Program Requirements

A minimum total of 120 credit hours is required for the BA in political science. In addition to meeting the requirements of the WSU General Education Program and the requirements of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students must meet the following requirements:

A major consists of the following five required courses (15 credit hours) and an additional six elective courses (18 credit hours) in political science at the 300-level or above.

Course Title Hours
General Education
Select courses to meet General Education requirements 134-35
College Requirements
Select courses to complete all LAS Competency Areas 136
Major Required Courses
POLS 121American Politics3
POLS 220Introduction to International Relations3
POLS 226Comparative Politics3
POLS 365Political Data Analysis3
POLS 600Senior Thesis3
Major Elective Courses
Select an additional six elective courses in political science at the 300-level or above18
Open Electives
Select enough electives to reach 120 credit hours16-17
Total Credit Hours120
1

Required major courses may also count towards General Education and/or LAS Competencies. Students will need to select additional electives to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation with assistance from an advisor.

Departmental Honors

 In order to be admitted to the political science honors track, students must:

  • Be a political science major,
  • Receive an A or A- in two of our core courses ( POLS 121, POLS 220, POLS 226), and
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or better.

In order to graduate with departmental honors, students must:

  • Have a 3.500 average GPA for in their POLS classes, and
  • Complete an additional applied learning experience beyond POLS 600 (internship, co-op, model UN, research assistantship).

Students who would like to be admitted to the honors track should contact the department's undergraduate coordinator through the political science department website2.

2

Link opens new window.

Applied Learning

Students in the Bachelor of Arts in political science program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from the program. The requirement can be met by completing POLS 600.

Additional applied learning experiences include POLS 153 Model United Nations I, POLS 353 Model United Nations II and POLS 490 Internship in Government/Politics.