Political Science, B.S.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Department Requirements for Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science 39 - Semester Hours

Mission:

To build a community of responsible, engaged, and informed citizens and leaders by developing the substantive knowledge and intellectual skills necessary to analyze, interpret, and participate in domestic and international affairs. We prepare our majors for graduate and law schools, as well as for careers as leaders in the public and private sectors.

Program Goals:

The major in Political Science is designed to familiarize students with both American and international politics while also training them in the skills of political science as an intellectual discipline. The program’s upper-level curriculum encourages a broad exposure to the discipline while also allowing students to specialize in areas such as international relations, public policy, and the American legal system.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students awarded a Bachelor of Science in Political Science will have knowledge of the discipline and the following:

1. Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World: This area will be achieved by reading, writing, and discussing different political systems and societies of various countries around the world, including the U.S. Federal System of Government.

2. Intellectual and Practical Skills: These include inquiry, analysis, critical thinking, written and oral communication, quantitative literacy, teamwork, and problem-solving. These skills will be achieved through a combination of activities in and out of the classroom.

3. Personal and Social Responsibility: These embrace civic knowledge, engagement, intercultural knowledge and competence, ethical reasoning, and foundational skills for lifelong learning.

4. Integrative and Applied Learning: These include synthesis and advanced knowledge across general and specialized courses. Our students will achieve these learning outcomes through supervised reading, writing, and discussion of the “big” questions and applying them to both local and global situations; internships and career development workshops; and the successful completion of a mandatory Senior Seminar.

Upper-level Admission:

For admission into the upper-level program of the Political Science major, students must complete all of the requirements listed above under General Education Core. In addition, they must have removed all high school deficiencies, passed all required remedial/developmental courses, and earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on college-level course work. They must also have earned a minimum grade of C in POLI 1010 and POLI 2010 .

Major Core:

The requirements for a major in Political Science include POLI 1010, Introduction to Political Science (3 hours); POLI 2010, American National Government (3 hours); POLI 2200, Introduction to International Politics; POLI 2220, State and Local Government (3 hours); POLI 3000, History of Political Philosophy, or, POLI 3010, Contemporary Political Philosophy (3 hours); POLI 3100, Research Methodology (3 hours); POLI 4500, Senior Project (3 hours); and 18 additional upper-level hours in Political Science (inclusive of at least 3 Upper Division hours of an International theme course and at least 3 hours of an American theme course). All Political Science courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. All POLI majors must complete 42 total Upper-Division credit hours. The 27 Upper-Division credit hours for the POLI major are included in these 42 total hours.

Minor Requirements: A minimum of 18 semester hours in Political Science, including POLI 2010.