In the BS biology and political science program, science courses lay the groundwork for strong basic training in mathematics, chemistry, and physics that are relevant to biology. In biology courses, students broadly explore the organization and processes of life—from molecules and cells through organs and organ systems to populations, ecosystems, and evolution. In political science courses, students pursue core concepts of American government, comparative politics, international relations and political thought. Coursework in quantitative techniques is also required. Students choose from a range of advanced subject electives. An appreciation of the intersection of biology and political science is provided through advanced courses in science, technology and public policy, and in environmental politics and policy.
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.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Biology Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to College | ||
| BIOL 1000 | Biology at Northeastern | 1 |
| or POLS 1000 | Political Science at Northeastern | |
| Biology | ||
| Foundations | ||
| BIOL 1107 and BIOL 1108 | Foundations of Biology and Lab for BIOL 1107 | 5 |
| Inquiries | ||
| BIOL 2299 | Inquiries in Biological Sciences | 4 |
| Genetics | ||
| BIOL 2301 and BIOL 2302 | Genetics and Molecular Biology and Lab for BIOL 2301 | 5 |
| Project Lab | ||
| BIOL 2309 | Biology Project Lab | 4 |
| Biochemistry | ||
| BIOL 3611 and BIOL 3612 | Biochemistry and Lab for BIOL 3611 | 5 |
| Intermediate/Advanced Biology | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4-5 | |
BIOL 2327 to BIOL 3999 | ||
BIOL 4705 to BIOL 5999 | ||
| Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Elective | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Human Parasitology | ||
| Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | ||
| Current Topics in Organismal and Population Biology | ||
| Ecology and Lab for EEMB 2302 | ||
| Introduction to Evolution | ||
| Marine Biology and Lab for EEMB 2700 | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Disease Ecology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Mathematics | ||
| MATH 1341 | Calculus 1 for Science and Engineering | 4 |
| Chemistry | ||
| General Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 1161 and CHEM 1162 and CHEM 1163 | General Chemistry for Science Majors and Lab for CHEM 1161 and Recitation for CHEM 1161 | 5 |
| Organic Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | Organic Chemistry 1 and Lab for CHEM 2311 | 5 |
| CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | Organic Chemistry 2 and Lab for CHEM 2313 | 5 |
| Physics | ||
| PHYS 1145 and PHYS 1146 | Physics for Life Sciences 1 and Lab for PHYS 1145 | 5 |
| PHYS 1147 and PHYS 1148 | Physics for Life Sciences 2 and Lab for PHYS 1147 | 5 |
Political Science Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses in Political Science | ||
| POLS 1150 | American Government | 4 |
| POLS 1155 | Comparative Politics | 4 |
| POLS 1160 | International Relations | 4 |
| Statistics | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Quantitative Techniques | ||
| Biostatistics and Lab for ENVR 2500 | ||
| Political Thought | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | ||
| Modern Political Thought | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Contemporary Political Thought | ||
| Political Science Electives | ||
| Complete five POLS courses 2000 and above. | 20 | |
Political Science Concentration (Optional)
If you are working toward one of the following concentrations, declare it with your advisor 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 and Capstone
Note: Science, Technology, and Public Policy (POLS 2390) and Environmental Politics and Policy (POLS 2395) cannot be used both as an integrative course and as an elective above.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Integrative Requirement | ||
| POLS 2390 | Science, Technology, and Public Policy | 4 |
| or POLS 2395 | Environmental Politics and Policy | |
| Capstone | ||
| Complete one of the following to fulfill capstone requirement: | 1-4 | |
| Biology Capstone | ||
| Biology Research Capstone (concurrent with BIOL 4991 or 4994, which may be used toward Intermediate/Advanced Biology) | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | ||
| Political Science Senior Capstone | ||
Program Requirement
136 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 | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Urban Policies and Politics | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| Local Campaigns and Elections | ||
| Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections | ||
| Politics and Mass Media | ||
Concentration in Comparative Politics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Theoretical Requirement | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| The Holocaust and Comparative Genocide | ||
| Democratic Erosion | ||
| Immigration Politics | ||
| Religion and Politics | ||
| Nationalism | ||
| Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
| Regional Requirements | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union | ||
| Government and Politics in the Middle East | ||
| 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 | |
| Immigration Politics | ||
| Music and Politics in America and Abroad | ||
| Religion 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 | ||
| Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union | ||
| International Security | ||
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 | ||
| Race, Inequality, and the Law | ||
or AFAM 3323 | Race, Inequality, and the Law | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| U.S. National Security Policy | ||
| Terrorism and Counterterrorism | ||
| U.S. Foreign Policy | ||
| Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
| International Security | ||
Please note that these are sample plans of study. While the requirements are the same for all students, individual schedules may vary.
