Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Political Science, B.A.


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About the Political Science Bachelor’s Program


The political science curriculum is designed to provide students with a solid foundation and broad understanding of the discipline of political science and to allow them to specialize in areas of particular substantive interest. Political science provides excellent instruction for students inter­ested in politics, law, journalism, teaching, or civil service. Insight into political values, domestic policy issues, and foreign policy are invaluable for students interested in such careers as well as for careers in business.
 

Students seeking an undergraduate degree in political science must complete 33 hours of coursework within the department. Political science majors are required to take POLS 1301 , POLS 2302 , POLS 3314 , POLS 3361 , POLS 3371 , and 18 hours of upper-level POLS courses (must include 6 hours of writing intensive courses).

Under state law, all students who receive bachelor’s degrees from Texas Tech must have received credit for 6 semester hours in political science, covering the federal and Texas constitutions. Students will normally fulfill this requirement by completing POLS 1301 , which is a prerequisite for all upper-division political science courses, and POLS 2302 .

Recommended Curriculum


First Year


Fall


Total: 13


Spring


Total: 15


Second Year


Fall


  • 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • Foreign Language (2000 level) 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • ENGL 2000-level Literature 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • Creative Arts 3 Semester Credit Hours *
  • Personal Fitness and Wellness 1 Semester Credit Hours
  • Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours

Total: 16


Spring


Total: 15


Third Year


Fall


  • POLS Writing Intensive Course 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • Oral Communication 3 Semester Credit Hours *
  • Life and Physical Sciences 4 Semester Credit Hours *
  • Social & Behavioral Sciences 3 Semester Credit Hours *
  • Minor 3 Semester Credit Hours **

Total: 16


Spring


Total: 15


Fourth Year


Fall


  • POLS Writing Intensive Course 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • Minor 3 Semester Credit Hours **
  • Language, Philosophy, & Culture 3 Semester Credit Hours *
  • Creative Arts 3 Semester Credit Hours *
  • Elective or Minor (if needed) 3 Semester Credit Hours

Total: 15


Spring


  • POLS Jr/Sr Course 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • POLS Jr/Sr Course 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • Minor 3 Semester Credit Hours **
  • Minor 3 Semester Credit Hours **
  • Multicultural 3 Semester Credit Hours
    (Choose from the university’s multicultural  list.)

Total: 15


Total Hours: 120


40 hours must be at the junior/senior level; 6 hours must be writing intensive in the major.

* Choose from the university’s core curriculum .

Foreign Language


A student must complete 6 hours at the sophomore level or above in a single language. The prerequisite for all sophomore language courses is credit for the freshman level. This credit can be determined through a credit by examination. The score attained on the exam will determine whether the student is placed in a second-year course, a 5-hour review course, or in some cases the first or second semester of a beginning (first-year) language course. See Arts and Sciences General Degree Requirements  for further explanation.

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