Program Overview
The major in political science requires 30 credit hours in POL courses. 21 of those credits must be completed in residence.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Departmental Core Courses | ||
| POL 201 | Introduction to American National Government | 3 |
| POL 202 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POL 203 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| or INS 101 | Global Perspectives | |
| Select a minimum of six credit hours of 500-level seminar courses offered by the University of Miami | 6 | |
| Select a minimum of one course above the 200-level in three of the following five principal sub-fields of political science 1 | 9 | |
American Politics: | ||
| American Political Thought (W) | ||
| Conspiracy Theories and the Public (W) | ||
| The Constitution (W) | ||
| Legislative Processes | ||
| American Presidency | ||
| Race and Ethnic Politics in the U.S. (W) | ||
| Crime and Punishment: Implicit Bias in the Justice System | ||
| Hot Topics in the Criminal Justice System | ||
| Native American Politics | ||
| Mass Media and Politics (W) | ||
| Campaigns | ||
| Democracy in Action: Local Government Simulation | ||
| State Government and Politics | ||
| Government in Metropolitan Areas | ||
| Gender and Politics (W) | ||
| U.S. Defense Policy (W) | ||
| Public Opinion | ||
| Political Parties | ||
| Interest Groups and Lobbying | ||
| American Political Economy | ||
| Latinx Politics | ||
| Special Topics in American Politics | ||
| Transfer Credit In American Politics | ||
| The Election | ||
| Politics of Civil Rights | ||
| Biology and Politics | ||
| Media Content Analysis | ||
| Advanced Seminar on Electoral Behavior | ||
| U.S. Election Administration Challenges | ||
| Intelligence and National Security Decision Making | ||
| U.S. Health Care Crisis: Politics and Policies | ||
| Education Politics and Policy | ||
| Congressional Representation | ||
| Civic Participation and Democracy (W) | ||
| Advanced Seminar on American Politics | ||
| The Environmental Movement: Groups, Beliefs and Values | ||
| Activism | ||
| LGBTI Politics (W) | ||
| Disasters and Humanitarian Assistance | ||
| Urban Politics (W) | ||
| Civil Security Preparedness and Management | ||
| Special Topics in American Politics | ||
Comparative Politics | ||
| Gender and Politics (W) | ||
| Social Movements (W) | ||
| Populism (W) | ||
| Drugs and Politics | ||
| African Politics | ||
| South East Asian Politics | ||
| West European Politics (W) | ||
| Government and Politics of the Federal Republic of Germany | ||
| Russian Politics | ||
| Politics and Society in Latin America (W) | ||
| Democratic Consolidation and Erosion | ||
| Politics of the Middle East | ||
| Politics of Israel (W) | ||
| Special Topics in Comparative Politics | ||
| Transfer Credit in Comparative Politics | ||
| Contemporary Challenges to Democracy | ||
| Turkish Politics | ||
| Comparative Public Policy and Administration | ||
| Comparative Political Institutions | ||
| Art and Politics in Paris | ||
| Activism (W) | ||
| Indigenous Politics from a Global Perspective | ||
| LGBTI Politics (W) | ||
| Disasters and Humanitarian Assistance | ||
| The Politics of Civil- Military Relations (W) | ||
| Comparative Political Economy of Post-Industrial Democracies (W) | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Civil Security Preparedness and Management | ||
| Contemporary Latin American Politics (W) | ||
| Politics in China (W) | ||
| Special Topics in Comparative Politics | ||
International Relations | ||
| Politics of Globalism | ||
| Global Warming, Politics and the European Union | ||
| War, Diplomacy, and Influence | ||
| International Law and Organizations | ||
| Civil Wars | ||
| Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Political Conflict | ||
| The United States and Asia | ||
| U.S.-Latin American Relations | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| United States Relations with the Middle East (W) | ||
| U.S. Defense Policy (W) | ||
| International Cooperation | ||
| Theories and Debates in International Relations | ||
| International Organizations | ||
| Psychology and International Relations (W) | ||
| The Historical Roots of American Imperialism | ||
| Global Energy Politics | ||
| Special Topics in International Relations | ||
| International Terrorism (W) | ||
| Transfer Credits in International Relations | ||
| Security in the Arabian Peninsula | ||
| Intelligence and National Security Decision Making | ||
| Global Environmental Politics | ||
| Chinese Foreign Policy (W) | ||
| International Organizations | ||
| The World Before European Domination | ||
| Indigenous Politics from a Global Perspective | ||
| The Politics of Civil- Military Relations | ||
| On Violence: The Politics of Extremes | ||
| Security in South Asia: The Conflicts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India | ||
| Energy and Security in Eurasia | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Post-Communist Russian Foreign Policy | ||
