Advising

Academic Advisors

Every Political Science major is assigned a tenure-track faculty advisor. Students can view their assigned advisor through BroncoDirect by navigating to the Student Center and checking the “Program Advisor” section. All students are expected to meet with their advisor at least once per academic year.

Alicia Beckley from the CLASS Student Success Center provides advising support for general academic planning. Additional advising support is available through the CLASS Student Success Center, which offers guidance on curriculum requirements, degree progress, and academic policies. University-wide academic support is also available at the Bronco Advising Center for matters related to registration, GE planning, and overall academic records.

Preparing for Your Advising Session

Students should review their Degree Progress Report (DPR) through BroncoDirect to identify completed and remaining degree requirements. Videos and tutorials are available to help students interpret the DPR effectively.

Students should consult the Campus Schedule of Classes for upcoming course offerings and prepare a list of questions related to course planning, internships, senior capstone options, or elective choices. It is important to bring printed copies of relevant planning documents, including the curriculum sheet, planning checklist, and roadmap for the student’s specific catalog year.

Curriculum, Roadmaps, and Worksheets

The university catalog provides curriculum sheets, four-year and two-year roadmaps tailored to each catalog year. Students should use the course catalog corresponding to their entry year to verify GE and major requirements.

Course Planning

The Bachelor of Arts in Political Science requires 120 total units. This includes eight required core courses that introduce students to the major subfields: American Government, International Relations, Political Thought, Research Methods, Public Administration, Public Law, and Race/Ethnic Politics.

Students must also complete 6 units of major electives in American Government, 6 units in International Relations or Comparative Politics, and 6 units in Public Law or Political Theory. An additional 6 units of upper-division Political Science electives must be completed. These may include internships, special topics, Model UN, or Mock Trial.

Students must also complete General Education courses and any remaining units as unrestricted electives to meet the 120-unit graduation requirement.

All students complete a Senior Capstone by choosing either the Senior Thesis sequence (PLS 4610W and PLS 4620W) or the Senior Internship sequence (PLS 4411W and PLS 4412W).

Additional Support and Opportunities

Students are encouraged to pursue internships and experiential learning opportunities such as Model United Nations, Mock Trial, Judicial Internship, and the Semester in Washington D.C. program. Some of these opportunities offer academic credit and scholarship funding.

The department also offers honors opportunities through Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society. Eligibility requires a GPA of at least 3.0 overall and 3.3 in the major.

At-risk students with a GPA under 2.2 are required to meet with academic advisors each semester. Academic support is also available through university services including the University Learning Center, Counseling Services, Disability Resource Center, and Student Health Services.

Students are encouraged to meet with faculty regularly, not only for academic guidance but also to build relationships that may support mentorship, recommendation letters, and post-graduate planning.