Bachelor of Arts in Politics

The Politics major provides students with exposure to each of the four major subfields of political science:  American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory.

The Politics major allows students to explore each subfield and to engage in additional coursework within the department that is of interest to them.  This is achieved through the completion of an introductory and upper-level course in each of the four subfields followed by the completion of an additional 9 credit hours of upper-level courses of their choosing within the department.  Students also complete a Senior Capstone in Politics.

For graduation, Politics majors must have at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA in all politics courses.

The revised Politics major requires a minimum of 36 credit hours.

1. Introductory courses (12 hrs):
   1. POLS 001: The American Political System
   2. POLS 065: Comparative Politics
   3. POLS 075: World Politics
   4. POLS 080: Introduction to Political Theory
2. Upper-level subfield requirements (12 hrs):
   1. Students must take at least one upper-level course in each of the four main subfields of political science: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory.
   2. Students may not count internship credits towards the upper-level subfield requirements.
   3. POLS 110 (Methods) or STAT 071 (Statistics I) is recommended for students who plan to go on to graduate school.
3. Upper-level subfield electives (9 hrs): 
   
   1. Students must take an additional three upper-level elective courses in any subfield. Students may not double count these upper-level courses towards a second major in the Department of Political Science.
   2. Students may not count more than 3 internship credits towards their upper-level electives for the major.
   3. POLS 110 (Methods) or STAT 071 (Statistics I) is recommended for students who plan to go on to graduate school.
4. POLS 196 Senior Seminar in Politics (3 hrs)

Students who declared a Politics major prior to Fall 2020 should speak to their Political Science advisor about which set of requirements they will follow.

Current Catalog Requirements for a B.A. in Politics
Prior Catalog Requirements