Undergraduate Program Requirements

Declaring a Major or Minor

Students wishing to declare a major in Political Science or Environmental Policy, or a minor in Political Science, may do so on Workday. At the time the major is declared, students will be assigned a faculty advisor. Further information can be obtained from Professor Dan Butler.

Advising Procedures

Students beginning their undergraduate work in political science may plan their programs in consultation with their assigned Undergraduate Advisor. It is important that students keep their Undergraduate Advisor fully informed of their progress so that misunderstandings or disagreements can be kept to a minimum.

Political Science Major Requirements

Students who major in political science are required to complete 30 graded units (10 courses) in political science with a C or better. Please note that students scoring a 4 or 5 on the AP US Government and Politics exam and/or the AP Comparative Government and Politics exam may place out of the associated introductory course and replace it with a 3000- or 4000-level course in a related subfield. See below for more specific course requirements.

6 graded units must come from two of the following 1000-level introductory courses:

  • 1000: Intro to American Politics
  • 1100: Intro to Comparative Politics
  • 1200: Intro to International Politics
  • 1300: Intro to Political Theory

If you scored a 4 or 5 in AP credit, you may place out of the associated introductory course and replace it with an upper-level (3000- or 4000-level) course in a related subfield.

3 graded units from a required methods course:

  • 3630: Political Methodology OR
  • 2400: Data Science for Politics

All majors are urged to complete this requirement during their sophomore year. Note: Some statistics courses offered in other departments will allow students to opt out of this class, but those credits will not count toward their political science major. If you take an alternate course, you must replace the credits with a Political Science course of any level.

Pre-approved alternate courses include:

  • U25 323 Intro to Quantitative Methods (subject to the limit of six "outside" credit units; do not need replacement course)
  • B59 121 Managerial Statistics II (QBA II)
  • Math 3200 Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis
  • E35 326 Probability and Statistics for Engineering
  • L40 3050 Statistics for Sociology
  • L11 413 Introduction to Econometrics

18 graded units must come from any six 3000- or 4000-level courses, including at least one 4000-level capstone course.

Students must complete at least one 3-unit course at the 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level in three of the following subfields:

  • American politics             
  • Comparative politics
  • International politics
  • Political Theory
  • Political methodology

Click here to view the subfield designations for your courses

Students must complete at least one 3-unit course at the 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level in three of the following subfields: American politics, comparative politics, international politics, political methodology, or political theory.

All majors must complete at least one 4000-level class, home-based in political science, as a capstone experience. Students writing a senior thesis satisfy this requirement by completing POLSCI 4905 Research Design and Methods.

*This became a requirement for students who first declared a major or minor in Political Science after July 1st, 2021. Students who declared prior to this do not have this requirement.

Courses cross-listed with Political Science change on a semester-by-semester basis. A cross-listed course includes the designation L32; this is the designation you should choose if you want to count credit from cross-listed courses toward your Political Science major/minor. Please note:

  • If you are using a course for another major or minor, you may not count it as an advanced credit for your Political Science major.
  • The department does not consider petitions to count non-cross-listed courses for credit in Political Science.
  • If you have questions about the status of any course, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Political Science.

  • No more than 6 units from the following may count toward the major: internship, directed reading, directed research, or teaching practicum.

  • No more than 6 units from the following may count toward the major: study abroad, summer school, the School of Continuing & Professional Studies, or transfer credit.

  • You cannot double-count any upper-level credits (3000 and above) for both a political science major and a second major or minor.

Environmental Policy Major Requirements (Spring 2024 onward)

The requirements in this section pertain to those who declared their Environmental Policy major during or after the Spring 2024 semester. If you declared your major before that time, you have the option of following these requirements, or choose to follow the requirements in the section "Environmental Policy Major Requirements (pre-Spring 2024)."

