Political Science, B.A.

Department of Political Science
615-898-2708
Stephen Morris, program coordinator
Stephen.Morris@mtsu.edu

Students majoring in Political Science can choose a general focus or a concentration in either Public Administration or Pre-law.

A general focus major in Political Science requires 36 semester hours of work, including:

Required Courses

Core (12 hours)

PS 1005 - American Government and Politics 3 credit hours (formerly PS 2010)
PS 1010 - Foundations of Government 3 credit hours
PS 3001 - Research Methods in Political Science 3 credit hours (formerly PS 4000)
PS 4800 - Senior Seminar 3 credit hours

One course from each of the following areas:

Electives (15 hours)

Curriculum: Political Science

Curricular listings include General Education requirements in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences Categories.

Freshman

ENGL 1010 - Expository Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
ENGL 1020 - Research and Argumentative Writing 3 credit hours (Comm)
PS 1005 - American Government and Politics 3 credit hours
PS 1010 - Foundations of Government 3 credit hours (Soc/Beh Sci)
Mathematics 3 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences (2 prefixes) 8 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences 3 credit hours
General elective 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 32 Hours

Sophomore

ENGL 2020 - Themes in Literature and Culture 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
ENGL 2030 - The Experience of Literature 3 credit hours (Hum/FA) OR
HUM 2610 - Foreign Literature in Translation 3 credit hours (Hum/FA)
COMM 2200 - Fundamentals of Communication 3 credit hours (Comm)
PS 3001 - Research Methods in Political Science 3 credit hours
Foreign Language or Minor courses 6 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 3 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
PS 3210 - International Relations 3 credit hours OR
PS 3220 - Comparative Politics 3 credit hours
Choose 6 hours from:
HIST 2010 - Survey of United States History I 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2020 - Survey of United States History II 3 credit hours OR
HIST 2030 - Tennessee History 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Junior

PS 3050 - The U.S. Presidency 3 credit hours OR
PS 3060 - The U.S. Congress 3 credit hours OR
PS 3250 - Public Administration 3 credit hours OR
PS 3330 - Political Parties 3 credit hours OR
PS 3370 - American Constitutional Law 3 credit hours
Minor courses 6 credit hours
PS electives 9 credit hours
General elective 3 credit hours
Foreign Language or minor courses 6 credit hours*
PS 4230 - Classical Political Theory 3 credit hours OR
PS 4700 - American Political Thought 3 credit hours OR
PS 4920 - Modern Political Theory 3 credit hours OR
PS 4930 - Introduction to Contemporary Political Philosophy 3 credit hours

Political Science, B.A.

Required Courses

Core (12 hours)

One course from each of the following areas:

American Politics (3 hours)

Comparative/International Relations (3 hours)

Political Theory (3 hours)

Electives (15 hours)

Curriculum: Political Science

Freshman

Subtotal: 32 Hours

Sophomore

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Junior

Subtotal: 30 Hours

Senior

Subtotal: 28 Hours

Total Hours in program: 120