Political Science (B.A.)

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program in Political Science is designed to provide students with the analytical tools needed to address political issues at both the national and international levels, as well as to achieve their career objectives. Using a variety of innovative approaches, it provides students with the knowledge and skills essential for dealing with the emerging trends reshaping the political landscape. A baccalaureate degree in Political Science can aid a student's career pursuits in local, state, and federal government, research and lobbying for business and non-profit organizations, and public interest work for community service organizations. It also provides an excellent foundation for students who intend to pursue graduate study in law, business, or the social sciences. Students can choose a general B.A. Political Science degree (with no concentration), a B.A. Political Science degree with an International Relations and Comparative Politics Concentration, or a B.A. Political Science degree with a Law and Politics Concentration.

Concentrations

• International Relations and Comparative Politics Concentration
• Law and Politics Concentration

Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements

• Attend an orientation session.
• Sign an Advising Agreement document.

In addition to the program requirements, students must:

• Complete a minimum of 120 credits.
• Complete a minimum of 48 of the 120 credits at the upper division (3000-4999 level).
• Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
• Satisfy the College-Level Skills and foreign language entrance requirements.
• Satisfy the Service-Learning requirement.
• Satisfy the Civic Literacy requirement.
• Satisfy the residency requirement: 30 of the last 60 credits must be completed at FGCU.
• Complete the summer course enrollment requirement.
• Submit an Application for Graduation by the deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
FGCU General Education Program
To prevent or minimize excess hours, select general education courses that satisfy common prerequisite requirements for your intended major.
Common Prerequisites
A minimum grade of C is required in each course
Any two introductory Political Science courses with the prefixes of CPO, INR, or POS (6 credits).
The following are suggested courses:
CPO 2001	Intro to Comparative Politics	3
INR 2002	Intro International Relations	3
POS 2041	American National Government	3
Acceptable Substitute: POSX000-X999 or INRX000-X999 or CPOX000-X999
Required Courses in the Major		(15 credits)
A minimum grade of C is required in each course
CPO 3003	Comparative Politics	3
INR 3003	Theories of Int'l Relations	3
POS 3043	Amer. Political Institutions	3
POS 3703	Intro to Pol Science Research	3
POS 4936	Senior Seminar (capstone)	3
Restricted Electives/Concentration		(21 credits)
A minimum grade of C is required in each course
Select 9 upper division (3000-4999 level) credits with the prefix CPO, INR, PAD (except PAD 4343C), POS, POT, or PUP. A maximum of 6 credits can be applied from the "Additional Electives" category.
Additional Electives:
CPO 4906	Ind Study in Comp Politics	3
IDH 4945	Honors in Washington	3-6
INR 3955	Overseas Study	1-3
INR 4910	Directed Independent Study	1-3
POS 4905	Independent Study	3
POS 4941	Political Science Internship	3-6
POS 4942	Washington Center Internship	3-6
POT 4906	Ind Study in Political Theory	3
Courses taken to satisfy required courses in the major cannot be counted as electives. Courses taken in one elective category cannot be used to satisfy another elective category.
No Concentration Noted on Transcript
Select 12 credits from the following elective courses.		12
CPO 3034	Politics of Developing Nations	3
CPO 3143	European Politics	3
CPO 3303	Latin American Politics	3
CPO 3403	Politics of the Middle East	3
CPO 3731	Comparative Democratization	3
CPO 3760	Religion & Politics	3
CPO 4062	Comparative Judicial Politics	3
CPO 4514	Asian Politics	3
CPO 4774	The Politics of Extremism	3
CPO 4930	Special Topics Comp Politics	3
INR 4061	International Armed Conflicts	3
INR 4075	International Human Rights	3
INR 4303	U.S. Foreign Policy	3
INR 4333	International Security	3
INR 4502	International Organizations	3
INR 4703	International Political Econ	3
INR 4930	Special Topics Intl Relations	3
PAD 3810	State & Local Public Admin	3
PAD 4232	Grant Writing & Administration	3
PAD 4253	Community/Economic Development	3
PAD 4332	Strategic Analysis & Planning	3
PAD 4351	Environmental Governance	3
PAD 4603	Administrative Law	3
POS 3175	Southern Politics & Civ Rights	3
POS 3250	Political Communication	3
POS 3270	Political Campaigns/Elections	3
POS 3272	Politics & the Citizen	3
POS 3283	Judicial Process	3
POS 3411	The Modern Presidency	3
POS 3424	Legislative Process	3
POS 3691	Law, Politics, and Society	3
POS 4070	Race, Ethnicity, & Politics	3
POS 4072	Women in Politics & Govt	3
POS 4152	Urban Politics and Problems	3
POS 4284	Politics of the Judiciary	3
POS 4604	Con Law- Civil Liberties	3
POS 4614	Con Law- Institutional Powers	3
POS 4931	Spec Topics in Political Sci.	3
POT 3003	Political Theorists	3
POT 3075	Culture and Politics	3
POT 3303	Ideology & Propaganda	3
POT 3501	Politics, Ethics, & Pol Theory	3
POT 4204	American Political Thought	3
POT 4514	Theories of Political Violence	3
POT 4932	Sp Topics -Politics/Humanities	3
PUP 3040	State & Local Public Policy	3
PUP 4004	Policymaking & Administration	3
PUP 4206	Int'l Environmental Policy	3
PUP 4603	Politics & Policy in Medicine	3
PUP 4930	Special Topics-Public Policy	3
International Relations and Comparative Politics Concentration
Select 12 credits from the following elective courses. A minimum of 6 credits must be selected from the concentration’s CPO- and/or INR-prefix courses.
CPO 3034	Politics of Developing Nations	3
CPO 3143	European Politics	3
CPO 3303	Latin American Politics	3
CPO 3403	Politics of the Middle East	3
CPO 3731	Comparative Democratization	3
CPO 3760	Religion & Politics	3
CPO 4062	Comparative Judicial Politics	3
CPO 4514	Asian Politics	3
CPO 4774	The Politics of Extremism	3
CPO 4930	Special Topics Comp Politics	3
INR 4061	International Armed Conflicts	3
INR 4075	International Human Rights	3
INR 4303	U.S. Foreign Policy	3
INR 4333	International Security	3
INR 4502	International Organizations	3
INR 4703	International Political Econ	3
INR 4930	Special Topics Intl Relations	3
POT 3075	Culture and Politics	3
POT 3303	Ideology & Propaganda	3
POT 4514	Theories of Political Violence	3
PUP 4206	Int'l Environmental Policy	3
Law and Politics Concentration
Select 12 credits from the following elective courses. A minimum of 6 credits must be selected from the concentration’s POS-prefix courses.
CPO 4062	Comparative Judicial Politics	3
CPO 4774	The Politics of Extremism	3
INR 4075	International Human Rights	3
INR 4502	International Organizations	3
PAD 4603	Administrative Law	3
POS 3175	Southern Politics & Civ Rights	3
POS 3283	Judicial Process	3
POS 3691	Law, Politics, and Society	3
POS 4070	Race, Ethnicity, & Politics	3
POS 4284	Politics of the Judiciary	3
POS 4604	Con Law- Civil Liberties	3
POS 4614	Con Law- Institutional Powers	3
PUP 4206	Int'l Environmental Policy	3
Sustainability Course Graduation Requirement		(3 credits)
Select at least 3 credits in sustainability coursework (SCGR Attribute)
Additional Electives
As needed to reach total credits required for the degree.

Total Credits Required: 120