Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science
The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, including the Core Curriculum requirements, is 120. Thirty-nine of the total semester credit hours required for the degree must be at the upper-division level. At least 33 semester credit hours of political science coursework are required to fulfill the political science major. The 33-hour total is considered a minimum, and students are encouraged to deepen and broaden their grasp of their major through careful allocation of their elective semester credit hours. Students are required to complete at least 6 semester credit hours of support work. These courses, which require advance approval from advisors, should serve to introduce students to other social sciences.
All candidates for this degree must fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements and the degree requirements, which are listed below.
Core Curriculum requirements: Students seeking the Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science must fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements in the same manner as other students. The courses listed in the table below satisfy both degree requirements and Core Curriculum requirements; however, if these courses are taken to satisfy both requirements, then students will need to take additional courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree. For a complete listing of courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements see pages 5–9 of this catalog.
| Core Curriculum Component Area | Courses that Satisfy Core Curriculum and Degree Requirements |
|---|---|
Communications |
English Rhetoric/Composition (6 semester credit hours) |
Mathematics |
Mathematics (3 semester credit hours) |
Natural Sciences |
Science (6 semester credit hours) |
Humanities & Visual and Performing Arts |
Literature (3 semester credit hours) |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
United States History and Diversity (6 semester credit hours) |
World Society and Issues |
(3 semester credit hours) |
Degree Requirements
- 33 semester credit hours in the major, 21 hours of which must be at the upper-division level. Internships cannot be applied to the 21 hours of required upper-division coursework. Courses must be selected in the following manner:
- 6 semester credit hours of courses selected from the following:
POL 2503 Introduction to Political Theory POL 2513 Public Administration and Public Policy POL 2533 Introduction to Political Science POL 2603 International Politics POL 2623 Law and Society POL 2633 Comparative Politics - 3 semester credit hours:
POL 2703 Scope and Methods in Political Science - 21 semester credit hours of political science electives, 18 hours of which must be at the upper-division level, with at least 3 hours in each of the following subfields (see list of courses by subfield following the description of the political science minor):
American politics
Comparative politics
International politics
Political theory
Public administration or public law - One senior-level seminar selected from the following:
POL 4153 Seminar in Jurisprudence POL 4973 Seminar in Political Science
- 6 semester credit hours of courses selected from the following:
- 6 semester credit hours of courses in the social sciences outside the major, chosen with consent of the advisor
- 6 semester credit hours of a single language other than English
- 33 semester credit hours of electives