Political Science Majors

B.A., B.S. degrees

The political science major at CMU is designed for you to take courses in a wide variety of topics. These fields include comparative politics, political theory, international relations, American state and local government, American national political institutions, and research methods and processes.

You also can focus your studies by selecting one of two specialized concentrations:

  • International Relations/Comparative Politics

  • Public Administration

A political science major consists of 33 hours, including:

  • PSC 100 (3) Introduction to Political Science

  • PSC 105 (3) Introduction to American Government and Politics

  • PSC 280 (3) Introduction to Empirical Methods of Political Research

A minimum of 15 hours of course work must be at the 300 level or above, with at least one course at the 400-500 level. PSC 405 cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
Students must choose between the following:

  • General Political Science Major

  • Public Administration Concentration

  • International Relations/Comparative Politics Concentration

The student is required to take a minimum of three hours in five of the following six fields:

  • 1.  American National Political Institutions and Processes

  • 2.  American State and Local Government, Public Administration and Policy

  • 3.  International Relations

  • 4.  Comparative Politics

  • 5.  Political Theory

  • 6.  Methodology

It is recommended that all political science majors enroll in PSC 280 during their sophomore year.

PSC 398 and PSC 598 are Special Topics courses which may be used to fulfill the area requirements for majors and minors. Permission to do this is based on the substantive content of the course, and requires the consent of the student’s major or minor advisor or the department chair. Any regular faculty member in the department can serve as the student's advisor on a major or minor.

Internships:

The department has established an internship program where students are provided relevant firsthand work experience. The duration of an internship can vary depending on the number of credit hours (1-12) taken. Students majoring in political science with a concentration in public administration, as well as the minors in public administration and public affairs, are allowed to count three internship credit hours toward their major or minor.

Notes:

  • Courses taken on a Credit/No Credit basis may not be counted toward political science majors and political science minors.

  • Majors and minors in political science should enroll in PSC 105 as freshmen (see course description).

  • Transfer students majoring in political science will be expected to take at least 15 hours of course work in the department; transfer minors, 12 hours.