Political Science Major
Major Requirements
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S. Minimum Credits Required: 120
University Degree Requirements
For complete details on these and other university degree requirements, refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section in the University Catalog.
- Minimum of 120 semester credits (some programs may exceed this minimum).
- Complete the University General Education requirements.
- Minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
- Minimum of 30 credits in resident at NDSU.
- Minimum of 36 upper level credits (courses numbered 300 or higher).
- Students with transfer credit must meet the NDSU 30 credits in residence (#4). Of these 30 credits in residence, a minimum of 15 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 credits must be in the student's declared major curricula.
University General Education Requirements
A list of university approved general education courses along with the administrative policies governing the requirement and the categories is available here.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Category C: Communication | 12 | |
| Category R: Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Category S: Science and Technology | 10 | |
| Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts | 6 | |
| Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 6 | |
| Category W: Wellness | 2 | |
| Category D: Cultural Diversity | ||
| Category G: Global Perspectives | ||
| Category L: Digital Literacy | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| POLS 110 | Introduction to Political Science | 3 |
| or POLS 115 | American Government | |
| POLS 220 | International Politics | 3 |
| or POLS 225 | Comparative Politics | |
| POLS 240 | Political Ideologies | 3 |
| POLS 325 | Applied Research Methods | 3 |
| POLS 470 | Quantitative Methods for Political Science and Public Policy | 3 |
| Select a minimum of five courses from at least three of the four areas listed below (Area 1-4): | 15 | |
Area 1: | ||
| Women and Politics | ||
| Political Behavior-Executive-Legislative Process | ||
| Political Behavior-Political Parties | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Inequality and Public Policy | ||
Area 2: | ||
| Inequality and Public Policy | ||
| Constitutional Law-Civil Liberties | ||
| Constitutional Law-Criminal Justice | ||
| Crime and Public Policy | ||
| Law and Public Policy | ||
| U.S. National Security Law | ||
Area 3: | ||
| Global Policy Issues | ||
| International Law | ||
| Ethnic Conflicts | ||
| Environmental Policy and Politics | ||
| International Criminal Law | ||
| U.S. National Security Law | ||
Area 4: | ||
| Global Policy Issues | ||
| Politics of the Developing Countries | ||
| Politics of the Industrialized Countries | ||
| Comparative Political Economy | ||
| Environmental Policy and Politics | ||
| Comparative Democratic Institutions | ||
| Political Science Electives | 9 | |
| Any POLS prefix class (except POLS 397) and no more than 3 credits of POLS 494 and POLS 496. | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Degree Notes:
- An optional accelerated program in the B.S./B.A. in Political Science degree and the Masters in Public Policy (MPP) is available.
- Students may apply for admission to the accelerated undergraduate political science program after completing a minimum of 60 undergraduate credits.
- Students must have a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA for admission to the MPP graduate program. The GRE is not required for admission to the MPP program in this accelerated option.
- Students admitted to the MPP program must complete a Accelerated Degree Program Declaration Form upon admission.
- Students admitted in the accelerated program may count up to 15 graduate credits toward the undergraduate degree. These 15 credits must come from 600 and 700 level classes that fulfill requirements in the MPP program.
Course List Code Title Credits POLS 623 Public Policy Analysis (Use for Area I) 3 POLS 710 Global Public Policy (Use for Area IV) 3 POLS 705 Policy Design and Evaluation (Use for POLS elective) 3 POLS 724 Public Budgeting and Finance (Use for Area I) 3 POLS 726 Harm Reduction for Policymakers (Use for POLS elective) 3 POLS 670 Quantitative Methods for Political Science and Public Policy (Use for POLS elective) 3