Political Science Undergraduate Major (BA, BS, HBA, HBS)

This major offers the following option(s):

Also available via Ecampus.

Political Science is the systematic study of politics wherever it takes place—in governmental institutions, the international arena, and civil society. Political science majors at Oregon State may choose the general political science major, or one of the three options that focus on law and politics, international affairs, or environmental and energy politics. All political science majors learn to think critically, write clearly and speak persuasively. They learn the ideas of great political thinkers, learn the political fundamentals behind the headlines, and have engaging discussions from all points of view with other students and professors.

Major Code: 960

Students selecting the Political Science major must complete 52 credits of political science course work, of which at least 36 credits must be upper-division courses. As part of these overall credit totals, Political Science majors must complete:

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Baccalaureate Core
Select 51 credits
Foundation Courses
Select three courses from the following:		12
PS 201	*INTRODUCTION TO UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
PS 204	*INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS
PS 205	*INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
PS 206	*INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THOUGHT
Methods/WIC
PS 300	^RESEARCH METHODS	4
Upper-Division Subfield Courses
Select one course from at least three of the four following subfields:		12
Subfield 1: American national government and politics, to include the judiciary, state and local government, public policy, public administration
PS 311	CONGRESSIONAL POLITICS
PS 312	PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS
PS 313	CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS
PS 314	INTEREST GROUP POLITICS
PS 315	*THE POLITICS OF MEDIA
PS 317	GENDER AND POLITICS
PS 321	CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: GOVERNMENT POWERS AND CONSTRAINTS
PS 322	*CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES
PS 323	CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED
PS 326	JUDICIAL PROCESS AND POLITICS
PS 328	SPORTS AND POLITICS
PS 331	*STATE AND LOCAL POLITICS
PS 371	PUBLIC POLICY PROBLEMS
PS 374	*SUSTAINABLE LIVING: PRACTICES AND POLICIES
PS 375	*THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND POLICIES
PS 455	*THE POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
PS 473	US ENERGY POLICY
PS 475	ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY
PS 476	*SCIENCE AND POLITICS
PS 477	INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY
PS 478	RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY
Subfield 2: Comparative politics
PS 341	*EUROPEAN AND EU POLITICS
PS 343	*RUSSIAN POLITICS
PS 344	*LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS
PS 345	*POLITICS OF DEVELOPING NATIONS
PS 348	*CHINESE POLITICS
PS 350	*JAPANESE POLITICS
PS 441	DEMOCRATIZATION
PS 446	EAST ASIAN POLITICAL ECONOMY
PS 449	^TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE POLITICS
Subfield 3: International relations
PS 351	AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
PS 356	INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF ASIA PACIFIC
PS 454	INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ORGANIZATIONS
PS 455	*THE POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
PS 457	US-CHINA RELATIONS
PS 458	*INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
PS 470	GLOBAL FOOD POLITICS AND POLICY
PS 477	INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY
Subfield 4: Political philosophy
PS 361	CLASSICAL POLITICAL THOUGHT
PS 362	MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
PS 363	*GENDER AND RACE IN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
PS 365	AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
PS 461	ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICAL THEORY
PS 462	THEORIES OF LAW
Additional Upper-Division PS Courses		24
Total credits required for graduation		180

*: Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)
^: Writing Intensive Course (WIC)

I. Foundation Courses

The school encourages students to take the foundation courses in their first or second year.

Students who choose to specialize in one of the options for the major are required to take two of the introductory courses as specified for the option and choose the third introductory course.

Few upper-division political science courses have enforced prerequisites, but taking the corresponding intro course is often good preparation (for example, PS 201 would assist with PS 321).

II. Methods/WIC

PS 300 is the research methods and WIC course. The school encourages students to take the Methods/WIC course late in their second or early in their third year.

III. Upper-Division Subfield Courses

A. For the general major, students must take one course each from at least three of the four subfields.

B. For the options, students choose from a list of courses approved for the option.

IV. Potential for Specialization

Students may choose a general political science major or may choose from one of three transcript-visible options:

Environmental and Energy Politics
International Affairs
Law and Politics

V. Potential for Learning Outside the Classroom.

Political science majors are strongly encouraged to pursue experiential learning and other educational opportunities outside of the classroom, and these experiences can be used to fulfill some political science graduation requirements. Such experiences can include research, thesis writing, projects, or internship. Credits will be placed in the appropriate PS 401–PS 410 subject code. A maximum of 8 credits from any combination of PS 401–PS 410 may be applied to the major, although additional credits from courses in this range may be applied to general graduation requirements. Additional experiential learning opportunities include "field schools" and study abroad. Students should discuss all of these opportunities with the political science undergraduate advisor.

VI. Additional Requirements for the Major

Majors are required to maintain a minimum cumulative 2.00 grade-point average for all political science course work.
Majors must earn a C– grade or better in PS 300.
Students must complete the BA or BS requirements specified by the College of Liberal Arts.