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Please click here to download FAQs
1. How many Political Science courses do I need
to take to complete the major?
You’ll
need 13 courses (39 units) plus 3 courses in related
fields (9 units), for a total of 16 courses (48 units).
Political Science 100 (American Government and Politics)
is required of all majors—but it’s also
required of all students, regardless of their major—and
it does not count toward the total of number
of classes needed for the major. [top]
2. What are those Political Science courses? Which
ones are required?
Click
here to
download a map of the requirements for the major. [top]
3. What are the upper division related fields courses?
These courses are designed to help
you to broaden your understanding of political science
or courses that involve methods that are similar
to those used in political science. Generally these
are courses in the social sciences. You have to take
three of them—9 units’ worth—and
all of them have to be upper-division courses.
Click here to
download a list of approved related fields courses.
If you take any of these, you won’t need an
adviser’s approval. If you have any other courses
in mind, you’ll need to talk to an adviser. [top]
4. How many units do I need to graduate?
You’ll need 120 total units.
Completing the units for your major plus General
Education units won’t be
enough until your total units is 120. That total
of 120 units is a university rule. [top]
5. Which courses should I begin with?
Start with Political Science 100
and then maybe Political Science 200; after that
it makes sense to take the 300 level breadth courses
to get an idea of the various subfields available. [top]
6. Should I get all my GE out of the way before
I start taking courses in the major?
It’s a good idea to start immediately with
Political Science 100 and then ease into the 300-level
courses. But General Education is not something to “get
out of the way” and the major does not need
to wait until your junior year. By taking major courses
earlier you may find out sooner if you really want
that major. [top]
7. After I take the required 300 level courses and
the required methodology course, which course should
I take?
We pretty much leave that up to you, depending on
your interests, except that you must eventually take
two 400 level writing courses. You can choose to
concentrate in a given area or take courses across
the board. [top]
8. Which courses are writing courses?
There are many 400- level Political Science classes that are approved writing courses—but not all of them—so be sure to select only courses from the following list to meet the writing requirement: 403, 405, 408, 410, 411, 412, 414, 417, 421, 422, 427, 430, 431, 433, 438, 440, 442, 443, 446, 447, 448, 452, 455, 456, 457, 460, 461, 470, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 481, 485. [top]
9. Are there prerequisites for 400 level courses?
Generally no, but it is helpful to
take the 300 level course in that area before taking
a specialized 400 level course to provide a good
foundation. However, if you see a 400 level course
that you just have to take, consider taking it now
since it may not be offered again while you are here. [top]
10. Is it possible to substitute a course in a different
department for the research methods course?
We do not encourage that, but if
you are unable to enroll in one of our methods courses
we do permit substituting a methods course from another
social science department with prior approval by
an adviser. In the past Political Science majors
have used such courses as Sociology 302 (Social Research
Methods) or Sociology 303 (Statistics for the Social
Sciences) to meet this requirement. [top]
11. If I substitute a different course for the methodology
course, do I still need to take 13 Political Science
courses?
Yes, you do [top]
12. Do I need to have a formal concentration within
the Political Science major?
No, though many students do that
informally by taking courses they’re most interested
in. [top]
13. Must I have a minor?
No, although some students want to take all of their
three related fields courses in the same department,
and some build on that by taking a few more courses
in that department and creating a minor [top]
14. Can I minor in Public Administration or International
Politics or Law, Politics and Society?
Yes, but if you are after course content you can
get that without a formal minor. But if you want
something on your diploma, you must minor. [top]
15. Can I double major in Public Administration and
Political Science?
Yes, if you’d like that
on your diploma. But you can also get the content
without a double major. By double majoring in these
two disciplines you essentially have a 63 unit
Political Science major. [top]
16. What are the rules for minors and double majors?
12 units must be unique to the minor and not used
for the major; and 24 units must be unique to the
major (no double counting). GE courses may be used
for the minor and for one of the majors. [top]
17. Can I double count a course for both the major
and General Education?
Well, yes and no. If you’re a Political Science
major, you cannot take a Political Science
course—that is, a course with a POSC designation-- both to
meet the requirements for the major and have
it apply to a particular category of GE. Basically,
if you’re a Political Science major you cannot
use any Political Science course to meet
a GE requirement.
But, if you take a non-Political Science course
to satisfy the related fields requirement—and
remember, these course must be outside of Political
Science--then the course can qualify for
GE credit. But in this case, don’t assume that
taking a three-unit course that qualifies for both
the Political Science related fields requirement
and GE credit somehow turns those three units into
six. It doesn’t.
If you double-major, one of your two majors is designated,
by you, as your primary major. You can’t use
courses from your primary major to complete GE requirements,
but you can use courses from your secondary
major for GE credit. [top]
18. After I finish the General Education and Major
Requirements what do I take then?
Whatever you like. These courses are called free
electives and allow you to explore other academic
areas of interest to you [top]
19. Do I need to get a “C” or better
in all the major courses?
No. You must have a C average in the major to graduate [top]
20. Can I take graduate courses?
Yes, if you are a senior (90 units
completed), have the academic preparation for the
course, and have the permission of the instructor
and are permitted by the Division. [top]
21. Can major courses count for General Education?
No, unless you are double majoring. Political Science
100 is not part of the major.
I took comparative politics and International Relations
at my community college. Do they count for the major?
Yes:
you can have 9 units of lower division work count
towards the major (not including Political Science
100, which is not part of the major). We may accept
lower division course in Comparative Politics and
International Relations as being equivalent to our
300 level courses; you should consult an adviser
on this.
[top]
22. I took an International Relations course at my
community college and Political Science 350 here.
Do they both count towards the major?
No. We treat them as equivalent courses. You should
have talked to me earlier [top]
23. Do I need to take an internship? How many internship
courses can I take?
An internship is not required for the Political
Science major, but most students find them to be
a valuable experience and often in help in finding
a job later. You are limited to a total of 6 units
in internships. They can be the same internship or
different internships. [top]
24. Which courses are writing courses?
There are many 400- level classes that are approved writing courses—but not all of them—so be sure to select only courses from the following list to meet the writing requirement: 403, 405, 408, 410, 411, 412, 414, 417, 421, 422, 427, 430, 431, 433, 438, 440, 442, 443, 446, 447, 448, 452, 455, 456, 457, 460, 461, 470, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 481, 485. [top] |
