Honors and Distinction
Department Honors: Departmental Honors in Political Science is based
on writing an Honors Thesis and achieving
a qualifying grade point average (minimum of a 3.3 overall GPA and 3.5
major GPA).
Students completing their honors thesis are invited to an Honors Reception
and are entitled to wear gold Honors Cords at Commencement. Cords will
be conferred at the Reception. The 2008 Undergraduate Honors Students
Reception will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2008, at the Lipman Room-Barrows
Hall, 4:00 PM-6:00 PM. Open to those undergraduate students who participated
in the 2007/08 Political Science Honors Program, their families, department
faculty and staff.
Departmental honors will be noted on the Commencement Program. The level
of honors achieved -- Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors -- will be
noted on the final transcripts and diplomas. Final transcripts will be
available 2 months after graduation. Diplomas
will be available approximately 4 months after graduation.
Pi Sigma Alpha - National Political Honor Society: Students who
participate in at least two semesters of Pi Sigma Alpha,the Political
Science Honor Society, will receive a medallion and will be identified
in the Commencement program, whether or not they write an honors thesis.
For more information about the Honor Society, click here.
University Honors: The College of Letters & Science awards Distinction,
High Distinction, and Highest Distinction (comparable to Cum Laude, Magna
Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude) based on overall GPA. The precise GPAs
required vary somewhat year by year, as they are based on the average
GPAs of the previous 4 years' graduates.
For 2007-2008, graduates have the following overall GPAs to receive university
distinction:
o Highest Distinction: 3.923
o High Distinction: 3.806
o Distinction: 3.677
To earn distinction, students must have completed at least 50 units at
Berkeley or through EAP (not UC Extension). Of these, at least 43 units
must have been taken for a letter grade (physical education activities
courses don't count). Courses taken at other UC campuses are included
in the GPA. Distinction is awarded automatically and will be noted on
your transcript and diploma. Because the grade point averages are calculated
on grades not yet recorded by the time of Commencement, distinctions are
not noted on the Commencement program.