Political Science, BA
Introduction
Please click here to see Political Science department information.
Courses are distributed among the primary fields as listed in this section, i.e., American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory and public policy and administration.
These degree requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their major advisor and CLAS advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
Program Delivery
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This program can be completed online or on-campus.
Declaring This Major
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Click here to go to information about declaring a major.
General Requirements
To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.
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Click here for information about Academic Policies
Program Requirements
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Students must complete a minimum of 39 credit hours, from approved courses.
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Students must complete a minimum of 21 upper division (3000-level and above) credit hours from approved courses.
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Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all courses that apply to the major and must achieve a minimum cumulative major GPA of 2.0. All graded attempts in required and elective courses are calculated in the major GPA. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to program requirements.
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Students must complete a minimum of 15 PSCI credit hours with CU Denver faculty.
Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
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Exceptions to the Experiential Learning Requirement
- In lieu of taking one of the identified courses, students may complete a substantial experiential learning project in a different PSCI class. The course instructor must certify with a written submission to the departmental undergraduate advisor that the experiential learning project in that course fulfills the departmental experiential learning requirement.
- Students with preexisting significant political or civic engagement experience in the community (i.e., community and civic leadership work, or work with government agencies, on political campaigns, or in non-governmental organizations) or for whom the experiential learning requirement poses a hardship may petition the undergraduate advisor to waive the requirement.
- Note: In either of these cases of exception to the Experiential Learning coursework requirement, 39 total credit hours in political science are still required for graduation.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following program requirements: | ||
| Complete the following required courses: | 9 | |
| Introduction to Political Science: The Quest for Freedom and Justice | ||
| American Political System | ||
| Logic of Political Inquiry 1 | ||
| Complete two Political Theory courses from the approved course list: | 6 | |
| Political Theory | ||
| Complete one American Politics course from the approved course list: | 3 | |
| American Politics | ||
| Complete one Comparative Politics course from the approved course list: | 3 | |
| Comparative Politics | ||
| Complete one International Politics course from the approved course list: | 3 | |
| International Politics | ||
| Complete nine additional Political Science (PSCI) elective credit hours. | 9 | |
| Complete a minimum of three credit hours from the following Experiential Learning courses: 2 | 3 | |
| Topics: Conference Participation | ||
| Independent Study: PSCI | ||
| The Urban Citizen | ||
| Internship | ||
| Independent Study: PSCI | ||
| Directed Research | ||
| Community Organizing and Community Development | ||
| CU at the Capitol | ||
| Global Study Topics | ||
| Complete the Political Science Capstone course, after completing at least 27 credit hours in the major. | 3 | |
| Capstone in Political Science | ||
| Total Hours | 39 | |
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This course must be taken by all majors as part of their first 24 credit hours in the program. If this requirement poses a hardship due to such issues as late-declaring majors, scheduling problems, or students transferring in multiple credits, please contact the Department undergraduate advisor to craft a solution.
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See exceptions under program restrictions, allowances and recommendations above.
Political Theory
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete two of the following: | 6 | |
| Theories of Capitalism | ||
| Religion and Politics | ||
| Theories of Social and Political Change | ||
| Early Political Thought | ||
| Modern Political Thought | ||
| Law, Politics and Justice | ||
| Coercion and the State | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Gender and Politics | ||
American Politics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following | 3 | |
| Race, Gender, Law and Public Policy | ||
| Political Movements: Race and Gender | ||
| Power and Empowerment in the United States | ||
| Federal Law and American Indians | ||
| Film and Politics | ||
| The Urban Citizen | ||
| Politics of the Budgetary Process | ||
| Media and Politics | ||
| State Politics: Focus Colorado | ||
| Local Governance and Globalization | ||
| Political Parties and Pressure Groups | ||
| The Presidency | ||
| Urban Politics, Planning, and Development | ||
| Gentrification and Social Equity | ||
| Local Government and Administration | ||
| Seminar: American Politics | ||
| Denver Politics | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| American National Security | ||
| U.S. Health Policy | ||
| Environmental Politics | ||
| Non-Profits and Social Change | ||
| Contemporary Culture and Politics in America | ||
| Constitutional Law I | ||
| Constitutional Law II | ||
| Judicial Politics | ||
| Labor and Working Class Politics | ||
| Immigration Politics | ||
| Chicano and Latino Politics | ||
| Seminar on U.S. and China Relations | ||
| Women and the Law | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Civil Liberties | ||
| Community Organizing and Community Development | ||
| CU at the Capitol | ||
Comparative Politics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following* | 3 | |
| Political Systems of the World | ||
| Comparative Governance: Environment and Society | ||
| Comparative Politics: Europe | ||
| Third World Politics | ||
| Indigenous Political Systems | ||
| Indigenous Politics | ||
| Gender Politics in the Middle East: Beyond Orientalism & Islamism | ||
| Political Systems of the Middle East and North Africa | ||
| The Arab-Israeli Peace Process | ||
| Islamic Politics and Culture | ||
| East Asia in World Affairs | ||
| Political Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa | ||
| Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics | ||
| Women's Rights, Human Rights: Global Perspectives | ||
| Democracy and Democratization | ||
| Populist Movements around the World | ||
| Gender, Development and Globalization | ||
| Social Justice And Globalization | ||
| Advanced Indigenous Peoples' Politics | ||
| Political System of Russia and Its Neighbors | ||
| International Women's Resistance | ||
| Politics and Governments of South Asia | ||
| Politics and Government of China | ||
| Comparative Political Leadership | ||
| Political Violence | ||
| Community Organizing and Community Development | ||
| Global Study Topics | ||
International Politics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following | 3 | |
| World Politics | ||
| Islamophobia | ||
| Power and Empowerment in the United States | ||
| Local Governance and Globalization | ||
| Comparative Politics: Europe | ||
| Third World Politics | ||
| Politics, Power, and Profit | ||
| Indigenous Political Systems | ||
| Indigenous Politics | ||
| Gender Politics in the Middle East: Beyond Orientalism & Islamism | ||
| Political Systems of the Middle East and North Africa | ||
| The Arab-Israeli Peace Process | ||
| Islamic Politics and Culture | ||
| Civil Resistance in Theory and Practice | ||
| Corruption in the U.S. and Abroad | ||
| East Asia in World Affairs | ||
| Political Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa | ||
| Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics | ||
| Women's Rights, Human Rights: Global Perspectives | ||
| International Politics: Human Rights | ||
| Dictatorships in 21st Century | ||
| Democracy and Democratization | ||
| The United Nations in World Affairs | ||
| Politics and Markets in Latin America | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| American National Security | ||
| International Security | ||
| Gender, Development and Globalization | ||
| Social Justice And Globalization | ||
| International Law | ||
| Conflict Resolution and Public Consent Building | ||
| Conflicts and Rights in International Law | ||
| The Politics of War Law | ||
| International Relations: War or Peace? | ||
| Advanced International Political Economy: Globalization | ||
| Global Ecological Crises | ||
| Advanced Indigenous Peoples' Politics | ||
| Political System of Russia and Its Neighbors | ||
| International Women's Resistance | ||
| Politics and Governments of South Asia | ||
| Politics and Government of China | ||
| Seminar on U.S. and China Relations | ||
| The Middle East in World Affairs | ||
| Political Violence | ||
| Strategies of Peacebuilding | ||
| War, Film, and International Law | ||
| Global Study Topics | ||
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.
To review the Degree Map for this program, please visit our website.