We offer a broad variety of coursework organized into four subfields within political science:
Major Requirements
To graduate with a bachelor's degree in Political Science, you are required to take a minimum of 44 quarter hours of courses in the Department. Thirty of these quarter hours must be taken at the 2000 or 3000 level.
- Every major must take Introduction to American Politics (PLSC 1000), Foundations of Social Science: Power & Justice (SOCS 1610), and the Advanced Seminar in Politics (PLSC 3290).
- Students must complete at least one course at the 2000 or 3000 level in each of four concentrations, American Politics, Law, Political Theory and Comparative Politics, and an advanced seminar after those four courses have been completed.
- Internships are offered in the concentrations of American politics, law and service learning. Internships may be taken only after completing at least one course in the relevant concentration. No more than five credit hours earned in a departmental internship may be counted towards the 44 credit hours required of majors. If a student earns more than five credit hours in an internship, these hours are credited toward the maximum of 60 hours in political science.
- The Departmental Honors Program is open to all qualified students with a 3.7 GPA in political science and a 3.5 GPA overall. Students electing to write an honors thesis must complete 49 quarter hours in political science.
- A maximum of 20 transfer credits may be accepted towards meeting major requirements, including Study Abroad courses.