, it should include a table of contents, complete footnotes, and a bibliography; as always, all sources must be fully acknowledged.

Final copies of the thesis will be kept on file in the Sanford Institute and Perkins library archives. Please submit two copies, one bound and one physical standards copy to Anita Wright.