Political Science, B.S.

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Law, Justice, and Society Concentration

All requirements for political science majors are outlined below. In addition to the core of required courses, all students must complete course work in one of the three concentrations.

Political Science Major

Core Curriculum Requirements (43-45 credits)

In College Core B , all majors in programs in the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences are required to pass a second course in Social and Behavioral Sciences; i.e., CHBS majors cannot fulfill College Core B requirements with a Health and Wellness course. Note: Some concentrations in the major require specific courses to fulfill Core Curriculum requirements.

Total Credits Needed for Degree 120

Concentrations

Political Science Concentration (33 credits)

Political Science Foundations (15 credits)

Concentration (18 credits)

Students must complete one upper-level course (other than POSC 485 , POSC 488 , POSC 490 , or POSC 498 ) in each of the following areas: American Government (AG), Comparative Government (CG), International Relations (CG), and Political Theory (PT). The total hours earned in political science must be a minimum of 33.

POSC electives must be taken at the 300-400 level. Courses transferred in from community college are not eligible for credit as 300-400 level classes.

Public Administration and Public Service Concentration (42 credits)

Political Science Foundations (18 credits)

Upper-level courses

Students also complete one upper-level course (other than POSC 485 , POSC 488 , POSC 490 , or POSC 498 ) in each of the following areas: Comparative Government (CG), International Relations (IR), and Political Theory (PT).

Concentration (15 hours)

Students must complete:

and one of the following AG courses:

Note(s):

POSC electives must be taken at the 300-400 level. Courses transferred in from community college are not eligible for credit as 300-400 level classes.

Law, Justice, and Society Concentration (39)

This concentration specifies 21 of the required 43-45 credit hours for the Core Curriculum. It includes 15 credit hours of required departmental core classes; 9 credit hours of 300-400 level political science; and 15 credit hours of courses in related disciplines. A B.A. degree is recommended. POSC electives must be taken at the 300-400 level. Courses transferred in from community college are not eligible for credit as 300-400 level classes.

Core Curriculum Requirements:

University Core B:

Humanities: PHIL 112
Social and Behavioral Sciences: SOCY 110 or SOCY 121 or ECON 105 or ECON 106

College Core A:

Global Perspectives: ENGL 201 or ENGL 202 or HIST 101 or HIST 102 or INST 101 or RELN 112
US Perspectives: HIST 111 or HIST 112

College Core B:

Humanities/VP: POSC 110
Social/Behavioral Sciences: HIST 111 or HIST 112 or ECON 105 or ECON 106 or PSYC 121 or SOCY 110 .

Political Science Foundations (15 hours)

Political Science Electives (9)

Additional Courses (15 credits)

15 credit hours of course work chosen from the list below. Courses must be chosen from 3 different disciplines. At least 9 credit hours must be at 300-400 level.

B.S. Requirements (6 credits)

Bachelor of Science requirements for political science majors consist of six semester hours chosen from the following:

Note(s):

Students should consult with their academic advisors to determine which degree option best suits their needs. The department strongly encourages students to take a foreign language, but also recognizes that there is no one program of study that is equally suited to every student. Regardless of whether students pursue the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, they are encouraged to include some of the above courses in their elective curricula.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate with a major in Political Science, a student must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken with a POSC prefix.

Teaching Licensure

Students wishing to teach government at the secondary level should declare a social science major Social Science, B.A. and/or Social Science, B.S. ). To strengthen credentials as a government teacher, students should consider a double major in both social science and political science.