BA in Political Science

Political science offers great flexibility and a variety of courses each semester focusing on all aspects of the discipline. You may select from a broad range of courses that satisfy your personal interests and lead you closer to domestic and international careers in business, education, government, law, media, nonprofits, and politics.

Declaring Your Major

Please refer to the Undergraduate Advising page for more information on declaring a major in political science. 

Requirements

A total of 36 political science credits are required to complete the major. Of these, 27 must be upper-division credits that include at least one course from three of the four subfields. The four subfields are political theory, comparative government, international relations, and American government.

Political science majors must also complete the POL 4991 capstone. Students with two CLA majors leading to a bachelor of arts degree are only required to complete a capstone course in one of those majors.

If students complete a capstone in a second CLA major, the POL 4991 capstone can be waived. Once a grade has been posted in your other capstone, send us an email to our advising office (poladvis@umn.edu) to have the capstone waived. Keep in mind that, while we will waive the POL 4991 capstone for another CLA capstone, we do not waive the credits. All political science majors must take a minimum of 36 credits toward their major.

Honors Course Requirements

We offer rigorous programming for high-achieving students admitted to the University Honors Program.

Students who have been accepted into the University Honors Program (UHP) are eligible to declare a political science BA at the honors level. The curriculum for the political science honors BA follows similar requirements to the general major with the following additional course requirements:

  • POL 3108H Honors Tutorial: Thesis Preparation and Political Science Inquiry. POL 3108 is a required course for all honors students majoring in political science. This course is only offered in spring semesters and should be taken spring semester of your junior year. Contact Dr. Myers by email (cdmyers@umn.edu) in November or December prior to enrolling in POL 3108H to begin discussing your ideas for a thesis. Talk with your political science advisor during fall semester of your sophomore year if you will be unable to take this course spring semester of your junior year.
  • POL 4993 Honors Thesis (1-6 credits): This individual opportunity requires at least one faculty mentor to approve an online POL 4993 contract form. This form must be initiated by the student and approved by all faculty readers, along with Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising Josie Kahlenbeck, for registration. Students should contact poladvis@umn.edu to request a link to the contract form along with instructions.

Students typically take two semesters to complete their thesis during their senior year. For this reason, students may repeat the variable credit opportunity one time only for a total of 3-6 credits overall. We recommend that you begin your Honors Thesis during the fall semester of your senior year. Be sure to follow the Honors Thesis Guide through UHP and review the Honors Requirements.

Students completing POL 4993 are NOT required to complete the POL 4991 capstone course.