Political Science (BA)

• Program Prerequisite: Not required for Political Science major. Political Science Teaching majors must meet the Teacher Education admission and licensure requirements (see Department of Teacher Education ). Teaching Majors are also required to take HIST 4500 - Teaching Social Studies in Grades 5-12 , for a total of 42 semester hours including HIST 4500 .
• Minor: A minor or a double major is required.
• Grade Requirements: Political Science majors must have an overall GPA of 2.00 and a “C” or better grade in courses used toward the major (a grade of “C-” is not acceptable).
• Credit Hour Requirements: A total of 120 credit hours is required for graduation; 40 upper division credit hours are required (courses numbered 3000 and above). Political Science majors are required to take 39 credit hours within the major; teaching majors must also take HIST 4500 - Teaching Social Studies in Grades 5-12, for a total of 42 credit hours.
• Program Code:  7012BA
• CIPC: 451001

Advisement

All Political Science and Political Science Teaching students are required to meet with Dr. Thom Kuehls, the Political Science faculty advisor, in order to declare their major or minor and to recieve program advisement. Call 801-626-6698 or email Dr. Kuehls at tkuehls@weber.edu for more information or to schedule an appointment. Teaching majors are encouraged to also consult with advisors in the Jerry and Vickie Moyes College of Education (call 801-626-6269). 

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Admission Requirements

There are no special admission or application requirements for the Political Science major. Teaching majors must meet the Teacher Education admission and licensure requirements (see Department of Teacher Education ).

General Education

Refer to Degree Requirements  for either Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts requirements. See specific requirements for the BA and BS under the major course requirements. Five Political Science courses can fulfill both general education and Political Science major or minor requirements: POLS 1100  fulfills the American Institutions requirement; POLS 2100 , POLS 2200 , POLS 2300 , and POLS 2400  are all Social Science General Education courses, but students may only count one of these three courses towards the Social Science General Education requirement. Consult with a department advisor for specific general education guidelines. Political Science majors are encouraged to take MATH 1040  (Statistics) to fulfill their Quantitative Literacy Requirement and LIBS 2804  to fulfill of their Information Literacy requirement.

Students who transfer from another institution and who intend to graduate from WSU with a minor in Political Science or a Political Science Teaching minor will be required to take at least two classes in Political Science at WSU. Students who transfer from another institution and who intend to graduate from WSU with a major in Political Science or a Political Science Teaching major will be required to take at least three classes in POLS, plus POLS 4990  Senior Seminar at WSU. These classes must be taken during the calendar year immediately preceding graduation.

AP credit for high school American Government courses will be accepted for Political Science POLS 1100  and POLS 2200 . It will count toward the total hours required for graduation and count toward the total of 39 credit hours required for a Political Science major. A score of 3 or higher on the AP U.S. Government and Politics course will count in place of POLS 1100 . A score of 3 or higher on the AP Comparative Politics course will count in place of POLS 2200 .

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students should be able to identify the political institutions and processes of the government of the United States.
• Students should be able to explain at least one of the following five subfields of the discipline: American Government and Public Administration, Comparative Politics, International Politics, Public and Constitutional Law, or Political Theory.
• Students should be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills or formulate and defend a thesis in a written or oral format.
• Students should be able to use a proper methodology necessary for writing a paper in the field of Political Science.
• Students should be able to synthesize and demonstrate advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies.