Major in Political Science – 36 credit hours
All students who declared a major in political science (BS degree) prior to Fall 2022 will complete a total of thirty-six [36] credit hours, including the Core Requirements (15 credit hours) and Subfield Requirements (21 credit hours).
In addition to the 36-credit hour major requirement, students pursuing a BS in Political Science are required to complete the UCA Lower-Division (LD) Core (38 credit hours); complete the UCA Upper-Division (UD) Core using major, minor, or other elective courses; complete a minor or a second major in another academic program; and complete Special BS Degree Requirements consisting of two courses in mathematics (excluding MATH 3351, MATH 3352, MATH 3354, MATH 364, and MATH 3379) or two courses in a laboratory science (excluding BIOL 1400, BIOL 1401, BIOL 1402, CHEM 1400, GEOG 1400, PHYS 1400, PHYS 1401).
Political Science major checklist
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Core Requirements (15 credit hours) – Students must complete each of the following lower-division courses:
- PSCI 2300, Introduction to International Relations
- PSCI 2305, Introduction to Public Administration & Policy
- PSCI 2312, Statistical Methods for Political Analysis or PSCI 2322, Political Science Applications in GIS
- PSCI 2315, Introduction to Political Theory
- PSCI 2320, Introduction to Comparative Politics
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Subfield Requirements (21 credit hours) – Students must complete twenty-one [21] credit hours of upper-division elective courses from a minimum of four of the six political science subfields. PSCI 1330, U.S. Government & Politics, is a prerequisite for all upper-division courses in the six political science subfields. In addition, the introductory courses listed above under Core Requirements are prerequisites for the respective upper-division courses in the subfields of Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Public Administration, and Public Policy. Several of the upper-division elective courses in the subfields satisfy the UCA Upper-Division Core requirements, which consist of upper-division elective courses in five different areas – Effective Communication [C], Diversity [D], Critical Inquiry [I], Responsible Living [R], and Capstone [Z].
American Politics:
PSCI 3300, State Government & Politics
PSCI 3330, Political Parties & Electoral Problems
PSCI 3336, Local Government & Politics
PSCI 3345, Women and U.S. Politics [UCA UD Core: D]
PSCI 3350, Interest groups & Money in Politics
PSCI 3355, Race and U.S. Politics [UCA UD Core: D]
PSCI 3372, Political Behavior
PSCI 3375, The American Judicial System
PSCI 4V99, Studies in Political Science (Independent Study)
PSCI 4300, Constitutional Law [UCA UD Core: I]
PSCI 4301, Civil Liberties [UCA UD Core: I]
PSCI 4315, The Politics of Presidential Selection
PSCI 4334, The American Presidency [UCA UD Core: I, C]
PSCI 4335, The American Congress
PSCI 4340, Seminar in Selected Topics*
PSCI 4390, Internship in Political Science
Comparative Politics:
PSCI 3340, Governments & Politics of Europe and Russia
PSCI 3382, Politics of Developing Nations [UCA UD Core: D, C]
PSCI 4V99, Studies in Political Science (Independent Study)
PSCI 4305, The Political Economy of Development
PSCI 4320, Revolution & Political Violence [UCA UD Core: D, C]
PSCI 4325, Mexican Politics & U.S.-Mexico Relations
PSCI 4328, Dynamics of Democratization [UCA UD Core: Z]
PSCI 4340, Seminar in Selected Topics*
PSCI 4345, Governments & Politics of Africa [UCA UD Core: D]
PSCI 4348, Governments & Politics of the Middle East [UCA UD Core: D]
International Relations:
PSCI 3305, United Nations & International Politics [UCA UD Core: I]
PSCI 3315, International Law & Organizations [UCA UD Core: I, C]
PSCI 3316, Cybersecurity Law and Policy [UCA UD Core: C]
PSCI 4V99, Studies in Political Science (Independent Study)
PSCI 4310, Int. Political Economy & Globalization [UCA UD Core: Z]
PSCI 4312, China & International Politics [UCA UD Core: D]
PSCI 4340, Seminar in Selected Topics*
PSCI 4388, American Foreign Policy
PSCI 4395, International Conflict & Conflict Management
Political Theory:
PSCI 3369, Cyber Citizenship
PSCI 3370, Political Theory I [UCA UD Core: R]
PSCI 3371, Political Theory II [UCA UD Core: R, I]
PSCI 4V99, Studies in Political Sciences (Independent Study)
PSCI 4307, Political Ethics [UCA UD Core: R, I]
PSCI 4331, American Political Theory [UCA UD Core: R, I]
PSCI 4340, Seminar in Selected Topics*
Public Administration:
PADM 3310, Public Management
PADM 4V89, Studies in Public and Non-Profit Mgmt. (Independent Study)
PADM 4350, Intergovernmental Relations [UCA UD Core: C]
PADM 4370, Special Topics in Public and Nonprofit Management
PADM 4310 and 4610, Internship in Public Administration
PADM 4320, Government Budgeting
Public Policy:
PSCI 3320, Environmental Policy [UCA UD Core: R, I]
PADM 3320, Public Policy Analysis [UCA UD Core: Z]
PADM 4V99, Studies in Public Policy (Independent Study, variable credit)
PADM 4330, Public Policy & Program Evaluation
PADM 4380, Special Topics in Public Policy
* PSCI 4340, Seminar in Selected Topics, can be applied to the subfields of American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory, depending on the content of the seminar.
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Contact
Dr. Clay Arnold, Chair
Department of Political Science
University of Central Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas 72035
E-Mail: carnold@uca.edu
Phone: 501-450-3412