| Conflict in the Middle East and Africa | ||
| Illicit Trade in the Global Economy | ||
| International Security (W) | ||
| International Political Economy | ||
| International Relations of the Middle East | ||
| European Security | ||
| Special Topics in International Relations | ||
Public Administration, Policy, and Law | ||
| Economics for Politics and Public Administration | ||
| Politics of the Administrative Process | ||
| Politics of Growth Management | ||
| Introduction to Public Policy (W) | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Crime and Punishment: Implicit Bias in the Justice System | ||
| Hot Topics in the Criminal Justice System | ||
| Democracy in Action: Local Government Simulation | ||
| International Law and Organizations | ||
| Introduction to Criminal Justice | ||
| Constitutional Law I | ||
| Constitutional Law II | ||
| Special Topics in Public Administration, Policy, and Law | ||
| Transfer Credit in Public Administration, Policy, and Law | ||
| High School Partnership Internship | ||
| Budget and Financial Management and Administration | ||
| Organizational Dynamics and Management | ||
| Equity and Diversity in Public Administration | ||
| Issues in Judicial Pol. | ||
| Introduction to Graduate Public Administration (W) | ||
| Problems in Public and Non-Profit Management | ||
| Non-Profit Organizations: Law, Policy, and Management | ||
| Comparative Public Policy and Administration (W) | ||
| Administrative Law | ||
| Courts and Controversy | ||
| Applied Policy Analysis | ||
| U.S. Health Care Crisis: Politics and Policies | ||
| The Law and Politics of Sports | ||
| Education Politics and Policy | ||
| Human Resource Management in Public Service | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Environmental Policy Making | ||
| Public Policy Process and Implementation | ||
| Energy Policy: Technology, Politics, and Society | ||
| Productivity in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors | ||
| Total Quality Public Service Management: Achieving High Performance Government | ||
| Politics and Ethics | ||
| Ethical and Managerial Issues in Government, Business, and Non-Profit Organizations | ||
| AI in Government: Policy, Design, and Oversight | ||
| Public Program Evaluation | ||
| Municipal Modernization in the 21st Century | ||
| Collaborative Governance | ||
| Government and Business | ||
| Disasters and Humanitarian Assistance | ||
| Civil Security Preparedness and Management | ||
| Special Topics in Public Administration, Policy, and Law | ||
Political Theory and Methods | ||
| The Science and Practice of Political Research | ||
| Political Fiction and Film | ||
| Introduction to Political Theory | ||
| Positive Political Theory | ||
| Political Ideologies | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Conspiracy Theories and the Public | ||
| Politics, Society and Popular Culture | ||
| Special Topics in Political Theory and Methods | ||
| Transfer Credit in Political Theory and Methods | ||
| From Plato Through Rawls | ||
| Statistics for Politics and Public Administration | ||
| Advanced Political Analysis | ||
| Models of Politics | ||
| Popular Culture and Politics | ||
| Media Content Analysis | ||
| Experiments in Political Science | ||
| Introductory Statistical Methods in Political Science | ||
| Advanced Statistical Methods in Political Science | ||
| Introduction to Game Theory for Political Science | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Special Topics in Political Theory and Methods | ||
| POL Electives: Allowed electives include all courses listed under the five principle subfields in addition to the following courses: 2 | 6 | |
| Scope and Methods of Political Science | ||
| Civic Synergy Workshop | ||
| Internship I | ||
| Directed Research | ||
| Directed Reading | ||
| Senior Thesis and Senior Thesis II | ||
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Written Communication Skills: | 12 | |
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| WRS 106 | First-Year Writing II | 3 |
| or ENG 106 | Writing About Literature and Culture | |
| Quantitative Skills: | ||
| MTH 108 or higher 3 | 3 | |
| Areas of Knowledge: | ||
| Arts and Humanities Cognate | 9 | |
| People & Society Cognate (9 credits) (fulfilled through the major) | ||
| STEM Cognate 3 | 9 | |
| Additional Requirements | ||
| Advanced Writing and Communication Skills Requirement (12 credit hours): | ||
| Students must complete 4 writing-designated (“W”) courses including one within the major. These courses can be double counted toward other requirements or be taken as electives. | ||
| Language Course at the 200-level or higher | 3 | |
| Minor Requirement | 15 | |
| Electives | 33 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Please note that some courses cover more than one sub-field. Students may not, however, use a single class to fulfill multiple sub-field requirements.
