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Dec 26, 2024
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2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Political Science Major
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 Return to: Colleges, Departments, and Programs
BA degree
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Requirements
Political Science majors complete 39 credits in political science. In addition, majors must satisfy a specific cognate requirement in selecting their distribution courses for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in the major in order to graduate. Foundation Courses
Twelve (12) credits required. These courses should generally be taken in the first or second year. Research Methods
Three (3) credits required. Internship
Three (3) internship credits are required; up to fifteen (15) Internship credits may be earned.
Recommended in senior year; may be waived in lieu of a study abroad of at least 4-weeks duration plus an upper-division course in PSC. Specialized Courses
Seven (7) courses, a total of twenty-one (21) credits. PSC courses must be above the 100 level, and may not include PSC 349 or PSC 305.
- A maximum of 2 of the 7 PSC courses can be completed at PSC 200 level
- A minimum of 2 of the 7 PSC courses must be completed at PSC 400 level
Upper division courses must be taken in a minimum of 2 of the 4 main subfields: American Politics/Policy, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory.
American Politics/Policy Subfield
Comparative Politics Subfield
International Relations Subfield
Political Theory Subfield
Total Credits: 39
Total Credits including one 3-credit math course: 42 Pre-Law Concentration
Political science majors who are interested in pursuing graduate work and/or a career in a law related field may choose a pre-law concentration within the major. Students selecting the pre-law concentration take the same number of credits as other political science majors, but the structure of those credits is slightly different. Students fulfilling these requirements will receive a diploma indicating they have completed the Pre-Law concentration.
The Foundation Courses, Math, Research Methods, and Internship requirements for the Pre-Law Concentration are identical to those requirements in the major. Only the Specialized Courses requirement differs (see below).
Specialized Courses
Seven (7) courses, a total of twenty-one (21) credits. PSC courses must be above the 100 level, and may not include PSC 349 or PSC 305.
- A maximum of 2 of the 7 PSC courses can be completed at PSC 200 level
- A minimum of 2 of the 7 PSC courses must be completed at PSC 400 level
Upper division courses must be taken in a minimum of 2 of the 4 main subfields (as listed above): American Politics/Policy, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory
Students selecting the pre-law concentration have two additional constraints in their specialized courses; they must take:
U.S. Legal System
At least two (2) courses focused specifically on the U.S. legal system:
Courts
At least two (2) courses that cover the courts in relationship to other aspects of the U.S. political system or that discuss law and the courts in other countries or the international political system:
In addition, students must complete:
- An internship in a law related field and fulfills the department’s internship requirement OR
- An additional course in international relations or comparative politics.
International Politics Concentration
Political science majors who are interested in pursuing graduate work and/or a career in an international setting or field may choose an international politics concentration within the major. Students selecting the international politics concentration take the same number of credits as other political science majors, but the structure of those credits is slightly different. Students fulfilling these requirements will receive a diploma indicating they have completed the International Politics concentration.
The Foundation Courses, Math, Research Methods, and Internship requirements for the International Politics Concentration are identical to those requirements in the major. Only the Specialized Courses requirement differs (see below).
Specialized Courses
Seven (7) courses, a total of twenty-one (21) credits. PSC courses must be above the 100 level, and may not include PSC 349 or PSC 305.
- A maximum of 2 of the 7 PSC courses can be completed at PSC 200 level
- A minimum of 2 of the 7 PSC courses must be completed at PSC 400 level
Upper division courses must be taken in a minimum of 2 of the 4 main subfields (as listed above): American Politics/Policy, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory
Students selecting the pre-law concentration have three additional constraints in their specialized courses; they must take:
International Relations
At least two (2) upper level courses in international relations:
Comparative Politics
At least two (2) upper level courses in comparative politics:
In addition, students must complete:
- Study abroad course of at least four weeks in duration,
- An internship that is internationally oriented and fulfills the department’s internship requirement, OR
- An additional course in international relations or comparative politics.
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