Undergraduate Senior Essay / Year Long Senior Essay

Undergraduate Senior Essay

Guidelines and Requirements

One of the requirements of the Political Science major is the senior essay. All senior majors must complete and receive a passing grade on the essay in order to graduate. The essay can be written in a seminar or in PLSC 480, or, in the case of a year-long essay, in PLSC 490/491 or PLSC 490/493. The student is responsible for becoming familiar with the Department guidelines and requirements for the senior essay. That information is available here.

Fall 2023 Deadlines for Senior Essays

Seniors planning to write a one–semester essay in the spring semester must submit a Fall Senior Essay Prospectus form signed by the faculty member who has agreed to advise the essay.

Deadlines for forms
Senior Essay Prospectus Forms

Year Long Senior Essay

Most majors write a one–semester senior essay. Some, however, choose to write a two–semester essay, which is done in PLSC 490a/491b or PLSC 490a/493b (for Intensive Majors - see below).

Application for Senior Essay

Juniors wishing to write a two–semester essay in their senior year in PLSC 490a/491b must submit the Yearlong Senior Essay form. The form must be signed by a faculty adviser who has agreed to supervise the student’s essay. It should be accompanied by a 1–2-page statement of the research project and an up–to–date, unofficial transcript.

Deadlines for applications
Senior Essay Prospectus Forms

Intensive Majors

The Intensive Major writes a year-long senior essay in PLSC 490a/493b, which is preceded by PLSC 474b (Directed Reading and Research for Junior Intensive Majors) in the Spring semester of the junior year.
Juniors wishing to pursue an Intensive Major must submit an application.

Intensive Majors must also submit a Yearlong Senior Essay Prospectus. All forms and deadlines are available online.

Click here for important information on the year-long senior essay.

Rev. 09-15-24