- Concentrations and course offerings may vary by campus and/or by program modality. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for the course availability each term at your campus or within your program modality.
- Certain options within the program may be required at certain campuses or for certain program modalities. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for requirements at your campus or for your program modality.
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.
BA Language Requirements
All BA students are required to complete the BA degree language requirements, for a total of 12 semester hours of language study or demonstrated equivalent proficiency, as described in Additional Requirements for BA students. Successful demonstration of proficiency does not reduce total minimum semester hours of study required to earn the BA degree.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Introduction to College
Complete “Introduction to College” for your major.
Political Science Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science Requirements | ||
| 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 Theory | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Modern Political Thought | ||
| Contemporary Political Thought | ||
| Political Science Capstone | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Political Science Senior Capstone | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
Political Science Experiential Learning Requirement
Complete one course or experience from the following options. Note: Up to two credit-bearing courses count toward political science electives.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Model United Nations | ||
| Model Arab League | ||
| Model NATO | ||
| Internship in Politics | ||
| Co-op or Study Abroad | ||
| Complete one cooperative education experience or one study-abroad experience. | 4 | |
Political Science Electives
Note: You may use four courses from the elective area to fulfill a concentration.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete six political science electives with a minimum of four numbered 2000 or above. | 24 | |
Political Science Concentrations (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. Requirements for the concentrations are listed below.
- American Political Institutions
- Campaigns and Elections
- Comparative Politics
- Identity, Culture, and Politics
- International Relations and Diplomacy
- Law and Legal Studies
- Public Policy
- Security Studies
Political Science Major Credit Requirement
Complete 52 semester hours in the major.
Experiential Liberal Arts
All students in this College of Social Sciences and Humanities program are required to complete the Experiential Liberal Arts Requirement.
Program Requirements
128 total semester hours required
Concentrations
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 | ||
POLS 3162 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | |
| Urban Policies and Politics | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| 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 | ||
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| POLS 1155 | 4 | POLS 1150 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Vacation | |
| Elective | 4 | MATH 1215 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| Foreign language core course | 4 | POLS 1160 | 4 | ||||
| POLS 1000 | 1 | Foreign language core course | 4 | ||||
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| POLS 2399 | 4 | POLS 2400 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| Elective | 4 | Political Theory course | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Foreign language core course | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| EESH 2000 | 1 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | ENGW 3315 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| ENVR 3300 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| ENVR 3301 | 1 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | ||
| Co-op | 0 | Capstone (POLS4701 or POLS4703) | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Experiential Learning (Model or Internship) | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | |||||
| Total Hours: 131 | |||||||