POLSC:BA - Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Admission Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science

See general university admissions requirements at admissions.fiu.edu.

Admission Requirements for the BA in Political Science: Social Studies Education Major

To qualify for admission to the program, undergraduate candidates must have met all the lower division requirements including:

-- 60 credits of lower-division courses

-- All general education requirements

-- A lower division GPA of 2.5 or higher

-- Achieve the competencies of the FTCE General Knowledge Exam (GK).

All students must pass the GK Exam by the time they reach 72 credit hours in their program of study. A student who meets these minimum requirements is not automatically assured admission.

Admissions Requirements for the Combined BA in Political Science to Master of Arts (MA) in Political Science Accelerated Degree Pathway

To be considered for admission to the BA/MA accelerated degree pathway, students must have completed at least 75 credits in the bachelor’s degree program at FIU and meet the admissions criteria for the graduate degree program to which they are applying. Students need only apply once to the accelerated degree pathway, the application is submitted to Graduate Admissions typically before the student starts the last 30 credits of the bachelor’s degree program. A student admitted to the accelerated degree pathway will be considered to have undergraduate status until the student applies for graduation from their bachelor’s degree program. Upon conferral of the bachelor’s degree, the student will be granted graduate status and be eligible for graduate assistantships. Only 5000-level or higher courses, and no more than the number of credits specified by the program catalog, may be applied toward both degrees.

 Admissions Requirements

(1) Students must have completed 75 credit hours.

(2) Students must have been admitted to the Green School.

(3) A 3.5 GPA overall in college work, and a 3.75 GPA in Political Science courses taken at FIU are required.

(4) Three letters of recommendation, at least two of which must be from FIU Political Science faculty, are required.

(5) Students must meet admissions requirements for the MA in Political Science.

(6) Finally, a favorable decision into the pathway by the Political Science graduate committee is required.

(7) Students will be awarded the BA in Political Science degree upon completion of the BA requirements, prior to completing the requirements for the MA degree.

Other Curricular Offering: Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science to Master of Arts (MA) in Political Science Accelerated Degree Pathway

Common Prerequisites and Departmental Requirements: 3 courses/9 credits 

The common prerequisites are required introductory courses for the undergraduate major and should be among the first Political Science courses taken. The department requires one additional 2000-level course beyond the common prerequisites. In order to conform with both state and departmental requirements, students must take the following:

-- course (or its equivalent)

and two of the following three courses:

-- course (or its equivalent)
-- course (or its equivalent)
-- course (or its equivalent)

Some transfer students will have already taken these or equivalent courses at other institutions, and should not repeat them at FIU. Students with questions about course equivalencies should contact the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Breadth Requirement: 24 credits

The Breadth Requirement is intended to expose majors to each of the four major sub-fields of Political Science. Two 3-credit courses must be taken in each of the following sub-fields for a total of 24 credit hours. These courses may not include independent studies, internships, or course.

-- American Politics - Any two 3000-level or above courses with a POS prefix, except course. course may be used as one of the required two American Politics courses. (6 credits)

-- Comparative Politics - Any two 3000-level or above courses with a CPO prefix. (6 credits)

-- International Politics - Any two 3000-level or above courses with an INR prefix. (6 credits)

-- Political Theory - Any two 3000-level or above courses with a POT prefix. (6 credits)

Political Science Electives Requirement: 6 credits

Two upper division courses with POS, CPO, INR, or POT prefixes for a total of 6 credits. Independent studies, internships, and/or course can be applied toward the Political Science Electives Requirement.

Political Science Graduate/Undergraduate Electives Requirement: 9 credits

Students in the program will take three 3-credit graduate Political Science courses at the 5000-level to satisfy this requirement. Students must be advised by the departmental Graduate Program Director before enrolling in these 5000-level courses.

The 9 graduate credits taken to satisfy the undergraduate Political Science major requirement will also count as 9 credits toward the 30 credits of graduate courses required for the MA degree.

MA Courses

A total of 30 credits of graduate-level courses is required for the successful completion of the MA degree. Nine of these 30 credits will have been completed at the undergraduate level by students in the 4+1 program.

Required Core Graduate Courses

-- course
-- course
-- course (to be taken during last term)

Secondary Core Graduate Courses – Choose three of the following:

-- course
-- course
-- course
-- course 

Electives

Four 5000- or 6000-level Political Science courses for a total of 12 credits. Two courses (6 credits) may be taken from outside the Department, with prior approval from the Graduate Program Director.

Research Project

A final research project must be completed in course under the supervision of a Politics and International Relations faculty member. MA candidates are required to formally present the results of their research to faculty and peers at the end of the semester. The MA project will be evaluated by a three-member faculty panel.

Academic Progression Requirements 

Students admitted to the university are admitted directly to their chosen major. Students are expected to make satisfactory progress based on critical indicators, such as GPA in specific courses or credits earned. In cases where students are not making satisfactory progress, a change of major may be required. Advisors work to redirect students to more appropriate majors when critical indicators are not met.

Curriculum for Political Science Majors

A minimum of 30 credits of upper division (3000 level and above) coursework is required for a major in Political Science. A maximum of 6 credits may be in independent study and internship courses.

In addition, three 2000-level courses are required for a student to meet the department’s prerequisite requirements for majors, including two state-mandated common prerequisites (see below). These courses should be taken as early as possible in preparation for upper division coursework in the major. course (or its equivalent) is required of all Political Science majors. This course will also meet one of the two state-mandated common prerequisites. The second common prerequisite may be fulfilled by taking either course or course (or their equivalents). The department additionally requires a third 2000-level course (see below). These requirements can normally be met through coursework at the community college level or taken at FIU. Students should be mindful of the further requirement of the Green School that a minimum of 48 upper division (3000 level and above) credits is necessary for graduation. Students also need to pass 9 credits of upper division courses outside Political Science and must satisfy the Green School Foreign Language Requirement.

No specific upper division courses are required. Rather, courses in Political Science must be distributed so that eight courses meet the Breadth Requirement and two other courses meet the Political Science Electives Requirement.    

The student must earn a grade of "C" or better in all Political Science courses to be credited toward the major.

BA in Political Science: Social Studies Education Major

This program prepares students interested in Social Studies and social sciences for teaching at the secondary level. The major incorporates current results from education research, effective curriculum materials, use of technology, and a global perspective in collaborative learning. Program requirements include field experiences and an internship. Interested students are encouraged to contact the department for additional details and information on teacher support programs.