Applications for the 2026-27 academic year are due by 12pm (noon) EST on March 16, 2026
The Program in International and Comparative Studies (PICS) offers an Honors Plan for International Studies majors. Students who have declared a major in International Studies must have an overall GPA of 3.5, a major GPA of 3.5 or higher, and complete a senior Honors thesis.
During their junior year, students interested in writing a thesis will enroll in INTLSTD 390* to prepare for senior year. Typically, INTLSTD 390 will be offered in both the Fall and Winter terms. INTLSTD 390 should be completed with an A minimum grade to ensure the skills and ideas needed for a successful thesis are developed. Enrollment in and/or completion of INTLSTD 390 is required for admittance to the Honors sub-plan. Students apply for the Honors sub-plan in the Winter term of their junior year. Admission decisions will be announced shortly after the end of the Winter term. Students taking INTLSTD 390 before their junior year may be admitted provisionally, with final admission contingent on maintaining the required GPA through the end of junior year. The PICS Coordinator of Experiential, Independent, & Honors Education will meet once with students at the end of their junior year, to review requirements, answer questions, and discuss research practices and principles.
*Students admitted to the University of Michigan for Fall 2025 and beyond will follow the International Studies major and Honors requirements effective Fall 2025 and complete INTLSTD 390 as the required Research Design Course. Students who were admitted and began coursework at the University of Michigan prior to Fall 2025 should follow requirements for the International Studies major and Honors depending on effective term dates and can review the approved PICS Course Lists for Research Methods course options.
Applications to the Honors sub-plan will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Overall and major GPA, 3.5
- Completion of and performance in INTLSTD 390
- Quality of the research proposal
- Success at obtaining a faculty advisor
During their senior year, students will enroll in INTLSTD 498 during Fall term and INTLSTD 499 during Winter term, both led by PICS’s Coordinator of Experiential, Independent, & Honors Education. The instructor will regularly meet with students as a collective and individually during their senior year. Each student will have an oral thesis defense in a meeting with the faculty member serving as the thesis advisor and the Coordinator of Experiential, Independent, & Honors Education.
The thesis will be a minimum of 50 pages long. Students are responsible for obtaining a faculty expert to serve as a thesis advisor. The advisor and topic must be approved by the honors committee. The Coordinator of Experiential, Independent, and Honors Education will determine student grades on the thesis and the level of honors earned in consultation with the faculty member serving as the thesis advisor.
The Coordinator of Experiential, Independent, & Honors Education provides advising for the Honors plan. Please reach out to Anthony Marcum, PhD at amarcum@umich.edu with any questions.
Steps to apply for the International Studies Honors Plan:
- Make a decision that you really want to do it. Meet with Anthony Marcum, PhD, to discuss your interest and to answer any questions.
- Find a tenure-track or lecturer faculty advisor willing to oversee your project, start now!
- Submit an application to pics.honors@umich.edu by 12pm (noon) EST on March 16, 2026 and include a brief letter of support from your faculty advisor.
Consider applying for LSA Honors grants for research, travel, and special projects. Applicants will typically be third-year students advancing to their senior year.
The application must include the following:
- A brief letter of support from a faculty advisor who will advise the student on the Honors thesis. This person should be a tenure-track or lecturer faculty member at the University of Michigan (exceptions rarely will be granted and must be approved) and clearly indicate that the individual will counsel the student on the thesis throughout the entire academic year.
- A description of the project that answers the following four questions: 1) what research question the student is trying to answer, 2) why that is an important question to research, 3) how that individual will answer the question, and 4) what research has been completed thus far. The description should be no more than two pages, single-spaced, or 1000 words maximum.
- An official or unofficial transcript.
View a list of past International Studies Honors Theses.
INTLSTD 498.001 deadlines for the 2026-27 academic year
- Applications are due by 12pm (noon) EST on March 16, 2026 and should be sent electronically to pics.honors@umich.edu.
- By April 3, 2026 students will be notified of their status (accepted or not accepted).
- The first class will meet on Friday, September 4, 2026.
Please note:
- Not all students who want to be in the PICS Honors Plan will be accepted. If not accepted, as an alternative, the student can design an Independent Study via INTLSTD 491 to pursue a longer term paper for the Fall or Winter Semester.
- Students planning to conduct interviews with human subjects prior to joining the International Studies Honors plan should contact Anthony Marcum, PICS Honors Plan instructor first.
- All students will need to complete an application with the U-M Institutional Review Board (IRB). Anthony Marcum can help students navigate this process.
- Students graduating at the end of the fall semester are not eligible for the Honors Plan. Students must complete INTLSTD 498.001 in the fall semester and INTSLTD 499.001 in the winter semester in residence at the U-M Ann Arbor campus to complete the Honors Plan.
What are INTLSTD 498 and 499 like? What can you expect from these courses?
Both courses are three (3) credit seminars to develop your thesis, pitch arguments to your peers, and share pieces of your writings for review and critiques. Your thesis advisor will help you format your questions and choose an appropriate research methodology for your thesis.
Students interested in the International Studies Honors plan should also review the LSA Honors plan page for a Senior Honors thesis.
The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts has its own requirements and those will take precedence over the Program in International and Comparative Studies policies relating to Honors.
Students will receive a “Y” grade for INTLSTD 498 (fall term) which simply means “extended course” or “work in progress”. At the completion of INTLSTD 499 (winter term) and the thesis, letter grades will be assigned for both INTLSTD 498 and INTLSTD 499.
The Program in International and Comparative Studies will also submit four possible recommendations to the LSA Honors office: “No Honors”, “Honors”, “High Honors”, or “Highest Honors” for each student.
“No Honors” is given for work that does not meet the INTLSTD 499 standards and/or for students with GPAs under 3.4.
Beware of complications that can arise. Examples: GPA falls below a 3.5, advisor is not a good fit, possibly not being able to study abroad during your senior year because of the required INTLSTD 498 and 499 courses.
