Graduation Requirements

General Requirements

The requirements for graduation should be viewed by students and faculty advisors as an opportunity to structure a curriculum that interests the individual student around a set of courses reflecting “core” knowledge. “Core” knowledge in the English language, mathematics, the arts and humanities, the sciences, American government, comparative politics, and international relations help to define the politically literate citizen.

The Political Science major must complete three sets of requirements for graduation. They are:

Specific Requirements

Department Major Requirements

A total of 30 semester hours in Political Science with a grade of “C” or better in each course are required for a Political Science major. At least 15 of the hours in Political Science must be taken “in residence,” at the University of Florida. Eighteen (18) hours of political science coursework must be at the 3000- or 4000-level.

Political science majors must complete three of the following four courses:

CPO 2001 (Comparative Politics);
INR 2001 (International Relations);
POS 2041 (American Federal Government); and
POT 2002 (Political Theory)

In addition, students must take STA 2023 (Introduction to Statistics). This course, however, does not count toward the 30 hours in Political Science that is required for the major.

[NOTE: Students who are considering graduate school are advised to take STA 3023 and STA 3024 (Introduction to Statistics 1 and 2). These students should also consider taking POS 4734 Research Methods and participating in the department’s honors program.]

Each of the following courses will earn credit towards a major in political science:

All CPO, INR, PAD, POS, POT, PUP courses (including the core courses with those prefixes), and IDH (Honors courses, when taught by departmental faculty);
POS 4905. INR 4905, PAD 4905 (Individual Work)- While you are able to enroll in the course multiple times, do note only 3 credits of internship work (regardless of course code) will count towards your political science degree at the University of Florida, and only with prior approval of a supervisory professor and the Undergraduate Coordinator. Forms for POS/INR/PAD 4905 are available here.

Grades

Courses in which students receive a grade of less than “C” can not be counted towards the requirements for the major (however, grades of “C-,” “D+,” or “D” do count towards the 120 credit hours required for graduation). With the exception of POS 4940 and PAD4940, courses taken “S/U” do not count towards the major. If a student receives a grade of “C-,” “D+,” or “D” in one of the required core courses, the student should not to repeat the course . The student must take a higher-level course in the same subject area (CPO, INR, POS,), and receive a grade of “C” or better. The original course in which the student earned the lower grade does not count toward the major requirement under any circumstances. If the student receives a failing grade (an “E”) in the core course, the student must repeat the course.

[Exception: a student receiving a “C-,” “D+,” or “D” in an STA course should retake that course or another of the suggested STA courses in order to make a “C” or better.]

AP Courses, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Enrollment

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit in American Government and Comparative Politics can be counted toward the major. Dual enrollment courses will count the same as community college transfer courses in satisfying major requirements and electives. Note that POS 1041 is the same course as POS 2041 for departmental purposes.

Study Abroad

Majors are strongly encouraged to seek out opportunities for international study, either during the summer or for the academic year. The credit will generally be applicable toward the major and the degree and will generally satisfy both summer and “last-30-hours” residency requirements. Contact Professor Nolan, the Undergraduate Coordinator, about major credit for study abroad. Contact the International Center, 123 Grinter (392-5323), for more information about the many overseas programs open to UF students.

Political Science