- 2
These courses may be counted toward a specific subfield with the permission of the Political Science Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies.
- 3
The Quantitative Skills Proficiency Requirement helps students learn to use quantitative skills and tools to solve problems, including the interpretation, manipulation, and application of quantitative data. Students fulfill this requirement by completing either a Department of Mathematics course numbered MTH 108 Precalculus Mathematics II or higher, MTH 113 Finite Mathematics (recommended for non-STEM majors), or a statistics course approved by the student’s college/school and the University Curriculum Committee in consultation with appropriate academic units.
- 4
Please note that for the Natural Science Area of Knowledge Requirement degree candidates must earn at least 3 credit hours in the Natural Sciences. Departments offering these courses include Anthropology (only APY 203), Biology, Chemistry, Ecosystem Science and Policy (only ECS 111, ECS 112, ECS 202), Geography (only GEG 120), Geological Sciences, Marine Sciences (except MSC 313, MSC 314), Physical Sciences, and Physics. These credit hours may double count with any other requirement.
- *
All majors must complete a quiz for graduating seniors (to be used for assessment purposes) during their last semester of coursework.
- **
A student may only share (i.e., "double count") maximally 6 credits between majors and minors offered by the Department of Political Science.
- ***
To count toward the major, each course must be completed with a grade of C- or above, with an overall GPA of 2.0 or above.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| POL 201 | Introduction to American National Government | 3 |
| POL 202 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| MTH 113 | Finite Mathematics | 3 |
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities Cognate | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| POL 203 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| WRS 106 | First-Year Writing II | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities Cognate | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| STEM Cognate | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| American Politics Course | 3 | |
| Language Course | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities Cognate | 3 | |
| STEM Cognate | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Comparative Politics Course | 3 | |
| Language Course | 3 | |
| STEM Cognate | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| 500 Level POL Seminar Course 1 | 3 | |
| International Relations Course | 3 | |
| Language Course | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| 500 Level POL Seminar Course 1 | 3 | |
| POL Elective (300 Level or Higher) | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| POL Elective (300 Level or Higher) | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
"Seminars" include any 500-level course offered by the Department of Political Science or co-listed with Political Science. Please note that some courses cover more than one subfield. Students may not, however, use a single class to fulfill multiple subfield requirements.
- 2
Political science electives include any of the courses listed under the principle subfields as well as the following courses:
POL250: Scope and Methods in Political Science
POL410: Civic Synergy
POL480: Internship I
POL 482: High School Partnership
POL489: Directed Research
POL490: Directed Readings
POL563 and POL564: Senior Thesis
The above courses may be used to fulfill a subfield with the permission of the Political Science Director of Undergraduate Studies.
- 3
Additional majors may only "double count" 6 credits between the Political Science major and another major.
- *
All majors must complete a quiz for graduating seniors (to be used for assessment purposes) during their last semester of coursework.
