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Professors: Michael Kelley, Paul W. Zagorski
Assistant Professor: Mark J. Peterson
Instructor: Keith L. McCoy
The Political Science major is an excellent liberal arts background for students preparing for careers in which critical thinking and writing skills as well as an understanding of politics and government is either essential or desirable.
To promote their career goals, students often combine their Political Science major with a minor or major in Business, International Studies, Justice Studies, Communication, Biology, Geography, Economics or Foreign Languages. Political Science provides valuable insights into the functioning of government and politics (locally, nationally and globally) which also serve as excellent preparation for further graduate or professional education.
The Political Science program at Pittsburg State University offers courses in American Politics and Government, Constitutional Law and Judicial Process, Political Philosophy, International Relations, and Comparative Politics.
Major in Political Science
The political science major must:
- complete the university’s General Education requirements;
- meet the distribution and hour requirements (33) in political science;
- take either MATH 143 Elementary Statistics (substitutes for MATH 113 College Algebra in the university’s General Education requirements) or SOSCI 388 Social Research Analysis;
- take ECON 201 Introduction to Macroeconomics as a cognate requirement (meets the university’s General Education requirement in the economics area of the Producing and Consuming category);
- elect a minor; and
- take at least 45 upper division hours of classes listed at the 300 level or above.
| |
Hours |
Core |
12 |
| POLS 101 U.S. Politics |
3 |
| POLS 270 Introduction to Political Science |
3 |
| POLS 324 Introduction to Comparative Politics |
3 |
| POLS 686 Senior Seminar in Political Science |
3 |
International |
3 |
POLS 530 International Relations or
POLS 630 International Political Economy |
3 |
Political Philosophy |
3 |
POLS 450 Political Philosophy I or
JUST 538 Philosophy of Law or
POLS 578 Democratic Theory and Public Opinion
|
3 |
Political Science electives |
15 |
Statistics Requirement |
3-4 |
| MATH 143 Elementary Statistics* or |
3 |
| SOSCI 388 Social Research Analysis |
4 |
Cognate Requirement |
3 |
| ECON 201 Introduction to Macroeconomics |
3 |
| (Can be used to meet a General Education requirement in the Producing and Consuming category). |
| TOTAL |
39-40 |
All Political Science majors (including those in the pre-law emphasis area) are required to take MATH 143 Elementary Statistics, 3 hours, or SOSCI 388 Social Research Analysis, 4 hours.
* Note: MATH 143 can be used as a General Education substitute for MATH 113 College Algebra.
Political Science (Pre-Law Emphasis)
The Pre-Law emphasis within the Political Science major offers excellent preparation for students considering future legal training. Both the requirements of the Pre-Law emphasis and the advice given by the students' academic advisors are shaped by the recommendations of the Law School Admissions Council. Pre-Law students develop the knowledge base and critical thinking, writing and speaking skills essential for success in law school. As with the general Political Science degree, the Pre-Law emphasis opens the door to a wide variety of opportunities besides the legal profession. Combining of Pre-Law with Justice Studies is a valuable choice for Political Science (Pre-Law emphasis) majors. Beyond academic course work, the program provides counseling on how to apply for law school as well as an array of activities that enhance the students' chances of success in securing law school admission.
Political Science/Pre-Law Requirements:Political Science (Pre-Law emphasis) majors meet all the requirements for the general Political Science degree.
Pre-Law students take the following:
| |
Hours |
| POLS 562 Judicial Process |
3 |
| POLS 661 Constitutional Law I |
3 |
| POLS 662 Constitutional Law II |
3 |
|
