Curriculum
Your academic experience at Northeastern includes coursework in the Department of Political Science as well as courses in other departments in the College of Arts & Sciences or other colleges at the university.
Political Science Courses
The undergraduate curriculum in Political Science includes a challenging and comprehensive program of academic coursework and experiential learning. As a Political Science major, you establish a foundation of knowledge in the discipline through five core courses in American government, comparative politics, international relations, political thought, and research methods.
Building upon these courses, you select a number of elective courses offered each semester by Political Science faculty. You may choose any electives within the department, or you may focus four of your electives in one of three subfields – international relations and comparative politics, law and legal issues, and public policy and administration – to complete a concentration in that subfield. Your coursework in the department concludes with a capstone course as a final opportunity to bring together classroom learning and experiential activities.
Experiential education, as described in the next section of this website, is an important part of your undergraduate studies. Whether through cooperative education, study abroad, or a designated Political Science course, experiential education integrates classroom learning with in-the-field activities or simulations to provide a broader and more enriched academic experience.
Other Courses in the College and University
Beyond the Political Science department, your undergraduate program also includes coursework in other departments in the College of Arts & Sciences as well as general electives. By completing courses in the Arts & Sciences College Core, you develop basic writing and mathematical skills, and you also are exposed to the breadth of academic fields in the liberal arts. And finally, you may choose a number of elective courses from across the university. Some students use their elective courses to complete a minor in another department or even a second major.
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Options
In designing your undergraduate program, you have two different degree options: Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS). In comparing the two degrees, the BA includes a smaller number of Political Science electives – six instead of eight – but a larger number of courses, including a foreign language requirement, in the Arts & Sciences College Core. You are encouraged to talk to an advisor about which degree best fits your academic goals.
Overview of Requirements
A more detailed description of the BA and BS requirements is available in the Northeastern Catalog on the website of the Office of the University Registrar. See Advising Worksheet for a one-page overview of the curriculum. In addition, to help track your progress in meeting degree requirements, you are encouraged to review your academic report in the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS). This system is accessible through www.myneu.neu.edu
Dual Majors in Political Science
Beginning in the Fall of 2007, the Department of Political Science offers three dual majors in cooperation with other departments and programs on campus. Unlike a double major, in which a student completes all of the requirements of two majors, a dual major involves a shorter set of course requirements agreed upon by two different departments or programs. The three dual majors are: Political Science and Economics; Political Science and International Affairs; Political Science and Earth and Environmental Sciences. An advising worksheet that outlines the requirements of each is available by clicking on the name of the dual major.
Political Science Minor
Minors in Political Science must complete two of the following courses – American Government; Comparative Politics, or International Relations – as well as three electives in the department. For students who entered Northeastern prior to the fall of 2004, the requirement is four courses instead of five, including one of the foundation courses listed above.
Transition Students
Transition students are those who entered Northeastern University under the quarter system, which ended after the summer of 2003. If you are one of these students, calculations have been made to convert the quarter-hour courses you completed to semester-hour courses. Because of your circumstances, there are several differences in your academic program. For example, all transition students graduating in 2005, 2006 and 2007 must complete a total of 132 semester-hour credits to graduate instead of the 128 required for semester-only students. Also, in the Political Science department, you will likely take more electives than semester-only students, although the total number of Political Science courses required is the same.
Note to Students
The material on our site is for information only, official university policy is maintained in the catalog which takes precedence.
