Political Science - B.S.
Purpose
The Political Science major, offered by the Department of History and Political Science, enables students to develop skills in both theoretical and practical analysis, understanding, and evaluation of the changing nature, form, and function of governing arrangements, political processes, and the civil-social order. The major is designed to prepare students for one of the numerous careers in domestic government service and political organizations. Additionally, the Political Science major offers preparation toward teaching, research and graduate study for advanced degrees in political science and law (see Political Science Pre-Law section). (Political Science majors desiring to teach in secondary schools need to take a double major in Political Science and Social Studies Education.) The Political Science major often serves as a companion double major with Business, Communication Studies, Criminal Justice, Economics, English, History, Intercultural Studies, Mathematics, Psychology, Philosophy and Theology, Social Studies, Social Work, or Writing.
General Education Competencies
Students majoring in Political Science will complete the following General Education requirements and competencies with the listed courses. Where no course is specified, students are free to choose courses that meet the university requirements.
Communication Competency: COM-100 (division requirement)
Intercultural Competency: GEO-202 (core requirement)
Math Requirement: MAT-112, MAT-204, or MAT-305 (pre-requisite for Research Methods)
Social Sciences: POL-100 (pre-requisite for some upper division POL and HST courses), ECO-213 (core requirement)
Overview
The Political Science major consists of 33 credit hours in political science and a cognate area of 12 credit hours. The core of the program consists of required courses focusing on fundamental political science concepts and skill formation. The cognate can be a group of courses from a second major or a minor. Otherwise, the cognate credit hours must be completed from major electives, selected by students for professional preparation or personal enrichment.
Requirements (45 credits)
Common Core (15 credits)
Courses listed at the 100 or 200 level should be taken in the freshman/sophomore years. Courses 300 and above should be taken in the junior/senior years.
| POL-100 | American Government | 3 |
| POL-215 | Foundations of Political Science | 3 |
| ECO-213 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| POL-322 | Research Design and Methods in Political Science and Economics | 3 |
| POL-471 | Political Science/International Relations Capstone | 3 |
Lower-Division Courses (6 credits)
| POL-200 | State and Local Government and Politics | 3 |
| GEO-202 | Political and Cultural Geography | 3 |
Upper-Division Courses (12 credits)
A minimum of 12 credit hours of upper-division courses (numbered 300 or higher) offered by the department and selected from the following:
Cognate or Major Electives (12 credits)
Twelve credit hour cognate (group of courses from a second major or a minor) OR any courses listed below not previously taken. If the student does not have a second area of study, the major elective must be completed from the courses below:
Major Electives for all Political Science and Political Science Pre-Law Majors, unless already part of required courses:
| ECO-270 | Comparative Economic Systems | 3 |
| ECO-315 | Urban Economics and Policy | 3 |
| ECO-340 | Globalization and Economic Development | 3 |
| ECO-365 | Public Administration and Finance | 3 |
| ECO-454 | International Economics | 3 |
| GEO-202 | Political and Cultural Geography | 3 |
| HST-300 | Western/American Intellectual and Social History | 3 |
| HST-301 | American Foreign Relations | 3 |
| HST-302 | American Political Parties | 3 |
| HST-400 | American Constitutional History | 3 |
| INR-332 | International Peace and Security | 3 |
| INR-375 | Foreign Policy Analysis | 3 |
| INR-432 | Global Governance | 3 |
| MAT-204 | Applied Statistics I | 3 |
| MAT-304 | Applied Statistics II | 3 |
| MAT-305 | Statistics for Social Sciences | 3 |
| POL-200 | State and Local Government and Politics | 3 |
| POL-220 | Issues in Political Science | 3 |
| POL-230 | World Politics | 3 |
| POL-232 | Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POL-350 | Political Science Practicum | 1 to 3 |
| POL-354 | Foreign Governments | 3 |
| POL-365 | Religion and Politics | 3 |
| POL-367 | Political Thought | 3 |
| POL-371 | International Studies | 3 |
| POL-399H | Honors College Thesis-Political Science | 3 |
| POL-401 | Political Science Travel Seminar | 3 |
| POL-475 | Independent Learning in Political Science | 1 to 3 |
Declaring and Maintaining a Political Science Major
In order to pursue Political Science as a first or second major, students need to consult with the coordinator of the Department of History and Political Science and then declare a Political Science major in the Registration and Academic Services Office. Students majoring in Political Science need to achieve no less than a 2.5 GPA in the major to graduate with a Political Science degree.
