BA in Political Science
Degree Program Description
Political science is concerned with government, politics and public policies. In political science students learn how government operates and how to analyze and evaluate public policies and political ideas. This training can help students be more effective as active citizens, as political leaders and as government administrators. The curriculum offers opportunities to link academic study with internships and study abroad. Political Science graduates pursue many careers, some related to politics, but many others pursue other paths in a wide variety of areas such as: law, business and finance, consulting, government, public relations, media, advertising, lobbying, and international relations.
Major Program Requirements
In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.
| All majors must take: | ||
| American Government | ||
or POL_SC 1100H | American Government - Honors | |
| The Science of Politics | ||
or POL_SC 3000W | Introduction to Political Research - Writing Intensive | |
| *Beginning in Spring 2020, students may take either POL_SC 2500 or POL_SC 3000W to meet the departmental research methods requirement | ||
| Comparative government (at least one course required) | ||
| Canadian Politics and Government | ||
| Comparative Political Systems | ||
or POL_SC 2700H | Comparative Political Systems - Honors | |
| Politics and the Military | ||
| European Democracies | ||
| The Politics of Sport | ||
| Latin American Politics | ||
| Latin American Politics through Film | ||
| European Political Systems | ||
| The Politics of Modern Europe | ||
| African Politics | ||
| Middle East Politics | ||
| Canada in North America | ||
| Policies and Institutions of the European Union | ||
| Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy | ||
| Korean Politics: North and South Korea | ||
| Understanding Korea Through Film | ||
| America's Wars in Asia/War and Peace in Asia | ||
| Terrorism: Religious, Ethnic and Ideological Politics | ||
| Politics of Development | ||
| Women and Politics | ||
| Comparative Political Culture | ||
| Power and Money | ||
| Comparative Political Parties | ||
| Comparative Political Behavior | ||
| Dictatorship and Democracy | ||
| The Age of Democratization? | ||
| International affairs (at least one course required) | ||
| International Relations | ||
or POL_SC 1400H | International Relations - Honors | |
| Globalization, Identity and Citizenship | ||
or POL_SC 2293W | Globalization, Identity and Citizenship - Writing Intensive | |
| The Politics of International Law | ||
| Nation Building through a Barrel of a Gun | ||
| "Chasing Ghost", The History of Irregular Warfare | ||
| Theories of International Relations | ||
| Politics and War | ||
| Genocide, Terrorism and Civil War | ||
| Strategy and Warfare | ||
| Politics of Cyber-Security | ||
| Peacekeeping and Intervention | ||
| Politics of International Economic Relations | ||
or POL_SC 4420H | Politics of International Economic Relations - Honors | |
| Global Human Rights | ||
| Nationalism and Democracy | ||
| International Organization | ||
| American Foreign Policies | ||
or POL_SC 4540W | American Foreign Policies - Writing Intensive | |
| The European Union in the Global System | ||
| Environmental Conflict | ||
| Political theory/methodology (one course highly recommended, but not required) | ||
| Liberty, Justice and the Common Good | ||
| Introductory Statistics for Political Science | ||
| Computing Methods | ||
| Classical Political Theory | ||
| Modern Political Theory | ||
| Contemporary Political Theory | ||
| Developing Dynamics of Democracy | ||
| Scots and the Making of America | ||
or POL_SC 4850H | Scots and the Making of America - Honors | |
| Beltway History and Politics: American Constitutional Democracy in Theory and Practice | ||
| American politics/public policy (at least two courses required) | ||
| Introduction to Black Politics | ||
| State Government | ||
| How Government Affects You | ||
| Missouri Politics | ||
or POL_SC 2250H | Missouri Politics - Honors | |
| The Judicial Process | ||
| Race and the American Story | ||
| American Constitutional Democracy | ||
| The Intellectual World of the American Founders | ||
or POL_SC 2450H | The Intellectual World of the American Founders - Honors | |
| Constitutional Debates | ||
or POL_SC 2455H | Constitutional Debates - Honors | |
| American Political Thought | ||
| Political Parties and Election Campaigns | ||
| Political Behavior | ||
| Politics and the Media | ||
or POL_SC 4120W | Politics and the Media - Writing Intensive | |
| African-American Politics | ||
| Race and Politics | ||
| Race, Immigration, and Urban Politics | ||
| Congress and Legislative Policy | ||
| The History of American Legislatures | ||
| The American Presidency | ||
or POL_SC 4150W | The American Presidency - Writing Intensive | |
| Interest Groups | ||
or POL_SC 4160W | Interest Groups - Writing Intensive | |
| Politics of the American South | ||
