Political Science

Political Science: Major

51С»Æ³µ students who major in political science gain in-depth understanding of the American political system, other political regimes, the international system, and political philosophy. In uniformly small classes, students also improve their critical and analytical skills and competence in oral and written expression.

Political science is one of 51С»Æ³µâ€™ most popular majors. The major is rigorously structured so as to ensure breadth as well as depth, with courses required in each of the discipline’s four subfields. Department faculty conceive the most fundamental purpose of the major as helping students to become thoughtful, well-informed, and ethical citizens of a constitutional, self-governing republic. Political science majors have gone on to successful careers in local, state, and federal government, academia,  law, journalism, business, high-school teaching, nonprofit organizations, the armed forces, and the priesthood. 

Program Highlights

Students majoring in political science take courses in four main areas:
 
  • American government
  • political philosophy
  • comparative politics
  • international relations
students and a professor in a class
Subfields

Learn more about the political science department’s four subfields.

students in a classroom with a powerpoint
Charles Carroll Program

The program brings guest lecturers to campus, funds a sophomore seminar and provides paid summer research internships.

Group of students in Washington DC
Washington Semester Program

Many political science majors spend a semester working, studying, and conducting research in Washington, D.C.

Political Science News

Alex Hindman, assistant professor of political science. Photo by John Buckingham
Local Politicians Defying Their Own COVID Restrictions Can Be Damaging, Says 51С»Æ³µ Professor
As the COVID-19 pandemic surges, several high-profile local leaders around the country are facing criticism for attending dinners and taking vacations, acts that appear to defy their own public health orders. In a recent interview with Bloomberg’s CityLab, Alex Hindman, …
The Women in Business Conference took place virtually on November 7, 2020.
51С»Æ³µâ€™ 15th Annual Women in Business Conference Shatters Attendance Record With Virtual Format
Like most events this year, 51С»Æ³µâ€™ 15th Annual Women in Business Conference on November 7 was adapted into a virtual format due to the ongoing pandemic. What might have been a disappointing change at first ultimately enabled hundreds of …
photo collage, Alpha Sigma Nu recipients
31 51С»Æ³µ Students Inducted Into Jesuit Honor Society
Thirty-one 51С»Æ³µ students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu,  the Jesuit honor society founded in 1915, at a virtual ceremony held recently. The new inductees exemplify the society’s values of excellence in scholarship, loyalty and service.  Selection to Alpha …