Political Science Major and Political Science Teaching Major (BS or 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: Political Science (7012BS or 7012BA), Political Science Teaching (7013BS or 7013BA)
- CIPC: Political Science (451001), Political Science Teaching (131317)
Advisement
All Political Science students are required to meet with a faculty advisor at least annually for course and program advisement. Call 801-626-6694 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). (Also refer to the Department Advisor Referral List.)
Admission Requirements
Declare your program of study (see Enrollment Services and Information ). 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 and General Education Requirements for either Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts requirements. See specific requirements for the BA and BS under the major course requirements. Four 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 , and POLS 2300 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 generally encouraged to take MATH 1040 (Statistics) to fulfill their Quantitative Literacy Requirement and LIBS 2804 to fulfill Part D of their Computer and Information Literacy requirement.
Students majoring or minoring in Political Science who transfer from another institution and who intend to graduate from WSU will be required to take, in the case of the minor, at least one class in POLS, and in the case of the major, at least two classes in POLS, including Senior Seminar. 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 . 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 “4” or above is required.
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