This interdisciplinary combined major offers students an opportunity to integrate the study and practice of journalism and political science. Successful students will gain a deep understanding of both disciplines, allowing them to seek out areas such as political writing, campaigns, and law school.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
University-Wide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.
BA Language Requirements
All BA students are required to complete the BA language requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
NUpath requirements Creative Expression/Innovation (CI), Interpreting Culture (IC), Understanding Societies and Institutions (SI), Analyzing and Using Data (AD), Engaging Difference and Diversity (DD), and Employing Ethical Reasoning (ER) are met through the major requirements. All other Nupath requirements must be met through electives.
Journalism Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Journalism Introductory Course | ||
| JRNL 1150 | Understanding Today’s News | 4 |
| Journalism Foundations | ||
| Must receive a C or better in the following: | ||
| JRNL 1101 and JRNL 1102 | Journalism 1: Fundamentals of Reporting and Journalist’s Toolbox | 5 |
| JRNL 2201 | Journalism 2: Intermediate Reporting | 4 |
| JRNL 2301 | Visual Storytelling in Journalism | 4 |
| JRNL 3610 | Digital Storytelling and Social Media | 4 |
| Ethics | ||
| JRNL 4650 | Ethics and Issues in Journalism | 4 |
| Journalism Electives | ||
| Take three JRNL courses. | 12 | |
Political Science Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science Foundation Courses | ||
| POLS 1150 | American Government | 4 |
| POLS 1155 | Comparative Politics | 4 |
| POLS 1160 | International Relations | 4 |
| POLS 2399 | Research Methods in Political Science | 4 |
| POLS 2400 | Quantitative Techniques | 4 |
| Political Thought | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | ||
| Modern Political Thought | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Contemporary Political Thought | ||
| Political Science Capstone or Thesis | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Political Science Senior Capstone | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Political Science Electives | ||
| Complete three POLS electives or complete a concentration from the following list: | 12 | |
POLS 2000 to POLS 5999 | ||
Political Science Concentrations (Optional)
If you are working toward one of the following concentrations, declare it with your adviser so that it may be added to your record.
- American Political Institutions
- Campaigns and Elections
- Comparative Politics
- Identity, Culture, and Politics
- International Relations and Diplomacy
- Law and Legal Studies
- Public Policy
- Security Studies
Integrative Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| JRNL 3550 | The First Amendment and the Media | 4 |
| COMM 3320 | Political Communication | 4 |
| or POLS 3320 | Politics and Mass Media | |
Journalism and Political Science Combined Major Credit Requirement
Complete 84 semester hours in the major.
Experiential Liberal Arts
All undergraduate students in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities are required to complete the Experiential Liberal Arts Requirement.
Program Requirement
129 total semester hours required
Concentration in American Political Institutions
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete four of the following: | 16 | |
| State and Local Politics | ||
| The U.S. Congress | ||
| Judicial Process and Behavior | ||
| Public Policy and Administration | ||
| Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections | ||
| Campaign Strategy | ||
Concentration in Campaigns and Elections
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| POLS 3160 | Campaign Strategy | 4 |
| POLS 3302 | Judicial Process and Behavior | 4 |
| Campaigns and Elections Electives | ||
| If POLS 4947 was replaced by a co-op or internship, an additional elective must be taken. | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Urban Policies and Politics | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| Intergovernmental Relations | ||
| Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections | ||
| Politics and Mass Media | ||
| Presidential Nominating Process | ||
Concentration in Comparative Politics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Theoretical Requirement | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Religion and Politics | ||
| Nationalism | ||
| Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
| Regional Requirements | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union | ||
| Government and Politics in the Middle East | ||
| Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
| Experiential/Practicum Requirement | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Model Arab League | ||
| Model NATO | ||
| Dialogue of Civilizations: Government and Politics Abroad | ||
Concentration in Identity, Culture, and Politics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Course | ||
| POLS 3418 | Nationalism | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Complete three of the following: | 12 | |
| Music and Politics in America and Abroad | ||
| Religion and Politics | ||
| Gender and Politics | ||
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Public Policy | ||
| Law and Society | ||
Concentration in International Relations and Diplomacy
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Experiential/Practicum Requirement | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Model United Nations | ||
| Model Arab League | ||
| Dialogue of Civilizations: International Politics Abroad | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| Complete three of the following: | 12 | |
| International Political Economy | ||
| International Law | ||
| International Security | ||
| Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union | ||
| Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
Concentration in Law and Legal Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete four of the following: | 16 | |
| American Political Thought | ||
| The U.S. Congress | ||
| Judicial Process and Behavior | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| International Law | ||
| Global Governance | ||
| U.S. Constitutional Law | ||
| U.S. Civil Liberties | ||
Concentration in Public Policy
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirement | ||
| POLS 3307 | Public Policy and Administration | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Complete three of the following: | 12 | |
| Budgeting and Taxation | ||
| Business and Government | ||
| Urban Policies and Politics | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| Growth and Decline of Cities and Suburbs | ||
| Science, Technology, and Public Policy | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| U.S. Foreign Policy | ||
Concentration in Security Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete four of the following: | 16 | |
| International Security | ||
| U.S. National Security Policy | ||
| Terrorism and Counterterrorism | ||
| U.S. Foreign Policy | ||
| Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection | ||
| Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
Sample 4 Years, 2 Co-ops
Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| JRNL 1000 | 1 | JRNL 1101 | 4 | Foreign language | 4 | Foreign language | 4 |
| JRNL 1150 | 4 | JRNL 1102 | 1 | Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 |
| POLS 1150 | 4 | POLS 1155 | 4 | ||||
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | POLS 1160 | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Foreign language | 4 | ||||
| 17 | 17 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| JRNL 2201 | 4 | JRNL 2301 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| Journalism elective 1 | 4 | Journalism elective 2 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| POLS 2399 | 4 | POLS 2400 | 4 | ||||
| Political science elective 1 | 4 | Political science elective 2 | 4 | ||||
| EEAM 2000 or EESH 2000 | 1 | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | JRNL 3610 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| Journalism elective 3 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Political thought requirement | 4 | ||||||
| Politcal science elective 3 | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours | ||
| Co-op | 0 | JRNL 3550 | 4 | ||||
| JRNL 4650 | 4 | ||||||
| POLS 4701 or 4703 | 4 | ||||||
| POLS 3320 or COMM 3320 | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 0 | |||||
| Total Hours: 131 | |||||||