Major
The BA in Political Science and International Relations
The political science and international relations major is 42 credits. About half of our majors began their undergraduate education at Marymount, while the rest begin at another institution and transfer to Marymount to complete their degree.
- 4-year advising plan for students who begin their studies at Marymount
- Advising plans for transfer students
Many students who major in political science and international relations are able to complete two majors, combining their politics major with a second major or one or more minors. The program is designed for students to complete at least one full semester (and as many as four full semesters) studying abroad.
Requirements for the major:
Politics majors take the following coursework in a sequence determined in collaboration with an academic advisor:
- POL 102 International Relations
- POL 103 Comparative Politics
- POL 210 Theory of Democracy
- POL 230 American Policy Process
- POL 250 Research and Writing
- POL 400 Internship
- POL 420 Senior Seminar
- 21 additional credits (7 courses) in Political Science and International Relations electives; electives are any course in political science or international relations (or “government” or “politics” or “international affairs”) taken at Marymount or any accredited university, including during a study abroad program.
Students may complete a second internship for academic credit (POL 400) to count as one of their politics elective courses.
All students also must also fulfill Liberal Arts Core requirements.
International Relations Specialization
Students graduating after summer 2024 will have the option of declaring an International Relations specialization within the major. To complete the specialization, students complete the regular political science and international relations major with at least 4 of their 7 electives from courses with a substantial IR focus. Specifically: the major with the IR specialization would be 42 credits, or 14 courses. 7 of those 14 courses are specifically required; these are POL 102, 103, 210, 230, 250, 400, and 420 – the same as the regular major. Then, at least 4 IR courses from this list [POL 240, 241, 244, 280, 306, 332, 375, 380, 381, 382, 384, 385, 386, 388] to include at least 1 of these [240, 241, 332]. In addition, any POL (or equivalent) course taken during an approved study abroad program that is being used as a major elective will automatically count towards the IR specialization. POL (or equivalent) courses on an IR topic transferred from another institution may be counted as an IR elective with approval. We strongly encourage students in this specialization to complete at least one semester-long study abroad program; it is possible for students to complete up to 4 total semesters abroad while graduating within 8 semesters total.
Law and Policy Specialization
Students graduating after summer 2024 will have the option of declaring a law and Policy specialization within the major. To complete the specialization, students complete the regular political science and international relations major with at least 4 of their 7 electives from courses with a substantial LP focus. Specifically: the major with specialization would be 42 credits, or 14 courses. 7 of those 14 courses are specifically required; these are POL 102, 103, 210, 230, 250, 400, and 420 – the same as the regular major. Then, at least 4 LP courses from this list [POL 231, 241, 300, 306, 307, 310, 330, 335, 336, 375] to include at least 1 of these [330, 335]. POL (or equivalent) courses on a Law and Policy topic transferred from another institution or taken during an approved study abroad may be counted as a LP elective with approval. We strongly encourage students in this specialization to also complete the interdisciplinary Law minor.
