Political Science, BA

About the Program

Political Science majors explore the world of government and politics both in the US and around the world.  They analyze political leaders, campaigns, voting, the courts and legal systems, international relations, the government and politics of other countries, political violence and terrorism, war and peace, and many other key topics.  In doing so, they learn the critical thinking, writing and communication skills that employers and graduate schools are looking for.

Degree Requirements

• 120 Credit Hours
• Minimum grade of C required for ENGL 10400 , POL 10100 , POL 31200 , PSY 12000 , and all World Language courses; Minimum grade of C- required for all other POL courses
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
• Certain courses may only be available at one campus location

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits)

• English Composition (6 Credits): ENGL 10400 - English Composition I  and ENGL 10500 - English Composition II  
• Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication  
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits): select from the Quantitative Reasoning Core list   
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits): select from the Natural Sciences Core list   
• Technology (3 Credits): select from the Technology Core list   
• Humanities (3 Credits): select from the Humanities Core list   
• Social Sciences (3 Credits): select from the Social Sciences Core List   
• Additional (3 Credits): Select from any Communication & Creative Arts General Education Core courses 
• First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits):  POL 20000 Introduction To The Study Of Political Science  

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

• Four (4) College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences (CHESS) electives from courses outside of the student’s major. Electives may not be used toward the fulfillment of General Education requirements (*See notes below) (12 Credits)
• World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

*Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:

1. Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
2. Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
3. Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
4. Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)

Major Core (36 Credits)

• POL 13000 - Introduction To International Relations or POL 14100 - Governments Of The World  
• POL 30000 - Introduction To Political Analysis
• Four (4) 30000-level or above POL Elective courses (12 Credits)
• Applied Policy Making Elective - choose one: POL 40100 Practicum In Local Government , POL 40600 Internship In A Public Agency , or POL 49100 Political Science Senior Seminar   
• American Political Science Elective - choose one:  POL 30600 The United States In The 1960’s , POL 31100 Congress And The President , POL 31500 Public Opinion And Elections , POL 33000 Politics Of Lake County , POL 34600 Law And Society , POL 35400 Civil Liberties And The Constitution , POL 36400 Law, Ethics, And Public Policy , POL 37200 Indiana Government And Politics , POL 41100 Congress: Structure And Functioning , POL 46000 Judicial Politics ,  POL 46100 Constitutional Law I , POL 39200 Student Government , or other courses as approved by the program advisor
• Political Theory and Methodology Elective - choose one:POL 31200 American Political Thought , POL 33000 Politics Of Lake County , POL 36400 Law, Ethics, And Public Policy , POL 34900 Intro To Jewish Studies , POL 35300 Current Political Ideologies , POL 38800 The World Of Ideas I , POL 38900 The World Of Ideas II , POL 39000 Race and Politics , POL 40400 United States Policy Making Elite , or other courses as approved by the program advisor
• International Relations Elective - choose one: POL 30900 The Middle East , POL 39000 Gender, Politics, and Policy from a Global Perspective , POL 43300 International Organization , POL 43500 International Law , POL 43900 United States Foreign Policy Making , POL 49000 International Policy Making: Model UN II , or other courses as approved by the program advisor
• Public Policy and Administration Elective - choose one: POL 12000 Introduction To Public Policy And Public Administration , POL 32000 Introduction To Public Policy Analysis , POL 35700 Budgeting In The Public Sector , POL 38000 The Politics Of Bureaucracy , POL 43300 International Organization , POL 49000 International Policymaking II , POL 39000 Gender, Politics and Policy from a Global Perspective , POL 39200 Student Government , or other courses as approved by the program advisor.
• Choose one: POL 43300 International Organization , POL 49000 Model UN II , or POL 39200 Student Government  

Other Required Courses (30 Credits)

• Free Electives (30 Credits)

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

• Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
• Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
• Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester.  Certain exclusions apply. 

College Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs.  The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings.  Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program.  That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more:

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=4510&fos_credential=3