Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Admission Requirements

Complete the Application and Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Programs.

Graduation Requirements

• Complete the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
• Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
• Complete the following major requirements:

A total of 120 credits is required for the degree, of which 39 credits must be upper-division; a minimum of 33 credits must be from PS courses.

Honors in Political Science

Students majoring in political science are eligible to graduate with departmental honors if they satisfy all of the following requirements:

• Meet the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science;
• Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.50 in courses applicable to the degree requirements;
• Complete PS A492 in the final term of study with a grade of A or B;
• Receive an honors score (based upon criteria established by the department) on a comprehensive examination for majors.

Departmental honors are awarded by the political science faculty.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science will be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to write clear and precise English prose.
• Demonstrate the ability to understand basic principles of American government.
• Demonstrate the ability to understand the relationship between the United States and the larger world.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify and criticize competing political science arguments.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify and interpret important political texts.
• Demonstrate the ability to write a satisfactory senior-level research paper.
• Demonstrate knowledge of each recognized field within political science.

Sample Plan

The academic plan below is one pathway through the degree/certificate. It includes all requirements, taking into account recommendations from program faculty. Each student’s plan may vary according to their initial course placement, intended course load, additional majors and/or minors, and their placement into required prerequisite courses. Any change in the plan below can have an unforeseen impact on the rest of the plan. Therefore, it is very important to meet with your academic advisor to verify your personal academic plan.

Please review the following terms, definitions, and resources associated with the sample academic plan below.

• Each course in the far left column links to a pop-up bubble with a course description, prerequisite requirements, and associations with university requirements. For example, if a course fulfills a general education requirement, you will see that in the pop-up bubble.
• GER: indicates a General Education Requirement. GERs that also count toward degree/certificate requirements appear as a specific course in the plan. For these courses, "GER" is not indicated explicitly in the table, but if you click on the course, you will see the course's GER status in the pop-up bubble.
• Program Elective: indicates a specific course selection determined by program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
• Elective: indicates an open selection of 100-400 level university courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate.
• Upper Division Program Elective: indicates a specific 300-400 level course selection determined by the program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
• Upper Division Elective: indicates an open selection of 300-400 level courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate. These courses must be upper division in order to meet General University Requirements for the particular degree/certificate type.