Majors

Political Science offers the following Bachelor of Arts Degrees:

Joint majors must declare and be approved by advisers in all departments. Prerequisites apply to all majors listed.  Questions? Come in to the Political Science Office in AH 415.

For the major declaration form please specify in the student comments section which major you will be declaring to and route both major and minor declaration forms to politicalscience@wwu.edu for approval and completion.

At Western Washington University, the study of Political Science is divided into four fields: American Politics and Public Policy, Political Theory, International Relations, and Comparative Politics. 

Students undertaking the major must take a core course in each of the four fields of Political Science.  These courses represent 20 of the 60 credits required for the major and are pre-requisites for most upper division coursework in Political Science.  Core courses include:

  • PLSC 250 The American Political System

  • PLSC 261 Introduction to Political Theory

  • PLSC 271 Introduction to International Relations

  • PLSC 291 Introduction to Comparative Politics

Students majoring in Political Science must also complete:

  • One upper division course in any two fields (no course may count for more than one field)
  • One Senior Seminar course from: PLSC 431, PLSC 432, PLSC 433, PLSC 434

The balance of the required 60 credits may be taken in any Political Science field.  Courses in the four fields are organized as follows:

American Politics and Public Policy

250, 311, 313, 314, 321, 323, 327, 330, 345, 346, 347, 348, 353, 355, 357, 366, 414, 415, 420, 423, 427, 431, 449, 450, 467, 489

Political Theory

261, 361, 362, 364, 432, 462, 463, 469, 471, 472, 473, 480, 493

International Relations

271,310, 312, 315, 325, 366, 370, 372, 376, 399, 403, 434, 436

Comparative Politics

291, 301, 302, 307, 308, 309, 312, 315, 325, 366, 374, 383, 385, 390, 399, 402, 403, 406, 430, 433, 436, 449, 452, 453, 491

Note

PLSC 101, 435, 443, 444, 447, and 448 credits apply toward the major but do not count in any field.  No more than ten credits of internship, or of independent study combined, may be counted toward the major.  Up to 10 credits of approved study abroad credit may also be applied to the major.

Plan of Study/Evaluation

The Political Science Major Plan of Study listing course offerings and prerequisites.  Major evaluation/plan of study forms are available for print or in the Political Science Office (AH415).

Students who declared the major prior to June 13, 2016 should refer to the prior, 2015-2016 Major evaluation/plan of study

A grade of C- or better is required for all major courses.

Political Science Courses (50 credits)

  • PLSC 250 (5) and 18 additional credits in American Politics and Public Policy field (23 total)
  • Political Theory field (8 credits)
  • International Relations and/or Comparative Politics fields (8 credits)
  • Balance of credits in Political Science Electives (11 total)
     

Social Studies Courses (42-44 credits)

  • One course (5 cr) from:
    • ANTH 201, SOC 221, SOC 251, SOC 255, SOC 260, SOC 268
  • ECON 206 (4 cr) or ECON 446 (3 cr) (preferred)
  • ECON 207 (4 cr) or ECON 447 (3 cr) (preferred)
  • ENVS 204 (4 cr)
  • Two (2) additional ENVS credits from one of these courses:
    • ENVS 202, 220, 221, 240, 320, 342, or 343 (ENVS 221 preferred)
  • HIST 103 (5 cr)
  • HIST 104 (5 cr)
  • HIST 121 (5 cr)
  • HIST 123 (5 cr)
  • HIST 391 (5 cr)

Plan of Study

The Political Science/Social Studies major evaluation/plan of study forms are available for print or in the Political Science Office (AH415).

For more information, please contact the faculty advisor for this major, Professor Kate Destler.

A grade of C or better is required for all major courses.

Teacher Certification Program

To receive a recommendation for state of Washington certification, students must complete the teacher certification program, including the contents method course SEC 426, which is offered by the Woodring College of Education Department of Secondary Education as:

  • Part of the undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree, or
  • As a post-baccalaureate program, or
  • As a part of the Master's in Education degree.

Completion of this combined major leads to endorsement in social studies. Courses required for a state teaching endorsement must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better.

This major is available for students who have a strong interest in both of these disciplines and whose career interests lie, for example, in government or the legal profession.

Economics requirements

  • DSCI 205 - Business Statistics or equivalent
  • MATH 124 or MATH 157
  • ECON 206, 207, 303, 306, 307, 310
  • 12 additional credits in upper-division Economics courses, under departmental advisement
  • One (1) Communications Focus (CF) course within the College of Business and Economics (CBE).

Political Science requirements

  • PLSC 250
  • PLSC 261
  • PLSC 271 or 291
  • PLSC 346 or PLSC 372 or PLSC 390
  • PLSC 427 or PLSC 462
  • PLSC 491 or ECON 491
  • 9 additional credits from the American Politics and Public Policy field
  • 4 additional credits from the Political Theory field
  • 8-9 additional credits in upper-division Political Science electives to complete the total required for the program.

Plan of Study

Economics/Political Science major evaluation/plan of study forms are available for print or in the Political Science Office (AH415) .

Senior evaluations for this combined major require Advisor approval in Political Science and Economics.

For more information, please contact the PLSC faculty advisor for this major, Professor Cynthia Horne.

A grade of C- or better is required for all major courses.

Also required by Western Washington University

Western requires a minimum of three writing proficiency points in approved upper-division writing proficiency courses (WP3) with a minimum grade of C-.  This requirement can be completed as part of the above required and elective credits.

Consult the Timetable of Classes for the specific course sections that fulfill the Communications Focus  (within CBE) and WP3 requirements.

A multidisciplinary major designed to provide a solid grounding in disciplines that are critical to decision making and leadership in economic, political, and social service institutions.

 Political Science Requirements (35 credits)

  • One course from: PLSC 250 or PLSC 261

  • One course from: PLSC 271 or PLSC 291

  • One course from: PLSC 309 or PLSC 370 or PLSC 372 or PLSC 390

  • One course from:PLSC 491 or ECON 491

  • 4 credits of a 400 level political science course with political economy content, such as PLSC 403, PLSC 406, PLSC 420, PLSC 427, PLSC 430, PLCS 436, PLSC 450, PLSC 453, PLSC 462 or by approval of the chair

  • 12 additional credits from upper division political science

Philosophy Requirements (27 credits)

  • PHIL 102 and PHIL 112 and PHIL 114 and PHIL 320 and PHIL 350 and PHIL 360

  • 9 additional upper division philosophy credits

Economics Requirements (36-37 credits)

  • ECON 206 and ECON 207 and ECON 303 and ECON 310

  • One course from:ECON 306 or ECON 307

  • 12 additional upper-division economics credits

  • One Communication Focus (CF-E) course within the College of Business and Economics (CBE)

  • One course from:MATH 124 or MATH 134 or MATH 138 or MATH 157 (or AP Calculus Exam with score of 3 or better)

  • Note: ECON 309, ECON 446 and ECON 447 may not be counted toward this major.

  • A minimum of three writing proficiency points in approved upper-division writing proficiency courses (WP-3 points) at WWU with a minimum grade of C-. The WP requirement can be met with courses from any of the combined major departments.  These requirements can be completed as part of the above required and elective credits.

Plan of Study

Politics/Philosophy/Economics major evaluation/plan of study forms are available in the Political Science Office (AH415) or print one.

Senior evaluations for this combined major require Advisor approval in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics.

For more information, please contact the PLSC faculty advisor for this major, Professor Cynthia Horne.

A grade of C- or better is required for all major courses.

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