18 units from required foundation courses

  • Intro to Political Science: POLSCI 1000 American Politics; POLSCI 1100 Introduction to Comparative Politics; POLSCI 1200 International Politics; or POLSCI 1300 Introduction to Political Theory (Note: Students scoring a 4 or 5 on AP US Government and Politics or AP Comparative Government and Politics may place out of the introductory requirement and replace it with a 3000- or 4000-level Political Science course in the subfield related to the AP course.)
  • Intro to Environmental Policy: POLSCI 2000 Introduction to Environmental Policy
  • Natural Science on Enviro: BIOL 2950 Introduction to Environmental Biology or L41 381 Intro to Ecology or L19 202 Intro to Earth & Planetary Science
  • Research Methods: POLSCI 2400 Data Science for Politics or POLSCI 3630 Quantitative Political Methodology
  • Policy Analysis: POLSCI 4043 Public Policy Analysis, Assessment, and Practical Wisdom or POLSCI 3692 The Politics of Public Policy 
  • Normative: POLSCI 3313 Theories of Social Justice or POLSCI 4070 Global Justice

15 units of 3000- or 4000-level electives with an environmental focus (from a preapproved list or by petition in advance), 6 units of which must be in Political Science or cross-listed with Political Science

6 units of capstone experiences; any combination of the following:

  • Internship (credits following Political Science rules)
  • Experiential Learning Course
  • Directed Research Project/Independent Study 
  • Honors Thesis (following Political Science rules)

To complete a Political Science minor with an Environmental Policy major would only take 3 upper level Political Science courses (not duplicated for the Environmental Policy major.)

To complete an Environmental Policy minor requires:

  • L32 2000 (Intro to Environmental Policy); or substitute as listed for major
  • L32 4043 (Public Policy Analysis); or substitute as listed for major
  • Plus 3 upper level electives with environmental focus (from the preapproved list)

Please note that the Environmental Policy Minor has not yet been approved, but we expect it to be available beginning AY 25-26.

  • No more than 6 units from the following may count toward the major: internship, directed reading, directed research, or teaching practicum.
  • No more than 6 units from the following may count toward the major: study abroad, summer school, CAPS, or transfer credit.
  • You cannot double-count any upper-level credits (300 and above) for both a environmental policy major and a second major or minor.

Environmental Policy Major Requirements (pre-Spring 2024)

The requirements in this section pertain to those who declared their Environmental Policy major before the Spring 2024 semester. If you declared your major before that time, you may follow these requirements, or choose to follow the requirements in the section "Environmental Policy Major Requirements (Spring 2024 onward)."

Environmental Policy Overview Flyer

Students who major in environmental policy will be required to complete 40 graded units (13 courses) distributed as follows:

  • 16 units from required foundation courses
  • 9 units from research methods requirements
  • 9 units from the list of upper-division courses in political science and cognates
  • 3 units from a social science breadth requirement
  • 3 units from a substantive distribution requirement

At least 24 of those total units must be at the 300-400 level.

We also strongly recommend that students complete a capstone experience. Possible options include a senior honors thesis, the environmental law clinic, or an appropriate internship. We intend to develop more capstone possibilities in the future.

Note that as courses related to environmental policy become available across campus, students can petition Environmental Policy to count them for credit in one of the following divisions by providing the syllabi to the director of the major. Students should do so before enrolling in the courses, as we cannot guarantee that it will count for the major.  

Students need to take the following five courses (16 units) to fulfill the foundations requirement:  

  • EEPS 202: Introduction to Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science 
  • Bio 2950: Intro to Environmental Biology 
  • Pol Sci 2010: Intro to Environmental Policy 
  • Pol Sci 331: Topics in Politics: Theories of Social Justice*
  • Anth 361: Culture and Environment

*Pre-Approved Substitutions for Pol Sci 331:  Topics in Politics: Theories of Social Justice 

  • Pol Sci 4070: Global Justice 
  • EnSt 235F: Environmental Ethics 
  • Pol Sci 338 Topics: Environmental Ethics  

Students need to take the following three courses (nine units) to fulfill the research methods requirements:  

  • Pol Sci 3630: Quantitative Political Methodology or 2400 Data Science for Politics** 
  • Econ 1011: Microeconomics 
  • Pol Sci 4043: Public Policy Analysis or Pol Sci Topics: Politics of Public Policy

**Pre-approved alternate courses (please note, using one of these will require student to take an additional upper-level Political Science course to complete the 40 credits)

  • CAPS Pol Sci 323: Introduction to Quantitative Methods
  • Business School - Data Analytics 121: Managerial Statistics II
  • Math 3200: Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis
  • Engineering - Electrical and Systems Engineering: 326 Probability & Statistics for Engineers 

Students need 9 units (three courses) that must come from upper level political science or cognate courses with environmental politics content. The following courses are recently offered examples that fulfill this requirement. See the “Pre-Approved Courses List” document here for other courses that have fulfilled this requirement.

