Political Science, BA

Requirements for Students Matriculating in or before Academic Year 2024-2025. Learn more about University Academic Regulation 3.1.

Minimum Overall Grade Point Average: 2.00
Total Hours: 120

General Education Requirements
English Composition
See Academic Regulation 3.5
ENGL 1113Composition I3
or ENGL 1313 Critical Analysis and Writing I
Select one of the following:3
Composition II
Critical Analysis and Writing II
Technical Writing
American History & Government
HIST 1103Survey of American History3
or HIST 1483 American History to 1865 (H)
or HIST 1493 American History Since 1865 (DH)
POLS 1113American Government3
Analytical & Quantitative Thought (A)
MATH or STAT course designated (A)3
Humanities (H)
Courses designated (H)6
Natural Sciences (N)
Must include one Laboratory Science (L) course
Courses designated (N)6
Social & Behavioral Sciences (S)
SPCH 2713Introduction to Speech Communication (S)3
or SPCH 3733 Elements of Persuasion (S)
Additional General Education
Courses designated (A), (H), (N), or (S)10
Hours Subtotal40
Diversity (D) & International Dimension (I)
May be completed in any part of the degree plan
Select at least one Diversity (D) course
Select at least one International Dimension (I) course
College/Departmental Requirements
First Year Seminar
(Transfer students with 15 hours exempt)1
Arts & Humanities
See note 2.a.9
Natural & Mathematical Sciences
See note 2.b.3
Foreign Language
See note 39
Non-Western Studies
See note 2.d.
Upper-Division General Education
Select 6 hours outside major department
See note 2.c.
Hours Subtotal22
Major Requirements
Minimum GPA 2.50 with a minimum grade of “C” in each course.
Core Requirements
POLS 2013Introduction to International Relations (S)3
or POLS 2113 Introduction to Comparative Politics (IS)
POLS 2213Fundamentals of Political Science3
POLS 3103Introduction to Political Inquiry3
POLS 4903Senior Capstone Seminar3
At least 18 hours of upper-division (3000- or 4000-level) POLS (excluding core requirements listed above)18
Upper-division courses to complete the required 39 may be POLS or any other 3000- or 4000-level courses9
Hours Subtotal39
Electives
Select 19 hours19
May need to include 6 hours upper-division general education outside major department (see note 2.c.), and 7 additional upper-division hour
15 hours in one foreign language recommended for students focusing on International Relations
Hours Subtotal19
Total Hours120

Upper-Division POLS Courses

POLS 3003The Soviet Union: History, Society and Culture(IS)3
POLS 3033International Law3
POLS 3053 Introduction to Central Asia Studies (IS)3
POLS 3090Teaching Practicum1-6
POLS 3100Political Science Internship1-6
POLS 3101Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature1
POLS 3123Russian & Eurasian Politics (I)3
POLS 3143European Politics (I)3
POLS 3163African Politics (I)3
POLS 3193Latin American Politics (IS)3
POLS 3223Asian Politics3
POLS 3313Middle Eastern Politics3
POLS 3353Political Parties3
POLS 3423Voting and Elections3
POLS 3443Pol Campaigns And Candidacy3
POLS 3453U.S. Congress3
POLS 3483The American Presidency3
POLS 3493Public Policy3
POLS 3513Public Opinion and Polling3
POLS 3523Money, Media And Politics3
POLS 3533Lobbying: the Art of Influence and Manipulation3
POLS 3613State and Local Government3
POLS 3663Introduction to Political Thought3
POLS 3683Politics in Contemporary Film3
POLS 3893Terrorism & Counterterrorism3
POLS 3953Minorities in the American Political System (DS)3
POLS 3963State Courts and the Bar3
POLS 3973Race, Politics and Sports (D)3
POLS 3983Courts and Judicial Process (S)3
POLS 3993Legal Research And Analysis3
POLS 4000Advanced Topics in American Politics3
POLS 4010Advanced Topics in International Relations3
POLS 4013American Foreign Policy3
POLS 4020Advanced Topics in Comparative Politics3
POLS 4023Security Analysis and Briefing3
POLS 4033Civil Wars (I)3
POLS 4043Global Political Economy3
POLS 4053War And World Politics (I)3
POLS 4100Problems of Government, Politics and Public Policy1-6
POLS 4113International Organization3
POLS 4223Social Movements3
POLS 4333Improving Democracy: How to Reform Government by the People (S)3
POLS 4353Administrative Law3
POLS 4363Environmental Law And Policy3
POLS 4403Urban Politics and Management3
POLS 4413Government Budgeting3
POLS 4453Public Personnel Administration3
POLS 4553American Political Thought3
POLS 4573Democratic Theory3
POLS 4593Natural Resources and Environmental Policy3
POLS 4623Oklahoma Politics (S)3
POLS 4653Contemporary Political Thought3
POLS 4693Gender and Politics3
POLS 4670Advanced Topics in Political Theory3
POLS 4963U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties3
POLS 4973U.S. Constitution: Separation of Powers3
POLS 4980Advanced Topics in Public Law3
POLS 4990Independent Study1-3
POLS 4993Political Science Honors Thesis3

Other Requirements

  • See the College of Arts and Sciences Requirements.
  • Minimum 2.0 GPA in all POLS courses.
  • Upper-Division Credit: Total hours must include at least 40 hours in courses numbered 3000 or above.

