Political Science
Major

The major in political science provides a proper background for a variety of diverse careers. Several career tracks are provided that can guide and prepare students for the job market. The career tracks are:

• Public Administration/Policy: This track is designed to provide the political science major with a foundation for a career in government.
• Pre-Law: This track is designed for students who wish to enter law school.
• Professional Political Science: Students wishing to become campaign professionals and consultants are encouraged to pursue this track.
• Comparative/International: Students interested in pursing a career in foreign service, or the international arena of politics or business are encouraged to follow this career track.
• Academic: The academic track is designed for students wishing to pursue advanced degrees in political science.

Requirements: To earn a major in political science a student must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of political science courses beyond the requirements of the University Core Curriculum. Of these, 3 hours must be POLS 1342 (MATH 1342) Statistics. Of these, a minimum of 21 hours in the major must be upper-division hours numbered 3000 or above. These 21 upper-division hours must include the following courses:

• POLS 3303: Students are advised to take POLS 3303 in their fourth semester before they begin taking upper division courses in political science.
• Of the remaining 18 upper division hours, at least one course (3 hours) must be taken from the courses in EACH of the three lists below:
  • POLS 3313, POLS 3316, POLS 3317
  • POLS, 3321, POLS 3331, POLS 4325
  • POLS 3361, POLS 3365, POLS 4361
• The College of Arts and Humanities also requires students in Political Science to take at least six hours of a second language.

Career Tracks: The career tracks are not binding. They are suggested course offerings that students may choose from to prepare themselves for various careers.

• Public Administration/Policy
  • Political Science Courses: POLS 3321, POLS 3341, POLS 3342, POLS 4311, POLS 4312, POLS 4315, POLS 4390 (when appropriate)
  • Electives: Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management, Statistics, Computer
• Pre-Law
  • Political Science Courses: POLS 3317, POLS 3351, POLS 3361, POLS 4315, POLS 4351, POLS 4361, POLS 4390 (when appropriate)
  • Electives: Courses that emphasize logic, analytical thinking, and critical writing
• Professional Political Science
  • Political Science Courses: POLS 3311, POLS 3312, POLS 3314, POLS 3315, POLS 3342, POLS 3365, POLS 4310, POLS 4315, POLS 4390 (when appropriate)
  • Electives: Statistics, Computer Processing, Sociology
• Comparative/International
  • Political Science Courses: POLS 3321, POLS 3331, POLS 3365, POLS 4325, POLS 4390 (when appropriate)
  • Electives: Foreign Language (beyond requirements), Economics, World History
• Academic
  • Political Science Courses: Consult with advisor
  • Electives: Statistics, Writing, Computer, Economics