Major in Political Science
[Applies to those students entering the college in 2005-06 and thereafter. Those who entered the college before 2005-06 may choose either to fulfill the new requirements for a major in political science or the requirements that were in effect when they first matriculated at the college]
Required Courses
All majors are required to take introductory courses in each of the four sub-fields of political science:
| Course Name | Number | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 4 Courses | ||
| Intro to American Politics | POLS-101 | 4.00 | Lecture |
| Intro to International Pols | POLS-102 | 4.00 | Lecture |
| The Nature of Politics | POLS-103 | 4.00 | Lecture |
| Intro to Comparative Pols | POLS-104 | 4.00 | Lecture |
Electives
Students must also take four electives in political science and the senior seminar in political science.Note that POLS 212 and 217 have the following prerequisite: POLS 101 or consent of the instructor. POLS 220 has the following prerequisite: POLS 102 or consent of the instructor. The College degree requirement of eight semester hours of independent learning may be met by POLS 350, 355, 370, 380, or 390. The independent study requirement may also be met with one course from another department. With the exception of the seminar, these eight semester hours are in addition to the thirty-six semester hours required in the political science major.
| Course Name | Number | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 5 Courses | ||
| Independent Study | POLS-350 | 4.00 | INS |
| Thesis | POLS-355 | 4.00 | Lecture |
| Internship | POLS-370 | 8.00 | INT |
| Fieldwork | POLS-380 | 4.00 | FEX |
| Senior Seminar | POLS-390 | 4.00 | Lecture |
Double Majors
Many Simmons political science majors choose to combine political science with another major, most commonly with economics, international relations, history, education, a foreign language, psychology, English, sociology, management, or communications. Students have also combined political science with many other courses of study, including pre-med, accounting, and music. We encourage double majors and deliberately have kept the requirements for political science majors flexible to accommodate them. Please note, however, that double concentrators are expected to fulfill all the departmental requirements in political science. The independent study requirement (including internship) may be fulfilled in either department, but all concentrators must take the senior seminar in Political Science.
Please print out our Political Science Major Tracking Form to chart your progress