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| BIOL 1000 or POLS 1000 | 1 | BIOL 2299 | 4 | BIOL 2301 | 4 | Vacation | |
| BIOL 1107 | 4 | CHEM 2311 | 4 | BIOL 2302 | 1 | ||
| BIOL 1108 | 1 | CHEM 2312 | 1 | POLS upper-division elective | 4 | ||
| CHEM 1161 | 4 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | ||||
| CHEM 1162 | 1 | POLS 1155 | 4 | ||||
| MATH 1341 | 4 | POLS 1156 | 0 | ||||
| POLS 1150 | 4 | ||||||
| 19 | 17 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| BIOL 2309 | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Intermediate/advanced BIOL elective with lab | 5 |
| CHEM 2313 | 4 | Elective (can be taken online) | 4 | POLS elective | 4 | ||
| CHEM 2314 | 1 | ||||||
| EESC 2000 | 1 | ||||||
| POLS 1160 | 4 | ||||||
| IC NUpath elective | 4 | ||||||
| 18 | 4 | 0 | 9 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| BIOL 3611 | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Advanced writing | 4 |
| BIOL 3612 | 1 | ER NUpath elective | 4 | ||||
| PHYS 1145 | 4 | ||||||
| PHYS 1146 | 1 | ||||||
| Organismal and evolutionary biology elective | 4 | ||||||
| Political thought elective | 4 | ||||||
| 18 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| PHYS 1147 | 4 | ENVR 2500 | 4 | ||||
| PHYS 1148 | 1 | ENVR 2501 | 1 | ||||
| BIOL/POLS integrative course | 4 | Capstone | 4 | ||||
| DD NUpath elective | 4 | POLS elective | 4 | ||||
| POLS elective | 4 | POLS elective | 4 | ||||
| 17 | 17 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 136 | |||||||
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| BIOL 1000 or POLS 1000 | 1 | BIOL 2299 | 4 | BIOL 2301 | 4 | Vacation | |
| BIOL 1107 | 4 | CHEM 2311 | 4 | BIOL 2302 | 1 | ||
| BIOL 1108 | 1 | CHEM 2312 | 1 | POLS elective | 4 | ||
| CHEM 1161 | 4 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | ||||
| CHEM 1162 | 1 | POLS 1155 | 4 | ||||
| CHEM 1163 | 0 | ||||||
| MATH 1341 | 4 | ||||||
| POLS 1150 | 4 | ||||||
| 19 | 17 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| BIOL 2309 | 4 | BIOL 3611 | 4 | Intermediate/advanced BIOL with lab | 5 | Co-op | 0 |
| CHEM 2313 | 4 | BIOL 3612 | 1 | POLS elective | 4 | ||
| CHEM 2314 | 1 | PHYS 1145 | 4 | ||||
| EESC 2000 | 1 | PHYS 1146 | 1 | ||||
| POLS 1160 | 4 | Organismal and evolutionary biology elective | 4 | ||||
| IC NUpath elective | 4 | Political thought elective | 4 | ||||
| 18 | 18 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | PHYS 1147 | 4 | Advanced writing | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| General elective (can be taken online) | 4 | PHYS 1148 | 1 | ER NUpath elective | 4 | ||
| BIOL/POLS integrative course | 4 | ||||||
| DD NUpath elective | 4 | ||||||
| POLS elective | 4 | ||||||
| 4 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | 0 | ENVR 2500 | 4 | ||||
| ENVR 2501 | 1 | ||||||
| Capstone | 4 | ||||||
| POLS elective | 4 | ||||||
| POLS elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 17 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 136 | |||||||