The Hugh MacNiven Award is given for the most outstanding paper written by a student in the MPA program and confers a cash award. The Carl Albert Center funds fellowships at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students who are at least sophomores can apply for the undergraduate fellowships which offer students the opportunity to conduct collaborative research in politics and government with faculty members. The graduate fellowships are nationally competitive. The Cortez A. M. Ewing Public Service Fellowships are 10-week Washington internships funded by the Ewing Foundation.
Students receive travel and living expenses.
Awards are made after a competition open to students from all fields and majors. The College of Arts and Sciences awards Robert Dean Bass Scholarships to students in political science and economics who plan on careers in government. The College also awards the A.R. Bert Larason Public Service Scholarships to students in political science, social work, and journalism who plan on careers in public service. Nominations are made by the Department of Political Science and other departments in related fields. The Political Science major requires 36 hours of major credit, excluding Political Science 1113, which is the prerequisite for all other courses in political science and may not be counted as major work.