Political Science Major
Political Science Major Requirements
Political Science majors complete 39 credits in political science. In addition, majors must satisfy the University Studies and College of Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in the major in order to graduate.
Political Science Major forms
- PSC major tracking form
- The major change/declaration and student leave of absence/withdrawal forms are available under Student Forms
Program options
Full time undergraduate—for traditional, undergraduate degree seekers.
Online bachelor's degree—earn 120 credits online or transfer up to 75 credits from a regionally accredited institution to earn your BA in Political Science. Learn more about this fully online program.
Foundation Courses
Twelve (12) credits required. These foundation courses should generally be taken in the first or second year:
- PSC 101 Introduction to American Politics
- PSC 151 Introduction to Comparative Politics
- PSC 161 Introduction to International Relations
- PSC 171 Introduction to Political Theory
Research Methods
Three (3) credits required.
- PSC 349 Political Science Research Methods
NOTE: PSC 249 Intermediate Writing in Political Science meets the University Studies 1.C Intermediate Writing requirement and is a pre-requsite for PSC 349
Internship
Three (3) internship credits are required; up to fifteen (15) Internship credits may be earned.
Recommended in senior year; may be waived in lieu of a study abroad of at least 4-weeks duration plus an upper-division course in PSC. See the PSC Internship page for more information.
- PSC 305 Political Science Internship
Specialized Courses
Seven (7) specialized courses, for a total of twenty-one (21) credits. Specialized PSC courses must be above the 100 level, not including PSC 249, PSC 349, or PSC 305.
- A maximum of 2 of the 7 PSC specialized courses can be completed at PSC 200 level
- A minimum of 2 of the 7 PSC specialized courses must be completed at PSC 400 level
The specialized courses must be taken in a minimum of 2 of the 4 main subfields: American Politics/Policy, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory
Examples of Specialized Courses include:
American Politics/Policy
- PSC 201 Topics in American Politics
- PSC 212 American Politics in Film
- PSC 213 Law & Courts in Film
- PSC 216 Politics of the Social Safety Net
- PSC 242 Ethnic Politics
- PSC 301 The Presidency
- PSC 302 The Legislative Process
- PSC 303 Topics in American Politics/Policy
- PSC 306 Civil Rights Movements in the U.S.
- PSC 311 State Politics
- PSC 312 Massachusetts Politics
- PSC 313 Urban Politics
- PSC 315 Public Policy in America
- PSC 322 Constitutional Law
- PSC 323 Civil Liberties
- PSC 331 Political Parties & Interest Groups
- PSC 332 Sex Roles & Politics
- PSC 333 Political Behavior
- PSC 337 Reproductive Rights & Health
- PSC 339 Women & Public Policy
- PSC 342 Public Administration
- PSC 345 Politics of Public Health
- PSC 400 Seminar in American Politics & Policy (various topics)
- PSC 498 Capstone Seminar in Political Science
Comparative Politics
- PSC 239 African American Politics
- PSC 251 Topics in Comparative Politics
- PSC 361 Chinese Government and Politics
- PSC 362 Topics in Comparative Politics
- PSC 363 Politics & Government of the Middle East
- PSC 366 Islam and Politics
- PSC 367 African Political Systems
- PSC 450 Seminar in Comparative Politics (various topics)
International Relations
- PSC 261 Topics in International Relations
- PSC 284 Model UN
- PSC 347 Environmental Law
- PSC 381 Topics in International Relations
- PSC 382 American Foreign Politics
- PSC 384 International Organizations
- PSC 385 The Politics of Global Climate Change
- PSC 477 Seminar in International Relations (various topics)
Political Theory
- PSC 271 Topics in Political Theory
- PSC 371 Topics in Political Theory
- PSC 471 Seminar in Political Theory (various topics)