Political Science Minor

This program is available at the following locations:

Corvallis
Ecampus
OSU-Cascades (hybrid)

The Political Science program offers students the ability to augment their primary major by adding a minor in political science. Because politics and policy are relevant to all disciplines, understanding how your discipline interacts with political systems and policymaking can enhance any program of study and strengthen students’ graduate school applications and resumes for future employment.

Minor Code: 960

The structure of the Political Science minor mirrors that of the major. In both, there is a “general” program of study that provides a wide array of choices among courses, as well as three “tracks” that afford students the opportunity for specialization. All students in the minor must complete at least seven courses (28 credits), of which at least 3 courses (12 credits) must be taken at Oregon State University. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA in their political science coursework. In addition, no more than 4 credits from PS 401 – PS 410 may count toward the minor. No more than 8 credits may be from courses taken S/U.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
General Minor
Select two from the following introductory level courses:		8
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
Select five upper-division 300/400 level courses in political science		20
Total Credits		28

Minor Tracks

Students can select one of three tracks in the minor: Law and Politics, International Affairs or Environmental and Energy Politics. These tracks correspond to the options within the Political Science major.

To complete any of these tracks within the minor, students must take the two introductory courses for the track, and at least four courses from the list of upper-division courses in the track. One of these may be a non-political science course on the list. The fifth upper-division course may be a political science course on the list, or may be an upper-division PS course not on the list.

Law and Politics Track

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Introductory Courses
PS 201	*INTRODUCTION TO UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS	4
PS 206	+*INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THOUGHT	4
Upper-Division Political Science Courses
Select four courses from the following:		16
PS 311	CONGRESSIONAL POLITICS
PS 312	PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS
PS 325	*GENDER AND THE LAW
PS 326	JUDICIAL PROCESS AND POLITICS
PS 331	*STATE AND LOCAL POLITICS
PS 354	*INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND GLOBAL POLITICS
PS 361	CLASSICAL POLITICAL THOUGHT
PS 362	MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT
PS 363	*GENDER AND RACE IN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
PS 364	CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THEORY
PS 365	AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT
PS 366	*FROM ATLANTIS TO UTOPIA: THE POLITICS OF THE IDEAL STATE
PS 371	PUBLIC POLICY PROBLEMS
PS 372	PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
PS 375	*THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND POLICIES
PS 381	CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: GOVERNMENT POWERS AND CONSTRAINTS
PS 382	CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: CIVIL LIBERTIES
PS 383	*CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: CIVIL RIGHTS
PS 384	CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED
Upper-Division Non-Political Science Courses
ECON 461	LAW, ECONOMICS, AND REGULATION
SOC 340	DEVIANT BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL CONTROL
SOC 438	US IMMIGRATION ISSUES IN THE 21ST CENTURY
SOC 440	JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
SOC 441	CRIMINOLOGY AND PENOLOGY
SOC 442	SOCIOLOGY OF DRUG USE AND ABUSE
SOC 448	LAW AND SOCIETY
Select one of the following:		4
Upper-division course from the list above
Upper-division PS course not on the list
Total Credits		28

International Affairs Track

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Introductory Courses
PS 204	*INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS	4
PS 205	*INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS	4
Upper-Division Political Science Courses
Select four courses from the following:		16
PS 341	*EUROPEAN AND EU POLITICS
PS 342	THE POLITICS OF CORRUPTION
PS 343	*RUSSIAN POLITICS
PS 344	*LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS
PS 345	*POLITICS OF DEVELOPING NATIONS
PS 348	*CHINESE POLITICS
PS 350	*JAPANESE POLITICS
PS 351	AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
PS 354	*INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND GLOBAL POLITICS
PS 356	INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF ASIA PACIFIC
PS 427	NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION AND ARMS CONTROL
PS 428	TERRORISM AND GLOBAL SECURITY
PS 441	DEMOCRACY AND AUTOCRACY: GLOBAL TRENDS
PS 446	EAST ASIAN POLITICAL ECONOMY
PS 453	INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY
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
Upper-Division Non-Political Science Courses
ECON 340	INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS
ECON 440	ECONOMICS OF GLOBALIZATION
ECON 441	INTERNATIONAL FINANCE THEORY AND POLICY
ECON 455	ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
SOC 360	*POPULATION TRENDS AND POLICY
SOC 460	THE SOCIOLOGY OF GLOBALIZATION
Select one of the following:		4
Upper-division course from the list above
Upper-division PS course not on the list
Total Credits		28

Environmental and Energy Politics Track

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Introductory Courses
PS 201	*INTRODUCTION TO UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS	4
PS 205	*INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS	4
Upper-Division Political Science Courses
Select four courses from the following:		16
PS 331	*STATE AND LOCAL POLITICS
PS 371	PUBLIC POLICY PROBLEMS
PS 372	PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
PS 374	*SUSTAINABLE LIVING: PRACTICES AND POLICIES
PS 455	*THE POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
PS 470	GLOBAL FOOD POLITICS AND POLICY
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
Upper-Division Non-Political Science Courses
AEC 352/ECON 352	*ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND POLICY
ECON 466	ECONOMICS OF TRADITIONAL AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
SOC 381	SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY
SOC 456	*SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIAL CONTEXT
SOC 475	RURAL SOCIOLOGY
SOC 480	*ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY
SOC 481	*SOCIETY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Select one of the following:		4
Upper-division course from the list above
Upper-division PS course not on the list
Total Credits		28

*: Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)
^: Writing Intensive Course (WIC)
+: Core Education course. Applies only to students admitted to an OSU undergraduate degree from Summer 2025 onwards