Political Science & GeographyPolitical Science Majors & Minors
Major in Political Science
Declaring a major is as easy as submitting a Program Declaration Form at the Department Office. The Department offers two major programs in Political Science with an opportunity to specialize in one of two emphasis areas: American Politics and Public Law or International Relations and Comparative Politics.
Political Science (B.A.)
The Bachelors of Arts major in Political Science requires a total of 36 Political Science hours, including three introductory and POLS 308 research methods. BA students also take 24 elective hours (usually eight additional courses) in Political Science. The general education requirements include language study through the 202 level.
Political Science (B.S.)
The Bachelors of Science major in Political Science requires a total of 36 Political Science hours, including three introductory, POLS 308 research methods, and POLS 418 Quantitative Methods in Political Science. BS students also take 21 elective hours (usually seven additional courses) in Political Science. The general education requirements include language study through the 102 level, and Statistics 130.
To declare a major in Political Science, submit a Program Declaration Form at the Department office.
Minor in Political Science
A Minor in Political Science is designed to support students trying to strengthen their understanding of politics. With politics and public policy touching virtually every field, the minor is highly relevant and useful. The minor program is for students who want to engage the future as informed citizens, or to apply political science in their major field, whether it is in a social science or the humanities, or anything from biology to computer science, business to engineering, sports to public health.
The Department offers two political science minors: a general minor in Political Science, and a specialized minor in Public Law. Either requires a total of fifteen hours.
For more information about Minors, click here.
Political Science (Minor)
The Political Science minor requires 15 hours, of which 12 are 300/400-level political science electives. POLS 100S, POLS 101S or POLS 102S is a prerequisite for the minor and is not included in the calculation of the grade point average for the minor.
Public Law (Minor)
The Public Law minor requires 15 credit hours. POLS 101S is a prerequisite for the minor and is not included in the calculation of the grade point average for the minor.
To minor in Political Science, submit a Minor Declaration Form at the Department office.
Political Science/Philosophy Double Major
Philosophy and political science majors are eligible to double major in the two programs. Double majors can benefit from a double counting rule for selected electives to reduce combined major requirements. The Political Science electives and Philosophy electives eligible for double counting are listed in the ODU Undergraduate Catalogue. The two majors separately require up to 69 hours. Double counting can reduce the combined hours for both majors to a total of 57 hours.
Political Science/Philosophy Double Major
For information on the double major, contact Political Science Chief Department Advisor Dr. Michael Clemons at mclemons@odu.edu and Philosophy and Religious Studies Chief Departmental Advisor Dr. James van Dore at jvandore@odu.edu. Pre-law students interested in this option should contact Pre-Law Advisor Dr. Michelle Kindmuller, mkundmue@odu.edu.
To declare a major in Political Science, submit a Program Declaration Form at the Department office.