Additional Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Departmental Core Courses | ||
| POL 201 | Introduction to American National Government | 3 |
| POL 202 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POL 203 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| or INS 101 | Global Perspectives | |
| Select a minimum of six credit hours of 500-level seminar courses offered by the University of Miami | 6 | |
| Select a minimum of one course above the 200-level in three of the following five principal sub-fields of political science 1 | 9 | |
American Politics: | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Conspiracy Theories and the Public | ||
| The Constitution | ||
| Legislative Processes | ||
| American Presidency | ||
| Race and Ethnic Politics in the U.S. (W) | ||
| Crime and Punishment: Implicit Bias in the Justice System | ||
| Hot Topics in the Criminal Justice System | ||
| Native American Politics | ||
| Mass Media and Politics | ||
| Campaigns | ||
| Democracy in Action: Local Government Simulation | ||
| State Government and Politics | ||
| Government in Metropolitan Areas | ||
| Gender and Politics | ||
| U.S. Defense Policy | ||
| Public Opinion | ||
| Political Parties | ||
| Interest Groups and Lobbying | ||
| American Political Economy | ||
| Latinx Politics | ||
| Special Topics in American Politics | ||
| Transfer Credit In American Politics | ||
| The Election | ||
| Politics of Civil Rights | ||
| Biology and Politics | ||
| Media Content Analysis | ||
| Advanced Seminar on Electoral Behavior | ||
| U.S. Election Administration Challenges | ||
| Intelligence and National Security Decision Making | ||
| U.S. Health Care Crisis: Politics and Policies | ||
| Education Politics and Policy | ||
| Congressional Representation | ||
| Civic Participation and Democracy | ||
| Advanced Seminar on American Politics | ||
| The Environmental Movement: Groups, Beliefs and Values | ||
| Activism | ||
| LGBTI Politics | ||
| Disasters and Humanitarian Assistance | ||
| Urban Politics | ||
| Civil Security Preparedness and Management | ||
| Special Topics in American Politics | ||
Comparative Politics | ||
| Gender and Politics | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Populism (W) | ||
| Drugs and Politics | ||
| African Politics | ||
| South East Asian Politics | ||
| West European Politics | ||
| Government and Politics of the Federal Republic of Germany | ||
| Russian Politics | ||
| Politics and Society in Latin America | ||
| Democratic Consolidation and Erosion | ||
| Politics of the Middle East | ||
| Politics of Israel | ||
| Special Topics in Comparative Politics | ||
| Transfer Credit in Comparative Politics | ||
| Contemporary Challenges to Democracy | ||
| Turkish Politics | ||
| Comparative Public Policy and Administration | ||
| Comparative Political Institutions | ||
| Art and Politics in Paris | ||
| Activism | ||
| Indigenous Politics from a Global Perspective | ||
| LGBTI Politics | ||
| Disasters and Humanitarian Assistance | ||
| The Politics of Civil- Military Relations | ||
| Comparative Political Economy of Post-Industrial Democracies | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Civil Security Preparedness and Management | ||
| Contemporary Latin American Politics | ||
| Politics in China | ||
| Special Topics in Comparative Politics | ||
International Relations | ||
| Politics of Globalism | ||
| Global Warming, Politics and the European Union | ||
| War, Diplomacy, and Influence | ||
| International Law and Organizations | ||
| Civil Wars | ||
| Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Political Conflict | ||
| The United States and Asia | ||
| U.S.-Latin American Relations | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| United States Relations with the Middle East | ||
| U.S. Defense Policy | ||
| International Cooperation | ||
| Theories and Debates in International Relations | ||
| International Organizations | ||
| Psychology and International Relations | ||
| The Historical Roots of American Imperialism | ||
| Global Energy Politics | ||
| Special Topics in International Relations | ||
| International Terrorism | ||
| Transfer Credits in International Relations | ||
| Security in the Arabian Peninsula | ||
| Intelligence and National Security Decision Making | ||
| Global Environmental Politics | ||
| Chinese Foreign Policy | ||
| International Organizations | ||
| The World Before European Domination | ||
| Indigenous Politics from a Global Perspective | ||
| The Politics of Civil- Military Relations | ||
| On Violence: The Politics of Extremes | ||
| Security in South Asia: The Conflicts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India | ||
| Energy and Security in Eurasia | ||
| International Development Policy | ||
| Post-Communist Russian Foreign Policy | ||
| Conflict in the Middle East and Africa | ||
| Illicit Trade in the Global Economy | ||
| International Security | ||
| International Political Economy | ||
| International Relations of the Middle East | ||
| European Security | ||
