Political Science Major (BA)

Political Science Major- Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The department seeks to instill in its students a variety of skills and levels of knowledge that will serve them regardless of the profession they ultimately choose. Students seeking the B.A. degree take courses in several different subfields, including American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Public Law, and Public Policy. The department also provides majors with opportunities for internships, for credit, in the legal profession, political campaigns, legislative offices, and in public administration.

Please see the UNLV College of Liberal Arts, Interdisciplinary Degrees web page at liberalarts.unlv.edu/Political_Science/ for information about department programs, faculty and facilities.  Degree worksheets and 4/5 year plan for the major are available at https://www.unlv.edu/degree/ba-political-science.

Please see advising information at the UNLV Wilson Advising Center at www.liberalarts.unlv.edu/WAC/.

Accreditation

Institution - Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities www.nwccu.org

Learning Outcomes

1. Use critical reasoning skills for problem solving.
2. Write persuasively so as to articulate, support, and defend an argument.
3. Apply the research process in the social sciences so as to differentiate between normative and empirical perspectives, comprehend the difference between deterministic and probabilistic outcomes, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the major analytical approaches used in applied research (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, formal).
4. Consume and understand sophisticated information communicated through the media and scholarly writing.
5. Fulfill the obligations and expectations of citizenship in a democratic society.
6. Explain how political outcomes are shaped by the of the interplay between preferences and institutions.
7. Describe the multiple motivations and constraints that underlie and shape political behavior.
8. Explain how outcomes in the political and social world are affected by the multiple causal factors.
9. Describe how multiculturalism shapes international political exchanges and outcomes.

University Graduation Requirements

• Please see Graduation Policies for complete information