The Undergraduate Major

The requirements for the Political Science major can be found in the WVU Catalog.

Students begin their course work by completing introductory courses within five subfields of the discipline (American government, public policy, international relations, comparative government, and political theory), in order to be broadly trained in the full scope of Political Science. In addition, they are required to complete a course in Empirical Research Methods, which will enrich their own skill set and marketability, while also preparing them to understand the research they will examine as they proceed with their work in the major.

Beyond their introductory work, students may then choose to proceed with course work in the General Political Science track, if they are broadly interested in the discipline, or, alternatively, they may specialize in the subfield that best matches their interests. We offer three specializations:

• Pre-Law and Legal Studies
• American Politics, Policy, and Business
• International Relations, Comparative Politics, and National Security

Completing work in a specialized subfield may be to a student's benefit when they enter the job market or apply to law or graduate school.

Students will conclude their work in Political Science at WVU with a Capstone experience. This should be an experience that both pulls together what a student has learned in class, and calls for the student to put that knowledge to use in a new context and personally build upon it. Capstone experiences may include such activities as internships, research projects, service learning, Model United Nations, and study abroad.