Degree Requirements

Politics deals with "who gets what," and political science is the study of that process of getting
and maintaining power. It is an attempt to define and analyze the processes by which individuals define their interests and interact to promote those interests. At the same time it is the study of the moral ends to which power is used. The six officially defined areas of specialty within political science are American Politics, Political Theory, Public Policy, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Research Methodology.


PREREQUISITES FOR CONCENTRATION

Students concentrating in political science must take three prerequisites: POL 101, 201, and 300 or their equivalents. POL 301 does not fulfill the POL 300 requirement. POL 101 is the prerequisite for all upper-division courses. Junior or senior standing is a prerequisite for most 400-level courses. Students are advised to complete these prerequisite courses as early as possible. They should complete POL 101 and 201 within their first four terms and POL 300 during their fourth or fifth term.
 
CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS

After completing the prerequisite courses, students must complete 24 hours of upper-division political science courses. Students, except those who declared the concentration before September 1, 1986, are required to complete at least one course at the 300 level or above in each of the five fields. Students are advised to complete required classes as soon as possible to prevent schedule conflicts. Those who ignore this advice may have difficulties completing their concentration requirements as they planned.

Summary of requirements:

Prerequisites

POL 101, 201, 300...............................................................9

Field Requirements

One course from each field.............................................15*

American Politics
     POL 311, 312, 313, 315, 316, 320, 322,

     323, 327, 328, 340, 362, 413, 414, 415, 489............3

Political Theory
     POL 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310........3

Public Policy
     POL 325, 333, 360, 363, 364, 365, 490..................3
 
Comparative Politics
     POL 341,350,355,370,385,386,387,450....................3

International Relations
     POL 361, 371, 375, 451, 471, 472.......................3

Methodology
     POL 300, 492...........................................3*

*POL 300 meets both prerequisite and the methodology field requirement, so the 15 credit hour field requirement is actually 12 credit hours.

ELECTIVE MAJOR CLASSES

Any political science course at the 300 level or above may be used to complete the required 21 hours of upper-division coursework beyond POL 300. Students should select specific courses in consultation with the program advisor.

At least 15 hours of political science must be taken at UM-D unless waived by petition. Only six credit hours of internship experience, whether taken as POL 495-497, as internship-related directed studies, or as any other internship experience, may be counted toward a political science concentration.

COGNATES

Students must complete six hours of cognate courses at the 300 level or above in anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, psychology, or sociology.

MINOR OR AREA OF FOCUS

A minor or area of focus consists of 12 hours of upper-division credit in political science, including POL 300.

EVENING PROGRAM OFFERINGS

The political science faculty have a commitment to a comprehensive evening program. In terms of required courses, the goal of the discipline is to offer POL 101 each semester and POL 201 and POL 300 at least once every year. If POL 201 or POL 300 is not offered during a given two-year period, a full-time evening student is allowed to petition the discipline for permission to substitute other classes. Evening students should watch for infrequently offered prerequisite classes and take them when they are available.