In addition to completing the core curriculum requirements, students pursuing a major in Political Science must complete the following major program requirements:

Requirements for a Major in Political Science

Required sequence for the major program in Political Science (POLS):

Fifteen (15) semester hours, consisting of

POLS 1101       U.S. Government in Global Perspective

    or

POLS 1102       Introduction to Political Science

(if both 1101 and 1102 taken, one can count towards a major elective)

POLS 2210       Comparative Politics in Global Perspective

POLS 2220       International Relations:  States in the Global System

POLS 3300       Research Methods in Political Science

POLS 4430       Senior Seminar in Political Science

Students majoring in Political Science must also complete an additional 18 semester hours of elective courses chosen from among the three- and four-thousand-level courses listed for the program in this Bulletin (for a total of 33 semester hours).

At least one (1) of these additional elective courses must be in the field of American politics and public policy (POLS 3310, 3311, 3312, 3313, 3314, or 3315) and one (1) in the fields of international relations (POLS 3320, 3321, 3322, 3323) or comparative politics (POLS 3350, 3351, 3352, 3353).

Political Science internships (POLS 4400) can earn up to a full semester (12 hours) of credit toward graduation, but usually only three (3) hours will be credited toward completion of the major. This limit can be waived by the program’s faculty under special circumstances. Completing the full semester program in the Capitol Hill Internship Program can be substituted for the required completion of POLS 4430 with approval of the program’s faculty. Completion of the Interim-term Capital Hill Internship Program earns elective credit (3 hours) only.