  • Pol Sci 3211: Public Opinion and American Democracy
  • Pol Sci 3328: Environmental and Energy Issues
  • Pol Sci 3760: Globalization, Urbanization, and the Environment
  • Pol Sci 4043: Public Policy Analysis
  • Pol Sci 4070: Global Justice
  • Pol Sci 4792: Globalization and National Politics

Students need 3 units (one course) that must come from upper level social science courses with environmental politics content not in political science.  The following courses are recently offered examples that fulfill this requirement. See the “Pre-Approved Courses List” document here for other courses that have fulfilled this requirement.

  • ANTH 3472 Global Energy & the American Dream
  • ANTH 3840: Anthropology and Climate Change
  • ANTH 4282: Political Ecology
  • ANTH 4456 Ethnographic Fieldwork: Energy Politics
  • ECON 3350: Environmental Policy
  • SOC 4810: Global Structures

Students need 3 units (one course) that must come from upper level courses with environmental politics content outside of the core divisions above.  The following courses are recently offered examples that fulfill this requirement. See the “Pre-Approved Courses List” document here for other courses that have fulfilled this requirement.

  • Anth 3275 Intro to GIS for Anthropologists
  • Bio 3810: Intro to Ecology
  • EEPS 3230: Biogeochemistry
  • EECE 2010: Introduction to Environmental Engineering
  • EnSt 4810 RESET: Renewable Energy & Decarbonizing the Grid
  • EnSt 5830: Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic
  • INTER D 4004: Sustainability Exchange: Community and University Practicums

  • No more than 6 units from the following may count toward the major: internship, directed reading, directed research, or teaching practicum.
  • No more than 6 units from the following may count toward the major: study abroad, summer school, CAPS, or transfer credit.
  • You cannot double-count any upper-level credits (300 and above) for both a environmental policy major and a second major or minor.

Minor Requirements

Students choosing Political Science as a minor field must take a minimum of 15 graded units of course work with a C or better, including at least 9 advanced units. No more than 3 units may be counted from among the following: POLSCI 3199 Teaching Practicum in Political Science POLSCI 4912 Directed Readings, POLSCI 4913 Directed Research, summer school, courses in the School of Continuing & Professional Studies, or credits from another institution (including study abroad).

Subfield Concentrations

All political science majors have the option of "concentrating" their six course distribution requirements by successfully completing three upper-level courses in one of six subfields: 

  • American Politics
  • Comparative Politics
  • International Relations
  • Political Methodology
  • Political Theory

Subfield concentrations signal that students have depth in a particular subfield of the discipline. They also prepare students for writing their senior theses in that subfield. Because of this, students may count classes as part of their subfield concentration whether or not they are using that class to fulfill the 30 credits required for their major. For example, students may complete L32 3255 and count it towards a legal studies minor, but use it as part of their subfield concentration in American politics. 

  • Consistent with its aim of encouraging subject mastery, to count for a subfield concentration students must complete the class for a quality grade.
  • A course that counts for two different subfields may only be used towards one subfield concentration.

To declare a subfield concentration, complete a subfield concentration form and submit it to Professor Dan Butler. Concentrations will appear on the student's transcript after graduation and may be particularly helpful for students interested in graduate or professional school. 

Subfield Concentration Form

Senior Thesis Program

The department encourages students to pursue independent research by working toward a senior thesis. Students admitted to this program work closely with a faculty advisor for a full calendar year, beginning at the end of their junior year. Students writing a senior thesis receive 6 units of credit for two semesters of work by enrolling in POLSCI 4900 Senior Thesis Research. However, this credit does not count toward the completion of the political science major. Although there is no grade point average requirement for writing a senior thesis, an application is required. For more information, contact the department office. All majors may apply.

To qualify to write a senior thesis, students must do the following:

  • Complete the methodology course requirement by the fall of their junior year (all majors are strongly urged to complete this requirement during their sophomore year).
  • Complete POLSCI 4905 Research Design and Methods prior to their senior year.
  • Complete a subfield specialization (detailed in the Specializations section above) by the end of the fall of their senior year in the subfield appropriate for their senior thesis. At least two thirds of the specialization must be completed by the end of their junior year.
  • Apply during their junior year for admission into the program.
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