Major and Minors
Explore and Discover. Politics are everywhere, from small acts of protest to large-scale invasions. Political science studies all levels of politics across the globe. Students studying political science develop the skills they need to carefully answer questions about political life; skills that help them succeed in academia, policy research, law, politics, and the private sector.
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Degrees Offered
The Department of Political Science offers a major in political science and four minors: American politics, political economy (offered jointly with the Department of Economics) political theory, and world politics. Below are the requirements for each specific degree.
Political Science Major
A major in political science provides the skills needed to deeply understand and carefully analyze the political world. It also offers the opportunity to develop a breadth of knowledge across the various areas of political science, while providing the flexibility to explore in more detail one or more of the following five subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Research Methods.
The political science major requires 30 credit hours of coursework made up of the following requirements:
- Core: 6 credit hours – Two 1000-level courses
- Breadth: 12 credit hours – One 2000-level (or above) course in four of the five subfields (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Research Methods).
- Depth: 12 additional credit hours in 2000-level (or above) courses across any of the subfields:
- Note: 3 of these elective credit hours can be from an additional 1000-level course and up to 6 credit hours can be from individualized instruction courses (3883, 3883, 3841, 3842, 3851, 3852, 4998, 4999)
| Core Requirement: 6 credit hours |
|---|
| PSCI 1100, 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, or 1150 |
| Breadth Requirement (12 credit hours total): 3 credit hours from four of five subfields: |
|---|
| American Government and Politics PSCI 2204W, 2222, 2235, 2240, 2240W, 2241, 2242W, 2243, 2244, 2244W, 2245, 2251, 2253, 2254W, 2255, 2256, 2259, 2262, 2265, 2266, 2267, 2269, 2270, 3241, 3242, 3243, 3244, 3246, 3247, 3249, 3250, 3252, 3253, 3254, 3260/ULAW 1000, 3268, 3272, 3273, 3700W, 3701, 3893, 4444 |
| Comparative Politics PSCI 2210, 2212W, 2213, 2214, 2215, 2216, 2217, 2219, 2223, 2224W, 2228W, 2230, 2231, 2236, 2237, 2238, 2239, 2246W, 2249, 2251, 2252, 2254W, 2270, 2278, 2400W, 2405W, 3211, 3217, 3218, 3219, 3228, 3235, 3272, 3272W, 3273, 3273W, 3274, 3400, 3894, 4238 |
| International Relations PSCI 2170, 2171, 2211, 2220, 2221, 2222, 2223, 2225, 2226, 2236, 2263, 2270, 2273, 2274, 2275, 2405W, 3211, 3227, 3228, 3229, 3270, 3272, 3272W, 3273, 3273W, 3275, 3895, 4277 |
| Political Theory PSCI 2201, 2202, 2203, 2204W, 2205, 2207, 2207W, 2208, 2209, 2263, 3206, 3253, 3258, 3264W, 3265, 3266, 3271, 3333, 3896, 4257 GSS 3306, 3307, 3030 SOC 3314, 3611, 3614 PHIL 3610, 3622 |
| Research Methods PSCI 2170, 2171, 2259, 2270, 2279, 2300, 2310, 3155, 3273, 3891, 5259 |
| Depth Requirement: 12 credit hours |
|---|
| Any 2000-level (or higher) course listed above; 3891, 3897, 3898. May include one additional 1000-level course, including 1111; and up to six hours of 3882, 3883, 3851, 3852, 3841, 3842, 4998, 4999 |
| TOTAL: 30 credit hours |
Political Science Minors
The Department of Political Science offers four minors that teach students the tools needed to analyze politics across different arenas:
- American politics: Students study the ways in which American political institutions interact with mass political behavior to influence American politics and policymaking in contemporary and historical periods of the United States.
- Political economy (offered jointly with the Department of Economics): Students study the economic analysis of political institutions and behavior, and the political consequences of economic decisions, policies, and outcomes.
- Political theory: Students draw on the works and insights of a broad range of historical and contemporary political theorists to engage with foundational normative questions of political life, including democracy, governance, rights, and justice.
