Political Science

Political Science: Major

Holy Cross students who major in political science gain in-depth understanding of the American political system, other political regimes, the international system, and political philosophy. In uniformly small classes, students also improve their critical and analytical skills and competence in oral and written expression.

Political science is one of Holy Cross’ most popular majors. The major is rigorously structured so as to ensure breadth as well as depth, with courses required in each of the discipline’s four subfields. Department faculty conceive the most fundamental purpose of the major as helping students to become thoughtful, well-informed, and ethical citizens of a constitutional, self-governing republic. Political science majors have gone on to successful careers in local, state, and federal government, academia, law, journalism, business, high-school teaching, nonprofit organizations, the armed forces, and the priesthood.

Program Highlights

Students majoring in political science take courses in four main areas:

American government
political philosophy
comparative politics
international relations

Subfields

Learn more about the political science department’s four subfields.

students in a classroom with a powerpoint

Charles Carroll Program

The program brings guest lecturers to campus, funds a sophomore seminar and provides paid summer research internships.

Washington Semester Program

Many political science majors spend a semester working, studying, and conducting research in Washington, D.C.

Political Science News

Holy Cross Academic Conference to Showcase Student Work

As the academic year comes to an end, the College of the Holy Cross will celebrate the great and varied work accomplished by its students at the annual Academic Conference taking place across campus from April 27 through April 30. The four-day conference gives students from all class years the opportunity to present the results of their independent research and course work done in a variety of environments—from campus classrooms and libraries to within the Worcester community; from research labs and study abroad locations to art studios and field sites.

The Holy Cross Community Comes Together in the Wake of Violence Around the World

As the world has seen violence in all forms unfold in the past week around the world—from Paris and Beruit, to Bagdhad and Nigeria—the College of the Holy Cross community has come together to try to make sense of recent …

Washington Semester Award Winner to Present Lecture on Latin American Politics and the Countries’ Relationships with the U.S.

The Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at the College of the Holy Cross has selected Brian Beaton ’16, a political science major with a concentration in Latin American and Latino studies from Lynn, Mass., as the 2015 spring semester’s Maurizio Vanicelli …