Political Science (BS Degree)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

A major in Political Science consists of 38 hours and requires a minor. A minimum grade of “C” must be earned in all courses counting toward the major, including your core math requirement.

Political Science (38 hours) + Liberal Arts Core (47 hours)

Liberal Arts Core (47 hours)

See Liberal Arts Core (LAC) for all bachelor degrees must include the following courses:
POLI 201 - American National Government (3 hour(s))
POLI 101 - Introduction to Political Science (3 hour(s))
MATH 105 - Introduction to Mathematical Structures (3 hour(s)) or higher satisfies the liberal arts core requirement in Mathematics for this major.

Foreign Language requirement (3 hours included in Liberal Arts Core above)

Additional hours may be required depending on foreign language placement. Students are required to take:

a) through Foreign Language (FL) 201 Intermediate I (incorporating Arabic, Spanish, French, or other languages offered; eg, SPAN 201 , FREN 201 ) if a student starts with no advanced placement or places into 110, 120, or 201, earning a minimum of 3 hours but not to exceed 9 hours;

b) through Foreign Language (FL) 202 (Intermediate II) if the student places higher than FL 201. If a student places higher than 202, the student has completed her/his required FL credit. Note that this placement does not count toward the required 120 hours (may vary according to degree) required of all CSU students.

c) CHST 121 and CHST 122 or CHST 131 and CHST 132 .

Major Studies (20 hours)

POLI 101 - Introduction to Political Science (3 hour(s))
(meets 3 hours of the Social Science LAC requirement)
POLI 201 - American National Government (3 hour(s))
(meets 3 hours of the Social Studies LAC requirement)
POLI 311 - Comparative Politics (3 hour(s))
POLI 312 - International Relations (3 hour(s))
POLI 413 - Western Political Thought (3 hour(s))
or
POLI 415 - Contemporary Political Thought (3 hour(s))
or
POLI 428 - Christian Political Thought (3 hour(s))
POLI 450 - Qualitative Research Methods in Political Science (3 hour(s))
POLI 455 - Senior Thesis (1 hour(s))
POLI 499 - Political Science Senior Seminar (1 hour(s))

Note

All political science majors need to take an approved statistics class prior to taking POLI 450. In order of preference (and nature of prerequisite requirements), these courses are:

ECON 224

PSYC 301

(excluding the lab portion),

MATH 213

or an equivalent statistics course approved by the departmental chairperson. A grade of “C” or higher is required in this course. Students must take MATH 110 or higher as a prerequisite to MATH 213; students may take MATH 105 or higher as prerequisite for ECON 224 or PSYC 301.

Major Electives (18 hours)

18 additional hours of Political Science electives; 6 hours of which must be chosen from within each of the three groups

American Politics and Government (6 hours)

Choose two courses from:

POLI 313 - Parties and Interest Groups (3 hour(s))
POLI 314 - Political Parties and Public Opinion (3 hour(s))
POLI 316 - Campaigns and Elections (3 hour(s))
POLI 417 - The U.S. Congress (3 hour(s))
POLI 419 - The American Presidency (3 hour(s))
POLI 421 - Constitutional Law I (3 hour(s))
POLI 422 - Constitutional Law II (3 hour(s))
POLI 402 - The U.S. Supreme Court (3 hour(s))

International Relations/Comparative Politics (6 hours)

Choose two courses from:

POLI 315 - International Conflict (3 hour(s))
POLI 320 - Politics and Government in Africa (3 hour(s))
POLI 322 - Comparative Democratization (3 hour(s))
POLI 412 - International Political Economy (3 hour(s))
POLI 418 - United States National Security & Foreign Policy (3 hour(s))
POLI 423 - International Law (3 hour(s))
POLI 424 - International Organizations (3 hour(s))

Political Science electives (6 hours)

Choose two courses from:

HIST 304 - American Legal History (3 hour(s))
POLI 202 - State and Local Government (3 hour(s))
POLI 221 - Introduction to Public Administration (3 hour(s))
POLI 313 - Parties and Interest Groups (3 hour(s))
POLI 314 - Political Parties and Public Opinion (3 hour(s))
POLI 315 - International Conflict (3 hour(s))
POLI 316 - Campaigns and Elections (3 hour(s))
POLI 320 - Politics and Government in Africa (3 hour(s))
POLI 322 - Comparative Democratization (3 hour(s))
POLI 361 - Criminal Law (3 hour(s))
POLI 362 - Criminal Procedure (3 hour(s))
POLI 402 - The U.S. Supreme Court (3 hour(s))
POLI 412 - International Political Economy (3 hour(s))
POLI 413 - Western Political Thought (3 hour(s))
POLI 415 - Contemporary Political Thought (3 hour(s))
POLI 417 - The U.S. Congress (3 hour(s))
POLI 418 - United States National Security & Foreign Policy (3 hour(s))
POLI 419 - The American Presidency (3 hour(s))
POLI 420 - History of American Diplomacy I (3 hour(s))
POLI 421 - Constitutional Law I (3 hour(s))
POLI 422 - Constitutional Law II (3 hour(s))
POLI 423 - International Law (3 hour(s))
POLI 424 - International Organizations (3 hour(s))
POLI 428 - Christian Political Thought (3 hour(s))
POLI 430 - History of American Diplomacy II (3 hour(s))
POLI 469 - Internship in Political Science (3 hour(s))
POLI 498 - Honors Project in Political Science (3 hour(s))

Note:

Graduation Credit Hour Requirements

All students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate.
Students who have taken MATH 099 or ENGL 099 must complete at least 124 credit hours.
Students who have taken both MATH 099 and ENGL 099 must complete at least 128 credit hours.
All students must also satisfy the Residency Requirements as outlined in this catalog.