Course Information Suite

Programs of Study: Undergrad

Political Science

http://www.pol.illinois.edu
Head of Department: William Bernhard
Department Office: 420 David Kinley Hall, MC - 713, 1407 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL (217) 333-3881

The Department of Political Science encourages students to acquire a broad understanding of political science and to pursue selected subfields of the discipline in depth. To accomplish these objectives, the department provides courses of study that introduce students to the discipline and to its principal fields. Among these are American government and politics, comparative government and politics, international relations, and political philosophy. Supporting courses are an integral part of the program and should be selected with a view toward building a coherent selection adapted to the student's particular interests.

Major in Sciences and Letters Curriculum

E-mail:pol@illinois.edu

Degree title: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences

Minimum required major and supporting course work equates to 50 hours including 30 hours of Political Science courses

General education: Students must complete the Campus General Education requirements.

Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours

Departmental distinction

To be eligible for distinction, a student majoring in Political Science must complete one of the following two tracks:

A. Individual Study Track. On this track, a student must:

  1. Complete a senior thesis,
  2. Earn a political science major grade point average on this campus of at least 3.25 or higher, and
  3. Earn a grade point average in thesis course (PS 496) of 3.67 or higher.

B. Honors Program Track. On this track, a student must:

  1. Complete a senior thesis,
  2. Earn a political science major grade point average on this campus of at least 3.25 or higher,
  3. Be admitted to and maintain good standing within the departmental honors program, and
  4. Complete required coursework in the departmental honors program with a grade point average in the thesis  courses (PS 495 and PS 496) between 2.67 and 3.66.

Admission to the departmental honors program requires the following:

  1. Completion of PS 230 or PS 231 or an acceptable substitute,
  2. An on-campus political science major grade point average of 3.5,
  3. Completion of nine hours (including at least three advanced hours) or political science on this campus,
  4. Application and affirmative vote of a departmental committee.

High Distinction

To be eligible for high distinction, a student majoring in Political Science must:

  1. Complete a senior thesis,
  2. Earn a political science major grade point average on this campus of at least 3.25 or higher,
  3. Be admitted to and maintain good standing in the departmental honors program, and
  4. Complete required coursework in the departmental honors program with a grade point average in the thesis courses (PS 495 and PS 496) of 3.67 or higher.

 

Hours Requirements
3 PS 101 - Intro to US Gov & Pol
9 Select three from the following:
 
PS 100 - Intro to Political Science OR PS 200 - Foundations of Political Science 1
 
PS 220 - Intro to Public Policy
 
PS 230 - Intro to Pol Research
  PS 231 - Strategic Models
 
PS 240 - Intro to Comp Politics
 
PS 270 - Intro to Political Theory
 
PS 280 - Intro to Intl Relations
12 At least four courses at the 300 level 2
6 Political Science courses at any level
20 Supporting course work is required and must be selected in consultation with the student’s adviser. Supporting courses should complement subfields in political science chosen by the student. At least 12 of these 20 hours must be in courses numbered 200 or above.
50 Total

1.Credit is not given for PS 100 and PS 200.

2. Most 300-level courses will require as prerequisites the appropriate 200-level courses (or, in the case of American politics courses, PS 101) or the consent of the instructor. Up to 6 hours of credit in PS 300 and 495 may also be used.

Twelve hours of 300- and 400-level courses in the major must be taken on this campus.

All foreign language requirements must be satisfied.

A Major Plan of Study Form must be completed and submitted to the LAS Student Affairs Office before the end of the fifth semester (60-75 hours). Please see your adviser.

Not more than 6 hours of individual study courses in political science (PS 490) or 6 hours for internships (PS 491) or 6 hours of supervised research (PS 492) may be included in the major; a student with any mix of independent study hours and internship hours and supervised research hours may include a maximum of 9 hours of such credit in the major. PS 496 is reserved for those seniors doing honors theses for distinction in political science and may not be counted in the 50-hour minimum required for the major.

Minor in Political Science

A minor in political science is designed for students who desire to enhance their ability to deal intelligently and critically with issues and ideas about government and politics. The minor permits choices among five sub-fields, each involving important theoretical and applied questions about the role of citizens, associations, and states in the application of political power. These sub-fields are: American Government and Politics, Comparative Government and Politics, International Relations, Political Philosophy, and Public Policy/Public Administration. Within a given sub-field, students will be exposed to advanced courses that build on relevant introductory courses. These advanced courses will provide students with in-depth treatments of topics relevant to issues dealt with in their major field of study.

Hours Requirements
3 Select one of the following:
 
PS 100- Intro to Political Science
 
PS 101- Intro to US Gov & Pol
6 Select at least two of the following courses:
 
PS 201- US Racial & Ethnic Politics
 
PS 220- Intro to Public Policy
 
PS 230- Intro to Pol Research
 
PS 240- Intro to Comp Politics
 
PS 270- Intro to Political Theory
 
PS 280- Intro to Intl Relations
9 Select at least three courses at the 300-level. These courses must be selected from sub-fields in which credit already has been completed. For a listing of courses by sub-field see the Curriculum Planning Map.
18 TOTAL