Political Science Major and Minors

The major in political science provides the skills and knowledge needed to understand and analyze the political world. It offers the opportunity to develop a broad understanding across various areas of political science, while providing the flexibility to explore in more detail one or more of these subfields: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and research methods. Along the way, students can learn about many different substantive topics, including public opinion, elections, legislatures, executive leaders, law, identity, political economy, violence, and conflict. Students can also develop skills in quantitative analysis via courses on political data. Political science graduates have gone on to careers in fields such as law, government, electoral campaigns, the private sector, and public policy.

The Department of Political Science offers a major in political science and two minors—one in political economy (joint with the Department of Economics) and one in political science. Students minoring in political science choose from one of three areas of concentration: American politics, political theory, and world politics.

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:

• Foundation: 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)

Please note that 24 of the 30 total required credits must be used exclusively for the PSCI major and cannot be used to satisfy other major/minor requirements. PSCI courses can be used to satisfy both PSCI major requirements and AXLE/CORE requirements.

See the full list of political science courses offered.

Political Science Minors

A minor in political science provides students with the tools they’ll need to analyze politics across different arenas. We offer three minors—a minor in political economy (joint with the Department of Economics) and a minor in political science with three choices of concentration: American politics, political theory, and world politics.

Each minor requires 18 credit hours of coursework: one political science foundation course (3 credit hours) and 15 additional credit hours of electives within that specialty. Please note that 15 of the 18 credits required for a minor in Political Science must be used exclusively for the PSCI minor and cannot be used to satisfy other major/minor requirements. PSCI courses can be used to satisfy both PSCI major requirements and AXLE/CORE requirements.

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.

Minor in Political Science

American politics concentration

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 theory concentration

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 concentration

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. A student may focus on comparative politics or international politics, or may mix the two.

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.
• Complete the Major/Minor Declaration Form. Consult the User Guide if you need assistance.
• 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.