Degree Requirements
Major Requirements (33 hours)
- POLS 111
- POLS 112
- POLS 300
- POLS 400
A minimum of three hours in four of the following seven fields:
American Government and Politics
- 340 – The Presidency
- 341 – Congress
- 342 – American Public Policy
- 343 – American State Politics
- 344 – Urban Politics
- 345 – Parties and Interest Groups
- 346 – Public Opinion
- 390 – The Judicial System
- 440 – African American Politics
- 441 – Women and Politics in America
- 444 - Political Scandals in American Politics
- 445 – Voting and Elections
- 446 - Gay and Lesbian Politics
- 449 – Topics in American Politics
Comparative Politics
- 350 – Political Systems of Western Europe
- 351 – Eastern European Political Systems in Transition
- 352 – Politics of Development
- 354 – Women and Cross-National Politics
- 355 – Political Systems of Latin America
- 356 – Political Systems of Asia
- 451 - Comparative Public Law
- 459 – Topics in Comparative Politics
International Relations
- 370 – Intro to International Relations
- 472 – International Organizations
- 473 – U.S. Foreign Policy
- 479 – Topics in International Relations
Political Analysis
- 449 - Topics in American Politics
Political Theory
- 385 – Introduction to Political Theory
- 386 – American Political Ideas and Origins
- 484 – Classical Political Theory
- 485 – Modern Political Theory
- 489 – Topics in Political Theory
Public Administration
- 320 – Introduction to Public Administration
- 424 – Administrative Law
- 429 – Topics in Public Administration
Public Law
- 292 - Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing
- 390 - The Judicial System
- 424 - Administrative Law
- 451 - Comparative Public Law
- 495 - Constitutional Law: Powers of Government
- 496 - Constitutional Law: Equal Protection and Rights
- 497 - Environmental Law
- 499 - Topics in Public Law
Additional Courses Available
- 150 – Introduction to Comparative Politics
- 310 – Independent Readings and Research
- 410 – Legal Internship (elective; not for major/minor credit)
- 411 – Internship in Government and Public Affairs (elective; not for major/minor credit)
- 412 - Campaign Internship (elective; not for major/minor credit)
Required Minor (18-21 hours)
Electives (26-31 hours)
A minimum of 120 hours is required for the degree.
Requirements for Students Seeking Professional Educator Licensure
Students pursing the BA or BS in history, geography, or political science who are also seeking Professional Educator Licensure must complete the social science minor to qualify in the state of state of Illinois for Social Science Certification, since Illinois licensure is certified only in social science. All of the following required courses must be completed for the social science minor, with a grade of "C" or better:
- ANTH 111B – Human Culture & Communication
- ECON 111 – Macroeconomics
- ECON 112 – Microeconomics
- GEOG 111 - Introduction to Geography or GEOG 205 – Human Geography
- GEOG 201 – World Regions
- HIST 330 - History of Illinois
- HIST 112A – World History or HIST 112B – World History
- HIST 323 – History/Pedagogy
- POLS 111 - Introduction to Political Science
- POLS 112 - American National Government
- SOC 111 – Introduction to Sociology
If applicable, these courses may also count toward a student's respective major in history, geography, or political science.
- Licensure requires a 2.75 GPA in political science courses, including those completed at past institutions
- Completion of the minor in social sciences
Pre-Law Preparation
Entrance into law school does not require any specific major or any specific course requirements. Law schools judge applicants based upon their cumulative GPA and law school admission test (LSAT) scores. Students wishing to attend law school must obtain an undergraduate degree before entering law school. However, students typically apply to law school beginning in the fall of their senior year. To prepare for entrance, students are encouraged to take the LSAT in June following their junior year or in October of their senior year.
Many students find that undergraduate courses in philosophy, such as critical thinking, and courses in political science, history and English are helpful in law school, and any course emphasizing technical writing skills is especially helpful. Students considering law should like working with people, enjoy reading, have good communication skills and be excellent writers.
The University encourages students interested in a law career to participate in the Pre-Law Association. The association, together with Student Legal Services, sponsors an annual Pre-Law Night in the fall of each year, which brings recruiters from numerous law schools to campus to discuss admission to law school with interested students. The Pre-Law Association also visits area law schools and brings in speakers on law-related topics.
Retention
Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 to remain in good academic standing. Students whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 will be placed on academic probation, returned to undeclared status and limited to a maximum of 12 hours of enrollment per term.
General Education Requirements
University general education requirements are outlined in the general education section of the undergraduate academic catalog and included in the sample curriculum.
Students electing completion of a Bachelor of Arts must complete eight courses in fine and performing arts or humanities including one year of the same foreign language.
