Major Requirements
The Political Science major requires that students complete 14 courses in the discipline on top of University’s core requirements. The curriculum is designed to ensure that all students take at least two courses in each of the four major subfields of the discipline. Students must also take the year-long Senior Seminar sequence (POL 480/481), where they will research and write a substantial scholarly paper on a topic of their choosing. Students are entitled to take four electives in the discipline as well, to allow them to tailor their education for their postgraduate education or career.
Required for Major in Political Science: 14 courses
- American Government:
POL 151, plus a second course in the area of American Government
or POL 363 - Comparative Government:
POL 120, 221 - International Politics:
POL 240, 341 - Political Theory:
POL 260, 361 - Four electives in Political Science (excludes POL 461)
- Senior Research Seminar: POL 480, 481
All Political Science majors planning on attending graduate school are strongly encouraged to take ECON 2123 Statistics in lieu of MATH 120 in the University CORE.
All Political Science courses except 460, 461, 480, and 481 are open to all students.
Accommodation for Dual Majors: One of the four required political science electives are waived. In addition, the Senior Research Seminar requirement POL 480 and 481 is waived for those whose second major is political science, if a seminar is required in the other major.
Required for Major in Public Administration: 14 Courses
The Public Administration major is comprised of a mixture of courses from the major subfields of Political Science, with a specialized concentration in public administration courses, and courses in the essentials of economics. Following are the courses required for this major:
- POL 151 American Government
- POL 215 Managing Public and Non-Profit Sectors
- POL 260 Political Theory
- POL 301 State and Local Government
- POL 302 Constitutional Law I
- POL 385 Ethics in Government
- POL 460 Internship
- POL 480 Senior Research Seminar I
- POL 481 Senior Research Seminar II
- One additional course in American Government (from 303, 304, 305, 310, 311, 314, 316)
- ECN 150 Macroeconomics
- ECN 201 Microeconomics
- BUS 101 Financial Accounting
- BUS 207 Managerial Accounting
Plus ECON 213 Statistics in lieu of MATH 120 in the CORE
