Political Science- Bachelor of Arts
For information, contact the Department of Political Science, 218 Harrison Hall, 513-529-2000.
This major is for liberal arts students interested in the study of politics, government, and public affairs. For this major, at least 15 of the required 33 major hours and at least nine of the required 18 related hours must be from Miami. Required political science and related hours may not be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. A GPA of at least 2.00 is required for political science courses as well as related hours.
Program Requirements
(33 semester hours minimum)
Choose political science hours from the following major fields: political theory, comparative politics, American government, public administration, and international politics, with the following requirements:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required course | ||
| POL 241 | American Political System | 3 |
| Select at least two of the following: | 6 | |
| Political Thinking 1 | ||
| Comparative Politics 1 | ||
| Public Administration 1 | ||
| World Politics 1 | ||
| Advanced Courses | ||
| In consultation with your faculty advisor, select at least 18 additional hours from other POL courses at the 300 level and above, with at least one course from two of the five major fields. | 18 | |
| Political Science MP Capstone course: | ||
Select one of the following: | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Civil Society and Modern Politics | ||
| Capstone Seminar on the American Political System | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| The International System | ||
| Individual Lives and International Politics | ||
| Conflict Management in a Divided World | ||
| Additional Courses | ||
| Select additional hours from POL courses at 200-level and above to complete the 33 hour requirement 2 | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 33 | |
- 1
Prerequisites for 300 and 400-level courses in those subfields.
- 2
100-level POL courses do NOT apply to the major
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Related hours | ||
| Select 18 hours | ||
| (At least 12 hours must be at the 200 level or higher.) | ||
| Take a total of 18 hours from cognate disciplines including: AMS, ATH, BLS, BUS, CRE, ECO, ESP, GEO, GIC, GTY, HST, ISA, ITS, JRN, LAS, MAC, MGT, PHL, PSY, REL, SOC, STC, WGS or AES 221, AES 222, AES 431, AES 432; ENG 432; NSC 202, NSC 311 or NSC 402; and other courses as approved by the Chief Departmental Advisor or Chair. | ||
CAS Writing Competency Requirement
Students seeking the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science meet the College of Arts and Science writing in the major requirement by completing one of the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| POL 343 | American Presidency | 3 |
| POL 349 | Voice & Power in U.S. Politics | 3 |
| POL 364 | Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations | 3 |
| POL 366 | Policy Evaluation | 3 |
Note about Double Majoring in the Department
The Department of Political Science does not allow Political Science majors to pursue another major in the Department. A double major between Public Administration and Diplomacy and Global Politics is allowed, but will not meet the Miami Plan's thematic sequence requirement as a double major that is in the same department. We strongly discourage a Diplomacy and Global Politics - International Studies double major due to all the "double counting" that is involved.