Bachelor of Political Science at University of California, Berkeley

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Political Science major is concerned with exploring the exercise of power in its myriad forms and consequences. Students in the major are encouraged to explore central issues, such as the ethical problems attendant to the exercise of power; the history of important political ideas, such as liberty, justice, community, and morality; the impact of historical, economic, and social forces on the operation of politics; the functioning and distinctive features of the US political system; the diversity of political systems and the significance of these differences; and the interactions among international actors and the causes of war and peace. Undergraduate courses in political science vary from large lectures of 325 students to small seminars of 18 students. The courses are challenging, often emphasizing critical reading and analytical writing.

Declaring the Major

To declare the major, students must have completed the minimum eligibility and must attend a declaration-orientation session. For information regarding minimum eligibility, please see the Major Requirements tab on this page. Transfer students may go to assist.org for a list of California community college courses that satisfy University and major requirements. Upper division courses in the major are restricted to declared Political Science majors in Phase 1 of registration and usually fill before Phase 1 ends, so students should declare, if eligible, before the start of Phase 1 of registration.

Students must attend a Major Declaration Session to declare the major:

1. Pick a date from the calendar on the website linked below. Students will be eligible to attend a Major Declaration Session after they have completed the final for their second introductory Political Science course.
2. Gather transcript(s) and make copies of them to submit. See more on transcripts below.
3. Come early to secure a spot! The first 25 students who arrive at each session will be accepted to attend the session (unless indicated otherwise). Sessions held early and late in the semester as well as during the registration period are usually full. A sign-up sheet is available an hour before the session; there is no need to arrive earlier than an hour before the posted time.

Do not come to a declaration session without all needed transcripts. This includes transcripts (unofficial transcripts are okay) for courses taken at community colleges, other universities, and UC Berkeley. For UC Berkeley courses, students can print out their Academic Summary on Cal Central. One copy of each transcript is all that is required. Academic Progress Reports and Transfer Credit Reports from CalCentral are not acceptable. The department keeps the transcript, so students should bring a copy they can spare. (Transcripts for courses that do not count for the major are not needed.)

A declaration session takes about an hour and includes a brief orientation to the major and Q&A after which declaration forms are completed (forms are supplied " students supply the transcripts).

For a schedule of Major Declaration Sessions, please see the department website.

Honors Program

Declared Political Science majors with a 3.5 grade-point average (GPA) in the major and a 3.3 overall GPA who have senior standing and have completed at least two letter-graded upper division political science courses at Berkeley are eligible to apply for the honors program. The honors program consists of a two-semester seminar, POL SCI H190A and POL SCI H190B (offered in fall/spring only), and culminates in the writing of an honors thesis. Students must also obtain the sponsorship of a member of the faculty who will guide the research. Applications can only be made online; please refer to the undergraduate program section of the website. Departmental honors are awarded upon completion of the honors seminar with a grade of B+ or better, a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major, and a 3.3 in overall work at Berkeley.

Minor Program

There is no minor program in Political Science.

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1. Exposure to the core subfields of political science:
   • American politics
   • Comparative politics
   • Political theory
   • International relations
2. Opportunities to explore areas that crosscut traditional political science subfield boundaries:
   • Political behavior
   • Public law and jurisprudence
   • Public policy and organization
   • Empirical theory and quantitative methods
3. Specialization in one subfield of political science: minimum of three courses taken in either one of the four core subfields (American politics, comparative politics, political theory, international relations) or one of the other departmental areas that generally crosscut traditional subfield boundaries (political behavior, public law and jurisprudence, public policy and organization, empirical theory and quantitative methods).

Skills

1. Methodological skills
   • Ability to understand and deploy the methods that political scientists use to answer questions about the operation of politics: causal inference, qualitative analysis, statistical analysis, experimentation, game theory, and modeling.
   • Capacity to use critical thinking and evidence to understand and evaluate rival theories.
2. Research and presentation skills
   • Writing skills: Ability to formulate a well-organized argument supported by evidence.
   • Oral presentation skills: Ability to present a compelling oral argument supported by evidence to a group or public audience.
   • Research skills: Ability to conduct political science research using materials such as primary, secondary, and online sources or databases in support of an original argument.