Political science majors are offered the opportunity to develop programs of study that complement their particular interests and career goals. The major may be used to structure a broad general program or a highly concentrated and specialized one. The following requirements pertain to all B.A. majors.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for this program are satisfied by the general requirements for undergraduate admission to the University. To enter the Bachelor of Arts degree program in political science, students must declare their major in accordance with the rules of the College.

Program Requirements

Candidates must complete 120 credits in course work including satisfaction of the University General Education Requirements and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Group Requirements, as well as the Departmental major requirements cited below. All course work must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the University and the College governing undergraduate scholarship and degrees. Students wishing to apply transfer credits toward the major should consult the political science undergraduate advisor regarding departmental policies and restrictions on the use of these credits. Students must complete a minimum of 16 credit hours of Political Science course work at Wayne State University.

Major Requirements 

A political science major must satisfactorily complete at least thirty-two credits of course work in the Department beyond PS 1010 or 1030. This course work must include:

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS 1010	American Government	4
or PS 1000	Introduction to Political Science
or PS 1030	The American Governmental System
PS 1050	Understanding Political Science Statistics	4
Select two of the following:		8
PS 2410	Introduction to Public Policy
PS 2510	Introduction to Political Ideologies
PS 2710	Introduction to Comparative Politics
PS 2810	World Politics
Select at least four courses at the 3000 level or higher, of which at least one must be at the 4000 level or higher 1		12-16
A Writing Intensive (WI) course in political science that is taken after having previously completed at least two Political Science courses at the 3000 level or higher 2		0

¹

PS 5993 does not count toward fulfillment of this requirement.

²

with co-registration in PS 5993. Any political science course at the 3000-level or higher, except PS 5630 and PS 6640, may, with the permission of the instructor, be used to fulfill this requirement. 

To satisfy the Writing Intensive requirement, the student must demonstrate proficiency in writing on disciplinary subject matter in a form and style that conform to disciplinary standards. To use a course for this purpose, the student must obtain approval from the instructor and follow the guidelines established by the instructor to demonstrate the required proficiency. The student must also co-register in PS 5993, a zero-credit course for which the student will receive a grade of Satisfactory (S) upon certification by the instructor that the writing requirement has been fulfilled. Note that completion of the WI course has the following prerequisites: a) completion of the Intermediate Composition (IC or ICN) requirement and b) the completion of at least two Political Science courses at the 3000 level or higher.

Recommended Course: It is recommended that majors include PS 3600, Methods of Political Inquiry, in their programs of study.

Political Science Fields of Study

In developing their specific programs of study, students should consult with the political science undergraduate advisor. They may pursue a general program or choose to concentrate in a particular field or subfield. It is not mandatory that a student have an area of concentration; the listings are only suggestive.

Concentrations may be designated as follows: American Government and Politics, Public Law/Legal Studies, Public Policy and Administration, Quantitative Political Analysis, Comparative Politics, World Politics, and Political Philosophy and Ethics. Students must complete a minimum of five related courses to earn a concentration. 

American Government and Politics

Public opinion, electoral politics, and participation in the political process; the role of political parties and interest groups and of the mass media; the workings of Congress, the Presidency, and other governmental institutions. Courses relevant to this area of concentration include (but are not limited to):

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS 3010	Public Opinion and Political Behavior	4
PS 3020	Political Parties and Elections	4
PS 3025	Political Campaigns in America	4
PS 3030	Political Interest Groups	4
PS 3040	The Legislative Process	4
PS 3050	Politics of the American Presidency	4
PS 3060	State Government and Politics	4
PS 3070	Michigan Politics	4
PS 3080	Gender and Politics	4
PS 3430	Bureaucracy and Public Policy	4
PS 5030	African American Politics	4
PS 5040	Religion and Politics	4
PS 6010	Political Psychology	3
PS 6020	Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism	3

Public Law/Legal Studies

Judicial interpretation of the Constitution; civil liberties and constitutional rights; the law as a profession; law enforcement and the operations of the judicial system; international dimensions of law. Courses relevant to this area of concentration include (but are not limited to):

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS 3100	American Legal Systems and Processes	4
PS 3120	Politics of the Criminal Justice Process	3
PS 3520	Theories of Justice	4
PS 5110	Constitutional Law	4
PS 5120	Constitutional Rights and Liberties	4
PS 5820	International Law	4
PS 5850	Human Rights	4
PS 6870	United States Foreign Relations Law	4