| Politics and Hollywood | ||
or POL_SC 4180W | Politics and Hollywood - Writing Intensive | |
| Elections and Democracy in the United States | ||
| The American Constitution | ||
or POL_SC 4200W | The American Constitution - Writing Intensive | |
| Constitutional Rights | ||
or POL_SC 4210W | Constitutional Rights - Writing Intensive | |
| The United States Supreme Court | ||
or POL_SC 4220W | The United States Supreme Court - Writing Intensive | |
| Constitution and Civil Liberties | ||
| Constitutional Litigation | ||
| Comparative State Politics | ||
| Public Policy | ||
or POL_SC 4320W | Public Policy - Writing Intensive | |
| Policy Analysis | ||
| Issues in Public Policy | ||
| Law, Policy, and Regulation | ||
or POL_SC 4370H | Law, Policy, and Regulation - Honors | |
| Politics of Criminal Justice | ||
| United States Health Politics and Policy | ||
| Democracy in America (and Elsewhere) | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
Options
For students who want to concentrate on a specific area, suggestions for a course of study are available from the academic advisor. These include:
- Government service for students who want to become government administrators
- Public information and reporting for students who plan to be governmental press secretaries, public information specialists, interest group lobbyists or government reporters
- International relations for students who want to work for multinational corporations or international agencies
- Graduate school preparation
- Law school preparation
Accelerated BA in Political Science to Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) Program
The MPA is a professional degree combining rigorous coursework and experiential learning opportunities to prepare students for ethical leadership in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The Truman School of Government and Public Affairs offers a 4+1 program that allows undergraduate students in Political Science (BA), Public Administration and Policy (BA), and Economics (BS) majors to earn their undergraduate degree and a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) in five total years. Students accepted into the program will begin taking graduate-level coursework during their fourth year of study that counts towards both their undergraduate and graduate program requirements.
Undergraduate students must complete 90 credit hours with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and have been accepted into the accelerated program prior to being admitted as provisional graduate students. Upon successful completion of program requirements, the undergraduate degree is conferred at the end of year 4 and the MPA is conferred at the end of year 5.
Total credits for graduation: 141
- Undergraduate credits: 105
- Dual credits: 15 (taken at the graduate level during fourth year of study for credit toward both undergraduate and MPA degrees)
- Graduate credits: 21
| Early Childhood Policy | ||
| Regional and Economic Development Policy | ||
| Local Government Management | ||
| Comparative and Global Governance | ||
| Collaborative Governance | ||
| Public Policy Processes and Strategies | ||
| Research Methods and Inquiry in Public Affairs I | ||
| Public Service and Democracy | ||
| International Comparative Rural Policy | ||
| Administrative Law |
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| POL_SC 1100*1 | 3 | Political Science1 | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000* | 3 | MATH 1050, 1100, or STAT 1200* | 3 |
| Behavioral Science* | 3 | Behavioral Science* | 3 |
| Social Science outside of major* | 3 | Second Language 1100* | 4-5 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 1 |
| 15 | 14-15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Political Science1 | 3 | POL_SC 2500 or 3000W1 | 3 |
| Second Language 1200* | 4-5 | Biological/Physical/Math Science* | 3 |
| Humanities* | 3 | Second Language 2100* | 3-4 |
| Social Science outside of major* | 3 | Humanities* | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective- Diversity Intensive Course* | 3 |
| 16-17 | 15-16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Political Science 4000+ (WI if needed)1 | 3 | Political Science 4000+1 | 3 |
| Biological or Physical Science with lab* | 5 | Biological/Physical/Math Science* | 3 |
| Humanities* | 3 | Humanities* | 3 |
| Social Science outside of major* | 3 | Elective (WI)* | 3 |
| Elective 3000+ | 3 | Elective 3000+ | 3 |
| 17 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Political Science 4000+1 | 3 | Political Science 4000+1 | 3 |
| Political Science 4000+1 | 3 | Political Science1 | 3 |
| Elective 3000+ | 3 | Elective 3000+ | 3 |
| Elective 3000+ | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 1 | Elective | 3 |
| 13 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120-123 | |||
- 1
Course meets degree program requirements
- *
Course meets University general education and/or campus graduation requirements
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.