Graduation With Distinction
PDF version of the details listed below.
Intent to Pursue a Distinction Project form.
Eligibility
To be eligible for distinction in International Studies upon graduation, a student must:
1) have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and a 3.25 GPA in courses listed in the International Studies Major Plan of
Study; and
2) successfully complete a distinction project which has been approved by her/his distinction committee and the International Studies Director.
The Nature of the Distinction Project
The distinction project should be an extension of a student's PTS Core/Concentration. The project itself may
grow out of course work, but it must comprise achievement that is over and above regular course activities.
Although the distinction project requires independent work, it should not be confused with an independent
study. Unlike many independent studies, the distinction project is more than a literature review. It is a work
of original research that must include fresh analysis of data, previous conclusions and/or theoretical models.
The project may be in almost any form suitable to the student's degree program, but must be approved by the
distinction committee and Director of International Studies. Project contents should be evaluated by the
standards of the distinction committee members' home departments. If the student chooses to write a thesis,
it must follow the format detailed in Instructions for the Preparation of Bachelors' Theses.
1. Preliminary Planning: The student should meet with an International Studies advisor early in her/his academic career (ideally sophomore year) to discuss exploration of potential topics and how to maximize the correspondence between I.S. coursework, study abroad and the distinction project itself. During their junior year, the student should discuss the initial outline of the project with an International Studies advisor and a faculty member whose expertise lies close to the student's interest.
2. Forming a Distinction Committee: Once the student has identified a tentative project topic, the student should proceed with forming a distinction committee. To form the committee, the student must identify a lead faculty member whose specialization is consistent with the student’s interests and a second appropriate faculty member, usually from a different discipline, who can provide additional perspective on the research question. The two individuals who comprise the student's distinction committee should be selected for their ability to advise the student in planning the project and evaluating it on completion. Additional members may be included in the distinction committee if deemed necessary by the student and/or the two other faculty members.
3. Distinction Committee Preliminary Review: The student should first prepare a description of the distinction project and then arrange a meeting with the members of the distinction committee (preferably as a group) to review the proposal before the project is initiated. Although it is preferable to do this during the second semester of the student's junior year, this meeting should be held no later than the second week of the student's next-to-last semester.
4. Initial Project Approval: The student should complete her/his section of the Intent to Pursue a Distinction Project form, including a proposal describing project topic and justification, and submit it to the distinction committee members. Once the committee members have signed the form (approving the project and confirming their roles on the committee), the student must then submit the form to the Director of International Studies for approval. The completed form should be submitted no later than the fourth week of the student’s senior year or second to the last semester. No distinction project may be proposed in the student’s final semester.
5. Initial Project Approval (continued): Subsequently, the distinction committee should submit a statement outlining: a) what the evaluators expect from the student in terms of quality, depth, methodology and presentation; and b) how the distinction project will be evaluated. The International Studies Director will then indicate whether or not the student has received approval to begin the project and, if necessary, make suggestions and requests for further information. Contingent upon final approval of the proposal, the student should enroll in LAS 494 for 4 hours during one term or 2 hours and 2 hours in subsequent terms. LAS 494 enrollment procedures are available from International Studies.
6. Final Approval: When the project is complete, the student should prepare a report describing the project (not to exceed two pages). The student should then discuss the project and final descriptive report with members of the distinction committee. Each member of the distinction committee should then submit an individual letter of evaluation to the International Studies Director. These letters should state how the student met the originally proposed criteria for distinction, provide an evaluation of the student's work, and make a recommendation to the College regarding the level of distinction to be awarded. The distinction committee has the prerogative of judging a project unsatisfactory. While the evaluator's department is not directly involved, the same general concepts of merit used when evaluating a distinction project of a student in the evaluator's own department should be used when evaluating the project of an International Studies student seeking graduation with distinction. If a thesis is written, the student should provide one copy to the International Studies Director. If the distinction project is in another format, such as an art exhibit, the Director should be invited to attend a showing. Both the student's description of the final product and letters of evaluation from the members of the distinction committee should be received by the International Studies Office no later than December 1st for January degree candidates and May 1st for May degree candidates. The International Studies Director will make the final decision on each request for distinction after reviewing the project, the description of the project and the recommendations of the members of the distinction committee.
Levels of Distinction
If the project qualifies for distinction, the committee will assign it one of three levels of achievement:
Distinction, High Distinction and Highest Distinction. In order for a student to graduate with distinction at a particular level, the student's GPA must correspond accordingly: a student may qualify for distinction with a 3.25 cumulative GPA and a 3.25 GPA in International Studies. High Distinction requires a 3.50 cumulative and 3.5 major GPA, and Highest Distinction requires an average of 3.75 cumulative and a 3.75 GPA in the major.
If you have reviewed these details and have decided to proceed with a distinction project, please download and fill out this Intent to Pursue a Distinction Project form.