Political Science B.A. - International Relations and Comparative Politics
General Degree Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information.
Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page.
Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.
Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.
BACHELOR OF ARTS - POLITICAL SCIENCE; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & COMPARATIVE POLITICS CONCENTRATION
- Students pursuing a Major in Political Science must take a minimum of 37 credits of political science (PSCI) courses, including one 300-400 level course in four of the five major fields.
- 21 of the 37 credits must be in upper-division courses.
- No more than 7 credits of PSCI 492 and PSCI 498 combined may count toward the 37 required credits.
- To complete the concentration with 37 credits, students should complete the four Required Upper-Division Field Courses with one course from the International Relations list and one course from the Comparative Government list. As shown below, students who do so need just four additional courses in IR and Comparative to complete the concentration.
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Two years of language study and/or a study-abroad program is strongly recommended.
- An internship is strongly recommended.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Lower-Division Required Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| PSCI 210S | Intro to American Government | 3 |
| PSCI 220S | Intro to Comparative Government | 3 |
| PSCI 230X | Intro to International Relations | 3 |
| PSCI 250E | Intro to Political Theory | 3 |
| Advanced Writing Requirement | ||
| Complete the following course: | ||
| PSCI 400 | Advanced Writing in Political Science | 1 |
| Electives in International Relations and Comparative Politics | ||
| Complete 4 of the following courses: | 12 | |
| Revolution & Reform in Modern China | ||
| Experimental Offering: Comparative Politics | ||
| Politics of Europe | ||
| Politics of Latin America | ||
| Politics of Africa | ||
| Politics of Mexico | ||
| Politics of China | ||
| Experimental Offering: International Relations | ||
| Global Environmental Politics | ||
| International Security | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| European Union | ||
| Model United Nations | ||
| Global Health Issues | ||
| State Formation | ||
| Experimental Offering: Comparative Politics | ||
| Experimental Offering: International Relations | ||
| Politics of Global Migration | ||
| International Law & Organization | ||
| Politics of Social Movements | ||
| Development Administration | ||
| Origins of Democracy and Authoritarianism | ||
| Politics of the World Economy | ||
| Required Upper Division Field Courses | ||
| Complete one upper-division course in four of the five fields listed below. 1 | 12 | |
Public Administration and Public Policy | ||
| Practical Applications in Nonprofit Administration | ||
| Advanced Nonprofit Admin | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| State and Local Government | ||
| US Multicultural Politics | ||
| Montana Government and Politics | ||
| Experimental Offering: Public Administration | ||
| Public Administration | ||
| Public Policy Issues and Analysis | ||
| Global Health Issues | ||
| Politics of Global Migration | ||
| Health Care Policy | ||
| Experimental Offering: Public Administration | ||
| Development Administration | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Management and Policy Skills (enrollment with consent of instructor) | ||
Political Theory | ||
| Honors Seminar (Democracy) | ||
| Experimental Offering: Political Theory | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Political Theory | ||
| Experimental Offering: Political Theory | ||
| Utopianism and its Critics | ||
| Modern Political Theory | ||
Comparative Government | ||
| Tribal Sovereignty | ||
| Revolution & Reform in Modern China | ||
| Experimental Offering: Comparative Politics | ||
| Politics of Europe | ||
| Politics of Latin America | ||
| Politics of Africa | ||
| Politics of Mexico | ||
| Politics of China | ||
| Global Health Issues | ||
| State Formation | ||
| Experimental Offering: Comparative Politics | ||
| Politics of Social Movements | ||
| Origins of Democracy and Authoritarianism | ||
International Relations | ||
| Experimental Offering: International Relations | ||
| Global Environmental Politics | ||
| International Security | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| European Union | ||
| Model United Nations | ||
| Experimental Offering: International Relations | ||
| Politics of Global Migration | ||
| International Law & Organization | ||
| Development Administration | ||
| Politics of the World Economy | ||
American Politics | ||
| Honors Seminar (Democracy) | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| Experimental Offering: American Government | ||
| Media, Public Opinion, Polling | ||
| State and Local Government | ||
| American Political System | ||
| US Multicultural Politics | ||
| Montana Government and Politics | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Public Policy Issues and Analysis | ||
| Courts and Judicial Politics | ||
| Experimental Offering: American Government | ||
| Politics of Social Movements | ||
| American Political Participation | ||
| Political Psychology | ||
| Health Care Policy | ||
| American Constitutional Law | ||
| Civil Rights | ||
| Total Hours | 37 | |
- 1
PSCI 480 may apply to any of the categories with the consent of the instructor. Courses may only count toward one category of requirements.