- World politics: Students study fundamental questions of democratic development and conflict across a wide range of global settings. Students may focus on comparative politics or international relations, or they may mix the two areas of concentration.
Each minor requires 18 credit hours of coursework: one political science core course and 15 additional credit hours of electives within that specialty.
Minor in American Politics
| Courses | Credit Hours Required |
|---|---|
| PSCI 1100 or 1150 | 3 credit hours |
| Plus any five of the following: PSCI 2204W, 2222, 2235, 2240, 2240W, 2241, 2242W, 2243, 2244, 2245, 2251, 2253, 2255, 2256, 2259, 2262, 2265, 2266, 2267, 2270, 3241, 3242, 3244, 3246, 3247, 3249, 3250, 3252, 3253, 3254, 3260, 3268, 3700W, 3893, 4444 | 15 credit hours |
| TOTAL | MINIMUM 18 CREDIT HOURS |
Minor in Political Economy
The minor, offered jointly with the Department of Economics, allows students to gain expertise across political science, economics, and public policy. Students engage with the economic analysis of political institutions and behavior, as well as the analysis of the political consequences of economic decisions, policies, and outcomes. Students in the minor acquire a common foundation of tools in microeconomic theory and game theory and will take substantive and methodological coursework to build on these analytics foundations.
| Courses | Credit Hours Required |
|---|---|
| All students are required to complete either PSCI 2259 or ECON 3012 as a pre-requisite for the minor. | |
| PSCI 3400/ECON 4230 PSCI 3401/ECON 4240 | 6 credit hours |
| Plus four of the following: PSCI 2211, 2221, 2225, 2226, 2274, 2228W, 2259, 2300, 3259, 3252 ECON 2890, 3110, 3200, 3032/3035, 4220, 4260, 4540 Of the 4 elective classes, at least one has to be taken from a course offered by the Department of Political Science, and at least one has to be taken from a course offered by the Department of Economics. | 12 credit hours |
| TOTAL | MINIMUM 18 CREDIT HOURS |
Minor in Political Theory
| Courses | Credit Hours Required |
|---|---|
| Political Science 1103 | 3 credit hours |
| Plus any five of the following: PSCI 2201, 2202, 2203, 2204W, 2205, 2207, 2207W, 2208, 2209, 2263, 3206, 3253, 3258, 3264W, 3265, 3266, 3270, 3271, 3333, 3896, 4257 | 15 credit hours |
| TOTAL | MINIMUM 18 CREDIT HOURS |
Minor in World Politics
A student may focus on comparative politics or international politics, or may mix the two.
| Courses | Credit Hours Required |
|---|---|
| Political Science 1101 or 1102 | 3 credit hours |
| Plus any five of the following: PSCI 2170, 2171, 2210, 2211, 2212W, 2213, 2214, 2215, 2216, 2217, 2219, 2220, 2221, 2222, 2223, 2224W, 2225, 2226, 2228W, 2230, 2231, 2236, 2237, 2238, 2239, 2246W, 2249, 2251, 2252, 2254W, 2263, 2270, 2273, 2274, 2275, 2278, 2400W, 2405W, 3211, 3217, 3218, 3219, 3228, 3229, 3235, 3272W, 3273, 3273W, 3274, 3475, 3400, 3894, 3895, 4238, 4277 | 15 credit hours |
| TOTAL | MINIMUM 18 CREDIT HOURS |
Declaring a Major or Minor
To declare a major or minor in Political Science a student should:
- Email the Director of Undergraduate Studies to request an adviser. In that email, be sure to include the subfield that you think is most likely to be your specialty within political science (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Research Methods). This will help in assigning you the appropriate faculty adviser.
- Go to Vanderbilt’s “Undergraduate Forms” page: https://registrar.vanderbilt.edu/registration/forms.php
- Click on the “Major/Minor Declaration/Change” link
- Complete the online form. In the “Comments” section of the online form, be sure to indicate your subfield of interest (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Research Methods).
- Submit the form. You will be notified by email once your request has been processed. The confirmation email will include the name of your adviser.