Major
	Political Science (BA, BS) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minor
	Political Science
Four-year Graduation Plan
	Yes
Honors
	Yes
Teacher Licensure
	Yes, in Social Science
Links
	Web Site Courses General Catalog

• Why Study Political Science at Iowa?
• Course Work
• Resources
• Internships
• Careers
• Scholarships

Why Study Political Science at Iowa?
Iowa's political science program is ranked among the top in the country by U.S. News & World Report. As a political science student, you'll acquire a firm grounding in American politics and in political thought and action, and you'll have the opportunity to learn about international aspects of politics.

You'll be able to choose from the department's wide selection of optional emphasis areas, and you'll benefit from its focus on honors and research, which features research tutorials and senior seminars.

Department of Political Science faculty members are well known for their scholarship. You’ll see your professors on panels or as commentators for local and national media, and you'll read their remarks in newspapers and other publications.

Because of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, you’ll have a front-row seat to the American presidential election process, with unprecedented access to candidates, who make frequent stops on campus and in Iowa City. You’ll also have opportunities to work on presidential campaigns.

There are almost 500 student organizations on campus, so you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate your organizational and leadership ability. Among them are groups that represent a wide range of political perspectives, such as College Republicans, University Democrats, UI Libertarians, and the Iowa International Socialist Organization.

There is also a Political Engagement Living-Learning Community in the residence halls for first-year students.

Course Work
Students majoring in political science earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. Both degrees require a minimum of 120 semester hours (s.h.), including credit for the major: 33 s.h. for BA students and 44 s.h. for BS students.

BA and BS students take a wide variety of political science courses. BS students include a focus on research, with additional courses in math and statistics.

Whether you earn a BA or a BS, you'll take these:

• Introduction to American Politics
• Four courses on topics such as political action, behavior, communication, and thought; international relations; comparative politics; and politics of specific world regions
• Six or more advanced political sciences courses, which may include work in an emphasis area

If you're a BS student, your advanced political science courses will include at least two courses on research, and you'll have the opportunity to do a senior research project and paper. In addition, you'll take three mathematics and statistics courses as a foundation for your research skills.

Emphasis Areas

When you select your advanced political science courses, you might use some of them to complete one or two of the department's emphasis areas, which will be noted on your transcript. Emphasis areas include:

• American institutions
• American political practice
• Business and politics
• Identity politics
• International relations
• Law and politics
• Political communication
• Political economy
• Political processes
• Political theory
• Politics of democratization
• Politics of developing areas
• Politics of industrial democracies

For More Details

See Political Science in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the major and for information about graduating with honors or earning a minor in political science.

Resources
The Vernon Van Dyke Computing Facility, in Schaeffer Hall, contains 20 computer stations. It gives students access to campus resources such as InfoHawk, the University of Iowa Libraries’ electronic catalog; ISIS, the University’s online student information service; and Dasher, which offers foreign language practice drills.

The Comparative Legislative Research Center, housed in the department, publishes Legislative Studies Quarterly, the official journal of the legislative studies section of the American Political Science Association.

Several faculty members are active in the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, a designated National Resource Center of the U.S. Department of Education.

Internships
Internships are readily available. The department encourages students to serve as interns, particularly in government-related internships. The Pomerantz Career Center has information on and connections with internship programs in Washington, D.C., and around the world.

Careers
If you’re considering a career in a position of public responsibility, you should learn how political systems function. This knowledge is important for positions in business, teaching, civil or foreign service, the military, and law enforcement.

Other fields in which extensive training in political science is useful include higher education, the legal profession, state and local government, urban planning, the federal government, journalism, and organizations that seek to monitor political processes or to influence the content of public policy.

Scholarships
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites.