Political Science

Bachelor of Arts

Department Requirements

To graduate as a political science major, students must complete 33 credit hours, normally 11 courses, with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in the department, distributed in the following manner:

Introductory Sequence (2 courses)

Political science students are required to take an introductory sequence of two courses: PSC 101 - Politics , and PSC 102 - Empirical Political Analysis . Students normally take these courses in sequence, although these two courses may be taken simultaneously in a given semester, especially for students joining the department as sophomores or juniors. Normally, this introductory sequence should be completed before taking other courses in the department, but again, there can be exceptions if warranted.

Field Requirements (4 courses)

Students must take one course in each of four fields: Comparative Government and Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and American Politics. The department maintains lists of courses that fulfill each of these field requirements. The list is printed in department publications, can be found on the department Web page, and is available in the department office and from academic advisors. Note that these courses are not all offered every semester or even every year. Students should always check the latest preregistration booklet to see what is being offered in the near future. Students also should note that there are many courses in the Department of Political Science that do NOT fulfill any of these four fields.