| Special Topics in International Relations | ||
Public Administration, Policy, and Law | ||
| Economics for Politics and Public Administration | ||
| Politics of the Administrative Process | ||
| Politics of Growth Management | ||
| Introduction to Public Policy | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Crime and Punishment: Implicit Bias in the Justice System | ||
| Hot Topics in the Criminal Justice System | ||
| Democracy in Action: Local Government Simulation | ||
| International Law and Organizations | ||
| Introduction to Criminal Justice | ||
| Constitutional Law I | ||
| Constitutional Law II | ||
| Special Topics in Public Administration, Policy, and Law | ||
| Transfer Credit in Public Administration, Policy, and Law | ||
| High School Partnership Internship | ||
| Budget and Financial Management and Administration | ||
| Organizational Dynamics and Management | ||
| Equity and Diversity in Public Administration | ||
| Issues in Judicial Pol. | ||
| Introduction to Graduate Public Administration | ||
| Problems in Public and Non-Profit Management | ||
| Non-Profit Organizations: Law, Policy, and Management | ||
| Comparative Public Policy and Administration | ||
| Administrative Law | ||
| Courts and Controversy | ||
| Applied Policy Analysis | ||
| U.S. Health Care Crisis: Politics and Policies | ||
| The Law and Politics of Sports | ||
| Education Politics and Policy | ||
| Human Resource Management in Public Service | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Environmental Policy Making | ||
| Public Policy Process and Implementation | ||
| Energy Policy: Technology, Politics, and Society | ||
| Productivity in the Public and Non-Profit Sectors | ||
| Total Quality Public Service Management: Achieving High Performance Government | ||
| Politics and Ethics | ||
| Ethical and Managerial Issues in Government, Business, and Non-Profit Organizations | ||
| AI in Government: Policy, Design, and Oversight | ||
| Public Program Evaluation | ||
| Municipal Modernization in the 21st Century | ||
| Collaborative Governance | ||
| Government and Business | ||
| Disasters and Humanitarian Assistance | ||
| Civil Security Preparedness and Management | ||
| Special Topics in Public Administration, Policy, and Law | ||
Political Theory and Methods | ||
| The Science and Practice of Political Research | ||
| Political Fiction and Film | ||
| Introduction to Political Theory | ||
| Positive Political Theory | ||
| Political Ideologies | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Conspiracy Theories and the Public | ||
| Politics, Society and Popular Culture | ||
| Special Topics in Political Theory and Methods | ||
| Transfer Credit in Political Theory and Methods | ||
| From Plato Through Rawls | ||
| Statistics for Politics and Public Administration | ||
| Advanced Political Analysis | ||
| Models of Politics | ||
| Popular Culture and Politics | ||
| Media Content Analysis | ||
| Experiments in Political Science | ||
| Introductory Statistical Methods in Political Science | ||
| Advanced Statistical Methods in Political Science | ||
| Introduction to Game Theory for Political Science | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Special Topics in Political Theory and Methods | ||
| POL Electives: Allowed electives include all courses listed under the five principle subfields in addition to the following courses: 2 | 6 | |
| Scope and Methods of Political Science | ||
| Civic Synergy Workshop | ||
| Internship I | ||
| Directed Research | ||
| Directed Reading | ||
| Senior Thesis II and Senior Thesis II | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
- 1
Please note that some courses cover more than one sub-field. Students may not, however, use a single class to fulfill multiple sub-field requirements.
- 2
These courses may be counted toward a specific subfield with the permission of the Political Science Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Mission
The Department of Political Science (POL) is a community of scholars and students seeking a deeper understanding of politics, and fosters a commitment to lifelong learning, intellectual growth, and civic responsibility. POL is dedicated to helping students develop analytical abilities, communication skills, and the awareness of political processes in a complex global society. We provide students with rigorous training in the field of political science, and exposure to new knowledge through empirical social science research.
Goals
Political science majors gain an understanding of American political and legal life, the workings of other countries’ political and economic systems, the relations among countries in the international arena, and key concepts in both political philosophy and social science methodology.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will develop knowledge of key political science concepts.
- Students will develop the ability to analyze evidence and draw reasoned conclusions.
- Students will develop the ability to communicate clearly in written form.