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements

  1. Hours in One Department: For B.A. and B.S. degrees, no more than 54 hours in one department may be required to meet degree requirements. Courses used to satisfy the General Education English Composition, U.S. History, American Government, and Mathematics or Statistics requirements will not count toward the 54-hour maximum required from one department.
  2. A&S College/Departmental Requirements
    1. Arts and Humanities are defined as any course carrying an (H) designation or courses from AMST, ART, DANC, ENGL (except ENGL 3323 Technical Writing) HIST, MUSI, PHIL (except PHIL 1313 Logic and Critical Thinking (A), PHIL 3003 Symbolic Logic (A) and PHIL 4003 Mathematical Logic and Computability), REL, TH, and foreign languages.
    2. Natural and Mathematical Sciences are defined as any course from the following prefixes: ASTR, BIOC, BIOL, CHEM, CS (except CS 4883 Social Issues in Computing), GEOL, MATH, MICR, PBIO, PHYS, and STAT; or courses from other departments that carry an (A) or (N) general education designation.
    3. Six upper-division hours are required from General Education or any CAS courses outside the student’s major department. This requirement may be satisfied by courses also used to satisfy any part of a student’s degree program (i.e., in General Education, College Departmental Requirements, Major Requirements or Electives).
    4. Non-Western Studies Requirement for B.A. and B.F.A.; One course in Non-Western Studies (N.W.). This requirement may be satisfied by courses also used to satisfy any part of a student's degree program (i.e., in General Education, College Departmental Requirements, Major Requirements or Electives).
    5. The College of Arts & Sciences requires a minimum 2.0 GPA in all major requirements and a minimum 2.0 GPA in all major-prefix courses applied to the degree.
  3. Foreign Language Proficiency
    1. The foreign language requirement for the B.A. may be satisfied by 9 hours college credit in the same language, which must include 3 hours at the 2000-level, or equivalent proficiency (e.g., passing an advanced standing examination; TOEFL exam; presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates the high school was primarily conducted in a language other than English; etc.). Computer Science courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement. Currently Arabic and Mvskoke are not offered at the 2000-level at OSU.
    2. The foreign language requirement for the B.S., B.M. and B.F.A. may be satisfied by presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates two years of study of a single foreign language (passing grades at second-year level of study). It may also be satisfied by 6 hours college credit in the same language, which must include language courses 1713 and 1813, or equivalent proficiency (e.g., passing an advanced standing examination; TOEFL exam; presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates the high school was primarily conducted in a language other than English; etc.). Computer Science courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement.
    3. In addition to a. and b., students pursuing teacher certification must meet novice-high foreign language proficiency by presenting a high school transcript which demonstrates two years of study of a single foreign language with no grade below B. Or, students may complete 3 hours college credit in a single language with no grade below C (or pass an advanced standing examination, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam, or Oral Proficiency Interview developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, equivalent to 3 hours of college credit.) Or, students may meet the requirement by transfer of documentation of meeting the foreign language competency from one of the teacher education programs in the State of Oklahoma approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
  4. Exclusions. Courses with ATHL or LEIS prefixes and leisure activity courses may not be used for degree credit.

Additional State/OSU Requirements

  • At least: 60 hours at a four-year institution; 30 hours completed at OSU; 15 of the final 30 or 50% of the upper-division hours in the major field completed at OSU.
  • Limit of: one-half of major course requirements as transfer work; one-fourth of hours earned by correspondence; 8 transfer correspondence hours.
  • Students will be held responsible for degree requirements in effect at the time of matriculation and any changes that are made, so long as these changes do not result in semester credit hours being added or do not delay graduation.
  • Degrees that follow this plan must be completed by the end of Summer 2030.

Finish in Four Plan of Study

The plan below is an example of how students can successfully complete degree requirements in four years. This suggested class schedule plan may be used as a guide and can be adjusted based on individual needs. Students are required to meet with an academic advisor prior to enrollment each semester to plan their class schedule, and students are ultimately responsible for completing all degree requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
FallHours
MATH 1483
Mathematical Functions and Their Uses (A)
or Applications of Modern Mathematics (A)
or College Algebra (A)
or Elementary Statistics (A)
or Elementary Statistics for the Social Sciences (A)
3
POLS 1113 American Government 3
General Education courses 8
 Hours14
Spring
POLS 2013
Introduction to International Relations (S)
or Introduction to Comparative Politics (IS)
3
General Education courses 13
 Hours16
Sophomore
Fall
POLS 2213 Fundamentals of Political Science 3
1713 First Semester Foreign Language 3
General Education courses 9
 Hours15
Spring
POLS 3103 Introduction to Political Inquiry 3
1813 Second Semester Foreign Language 3
College and Elective courses 9
 Hours15
Junior
Fall
2000-level Foreign Language 3
Major, College, and Elective courses 12
 Hours15
Spring
Major, College, and Elective courses 15
 Hours15
Senior
Fall
Major, College, and Elective courses 15
 Hours15
Spring
POLS 4903 Senior Capstone Seminar 3
Major, College, and Elective courses 12
 Hours15
 Total Hours120