The Major - Political Science

The Department of Political Science requires its majors to complete a minimum of 36 credits in Political Science, including the Junior Year Writing and Integrative Experience requirements.  All courses counted toward the Major must be taken for a letter grade, and no fewer than six of the eleven required political science courses must be taken within the Department.  Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA within the major as well as overall at the University in order to graduate.
 
Required introductory courses:

Three 100-level Political Science courses as follows (one in each category):

1. POLISCI 101 American Politics, POLSCI 162 Introduction to Constitutional Law or POLSCI 181 Controversies in Public Policy
2. POLISCI 111 Comparative Politics or POLSCI 121 World Politics
3. POLISCI 171 Introduction to Political Theory

Minimum GPA or grades in prerequisite courses (if any):
Students must achieve a cumulative average of a C across the three required 100-level courses described above.

Upper-level Requirement

Twenty-four credits at the 200-level or above, at least 12 of which must be at the 300-level or above.  The Junior Year Writing course (377) and the Integrative Experience course may be counted among these courses.

Not more than one of these courses can be an independent study course or a graded internship.  Honors research, Honors Project, and Honors Thesis courses (POLSCI 499Y, POLSCI 499P, POLSCI 499T) are in addition to the 36 credits required for the major.

Honors Program

The Political Science Honors Program is open to majors who have a grade point average of 3.400 or higher and who are in Commonwealth Honors College. Students are admitted to this program on application and, once accepted, they fulfill part of their departmental and college requirements with honors courses. These requirements include eight honors courses (three in the department) including an Honors Project (paper in a political science senior seminar or special capstone course sequence) or eight honors courses (two in the department) including an independent Honors Thesis. Political Science majors who complete this program as part of their Commonwealth Honors College requirements with a GPA of 3.400 or better may graduate with Departmental Honors and Commonwealth College Honors. Distinctions may be achieved for excellence in the capstone, project or thesis, combined with higher overall GPAs. For detailed information on diploma and transcript recognitions, and for criteria required to graduate with Latin honors, see the “University Graduation Requirements” section of this Guide. Enrollment preference in Honors courses is given to Commonwealth College and Political Science Department Honors students. More information is available from the department’s Honors Coordinator or on the department's website.

Education Abroad and Exchanges

Numerous opportunities are available for study at other institutions, including members of the local Five College Consortium, North American colleges and universities participating in the National Student Exchange, and a variety of foreign universities.

Questions about the applicability of exchange credits to the major should be directed to the department’s Chief Undergraduate Advisor. Up to five Political Science courses may be taken in this manner. Students should consult with the department’s advising office on course selection before starting the exchange.

Related Programs

Many certificate programs are available to undergraduates in fields closely related to Political Science, including the Five College International Relations Certificate and, Film Studies Certificate, and certificates in African Studies; Criminal Justice; Public Policy and Administration; Middle Eastern Studies; Latin American, Caribbean & Latino Studies, among others. Students also may pursue minors in conjunction with their Political Science major in such areas as Communication, Economics, Information Technology (IT), Journalism, Sociology, and Women’s Studies.

Internships

Several types of internships are available to Political Science majors.  Students regularly intern with government institutions at all levels, non-profit advocacy groups, research organizations, and other agencies with public service functions (including law offices).  Internships are designed to enable students to earn graduation credits while employed temporarily in a professional position to gain work experience. More information about internships is available from the department’s internship coordinator. Internships - Political Science

Undergraduate Research

The Department offers several opportunities for undergraduates to become involved in research. Our undergraduate Research Engagement Program  pairs majors with faculty for one-on-one experience conducting research. Independent Studies offer students a opportunities to apply and extend knowledge from other classes as they explore areas of personal interest. Similarly, students in the Commonwealth College can conduct and write original research through Honors Theses and Capstones.

Accelerated Master's

The Accelerated Master's Degree in the Department of Political Science is a flexible and individualized plan of graduate study for undergraduate students at UMass Amherst, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, Amherst College, and Smith College.

The Accelerated MA is a 30-credit master's degree open to students at the Five Colleges with a 3.5 overall GPA or better. It allows Five College students to complete a bachelor and master's degree in a total of five years. The full bachelor and master's program is 150 credits.