Below are the requirements for a political science major.
4 Introductory courses
Students majoring in political science are required to take the department’s introductory course in each of the four subfields. We strongly encourage students to complete all four introductory courses by the end of the sophomore year.
- POLS 100 Principles of American Government
- POLS 101 Introduction to Political Philosophy
- POLS 102 Introduction To Comparative Politics
- POLS 103 Introduction to International Relations
Six Elective, Upper-division Courses
These courses are numbered higher than 103. In addition to the introductory courses, political science majors must take at least six upper-division courses for a minimum total of 10 courses and a maximum of 14 to complete the major.
Of the six elective, upper-division courses, only ONE of the following courses may be accepted as completing major requirements: ACIP 381, DCSP 381, CISS 230 (when taught by a POLS faculty), and POLS 110, formally POLS 199 - Race and Ethnicity Politics).
Honors Thesis
For outstanding students, there is the possibility of undertaking a two-semester honors thesis in the senior year. Only one honors thesis credit (one semester) may count toward the POLS major. Students writing an honors thesis must complete a minimum of 11 POLS courses, including the one-semester thesis credit.