Bachelor of Political Science at West Virginia University

The undergraduate curriculum in the Department of Political Science has five main objectives:

• To acquaint students with the nature and role of government in modern society, thus contributing to the general education of political science majors.  In order to achieve this objective, the department offers the general political science emphasis.  This emphasis is open to any student who has an interest in political science but who has not yet focused on a specific career goal.
• To impart a broad understanding of the American political system.  Courses are offered on national institutions, political actors, and political behavior. Other courses focus on the policy making process and on various substantive policy issue-areas. Students who seek to work in politics and/or government should enroll in the American politics and policy area of emphasis.
• To provide a broad foundation of relevant courses for students who plan careers in law.
• To prepare students who wish to pursue future careers in international relations, comparative politics, and national security area.
• To provide pre-professional training for students who intend to pursue political science as a career.  Those who intend to be teachers, researchers, or administrators should plan to enroll in graduate school after completing their bachelor's degrees, and our major is designed to provide a strong foundation for that.

Students who earn a degree in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences must complete the University requirements, the College requirements for their specific degree program, and their major requirements.

Honors Program

The Department of Political Science, in cooperation with the University Honors College, offers courses that are open exclusively to honors students.  These courses are listed in the University's Schedule of Courses each semester.  Students who meet the standards of the University Honors Program may enroll in these courses.

3+3 Program

The Department of Political Science participates in the WVU College of Law 3+3 Program at WVU, which is an opportunity for qualified undergraduate students to earn their bachelor's degree and law degree in six years instead of seven years. Students accepted into the 3+3 program begin taking classes at WVU Law in what would be their senior year of college. Students participating in this program must meet certain eligibility criteria and progress benchmarks. For questions regarding your eligibility, please contact your department advisor.

Minors

All students have the possibility of earning one or more minors; view a list of all available minors and their requirements here. Please note that students may not earn a minor in their major field.

Political Science

Political Science Department Learning Outcomes

1. A command of basic substantive knowledge about the basic institutions, political actors, and relevant processes in state, national, and international political systems – in particular as they apply to the student's particular area of emphasis.
2. A knowledge of major policy issues in state, national, and international affairs and an appreciation of the complexity reflective of the uncertainties, trade-offs, and institutional/bureaucratic context of problems confronting governments.
3. An ability to think critically about political phenomena in a way that applies alternative explanatory perspectives across the major theoretical schools of thought in the political science literature.
4. A demonstrated capability to carry out systematic empirical research in political science, i.e. articulate a theoretical question, construct a rigorous research design, and analyze data or cases using appropriate methodological approaches.
5. An appreciation of the policy implications of different theoretical approaches and, more generally, how they relate to the larger ethical issues facing the West Virginia, national, and international communities.