Political scientists study a wide range of topics such as the exercise of power and influence, the sources and resolution of conflicts, the relation of politics to economics and culture, the implementation of public policies, and the development of political systems. In our program, students can focus in areas such as political theory, comparative government and politics, international relations, and American governmental systems and processes. In addition, students may choose from several additional concentrations: business and politics, campaigns and elections, citizenship and civic action, global politics, law and politics, democratization and development, political psychology, beliefs, and behavior, and public affairs.
The College of Liberal Arts Advantage: More Than a Major
When you study Political Science at the University of Minnesota, you gain the added advantage of a College of Liberal Arts education. At CLA, the liberal arts mean you get more than just a degree in one major or another; it means you will be exposed to different areas of study, to different ways of thinking and learning. In fact, the liberal arts teach you how to learn—how to ask the right questions, how to problem solve, and how to innovate. The liberal arts prepare students for the complexities of our world, because here at CLA you will study not just, say, politics or art but also where politics and art intersect, where science and ethics intersect, where economics and the environment intersect.