Public Policy and Administration

How policy is formulated, decided, implemented, and evaluated at all levels of government; moral and political standards for making policy; the nature and functions of public agencies; techniques of public management; public bureaucracy in its social setting. Courses relevant to this area of concentration include (but are not limited to):

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS 2000	Introduction to Urban Studies	4
PS 2240	Introduction to Urban Politics and Policy	4
PS 2310	Introduction to Public Administration	4
PS 2410	Introduction to Public Policy	4
PS 2420	Ethics and Politics of Public Policy	4
PS 2460	Policy and Rationality: Dilemmas of Choice	4
PS 3250	Detroit Politics: Continuity and Change in City and Suburbs	4
PS 3430	Bureaucracy and Public Policy	4
PS 3450	Environmental Policy and Politics	4
PS 4460	Techniques of Policy Analysis	4
PS 5850	Human Rights	4
PS 6020	Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism	3
PS 6700	Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations	3

Political Philosophy and Ethics

The justification and application of ethical standards to politics; history and analysis of authority and rebellion, individualism and community, justice and equality; modern ideologies such as communism, socialism, liberalism, and conservatism. Courses relevant to this area of concentration include (but are not limited to):

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS 2420	Ethics and Politics of Public Policy	4
PS 2510	Introduction to Political Ideologies	4
PS 3515	American Political Thought	3-4
PS 3520	Theories of Justice	4
PS 3530	Great Political Thinkers I	4
PS 3540	Great Political Thinkers II	4
PS 5560	Biopolitics	4
PS 5850	Human Rights	4

Quantitative Political Analysis

Methods of analysis used to assess alternatives and evaluate the impact of government policy; methods of empirical political research including data collection, statistical description and inference, and the use of computers to organize and interpret data. Courses relevant to this area of concentration include (but are not limited to):

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS 1050	Understanding Political Science Statistics	4
PS 2460	Policy and Rationality: Dilemmas of Choice	4
PS 3600	Methods of Political Inquiry	4
PS 4460	Techniques of Policy Analysis	4
PS 5630	Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I	4
PS 6640	Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science II	3

Comparative Politics

The study of government and politics of western, non-western, and third world countries in their historical, cultural, and economic settings; problems of comparison across cultural and national boundaries. Courses relevant to this area of concentration include (but are not limited to):

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS 2700	Introduction to Canadian Studies	3
PS 2710	Introduction to Comparative Politics	4
PS 3710	Politics of Western Europe	4
PS 3715	Politics of Central and Eastern Europe	4
PS 3735	Politics of Latin America	4
PS 3770	Politics of East Asia	4
PS 3795	Latin America in World Affairs	4
PS 4710	Democracy	4
PS 4725	Globalization and Politics	4
PS 5760	History and Development of Islamic Political Thought	3

World Politics

Conflict and cooperation among nations; causes of war and the pursuit of peace; international law; international organizations and multi-national corporations; North-South relations and issues of development, imperialism, and dependency; East-West relations and the changing world order; American foreign policy and issues of disarmament, intervention, and economic competition. Courses relevant to this area of concentration include (but are not limited to):

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
PS 2810	World Politics	4
PS 2820	Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies	3
PS 3795	Latin America in World Affairs	4
PS 3811	Theory of World Politics	4
PS 3820	Pan Africanism and the Diaspora	4
PS 3830	War	4
PS 3835	Middle East Conflict	4
PS 4810	Foreign Policies of Major Powers	4
PS 5740	Ethnicity: The Immigrant Experience	4
PS 5820	International Law	4
PS 5850	Human Rights	4
PS 6100	Introduction to Graduate Peace and Security Studies	3
PS 6850	International Organizations	3
PS 6860	American Foreign Policy	3
PS 6870	United States Foreign Relations Law	4

Internships

Internships in government, political campaigns, political advocacy groups, civic organizations, or public agencies provide valuable work-educational experience that enables students to relate knowledge acquired in the classroom to the world-at-large. They also provide practical training that enhances future job prospects. Academic credit may be earned for an internship through enrollment in PS 2992, Political Science Internship, a course that helps to assure the educational relevance of the internship by requiring interns to prepare papers and reports based on their experiences. Interested students should consult the department’s undergraduate advisor.

Study Abroad Exchange Program with the University of Salford

Students may study for one or two semesters at the University of Salford in Salford, England, and earn Wayne State credits through an exchange agreement between the two universities. Applications may be obtained from the Office of Study Abroad and Global Programs. Interested majors or prospective majors should also consult with the Department's undergraduate advisor.