Students majoring in political science with a public affairs concentration take an interdisciplinary program of study that combines government relations, media studies, issue management, corporate and social responsibility, information dissemination and strategic communication. Graduates are prepared for careers in businesses and organization influencing public policy, building and maintain a strong reputations and finding common ground with stakeholders.  Graduates complete the concentration having gained a theoretical and practical overview of the field, in part through a required internship in the public affairs domain. The concentration requires 36 credit hours, which include 24 hours of core curriculum and 12 hours of approved electives, at least sixof which must be political science courses.

Political Science Major with Concentration in Public Affairs – 36 hours
Core Curriculum – 24 hoursPOL – 100: American Political Systems (3 cr.)
POL – 200: Law and Society (3 cr.)
POL – 203: American Public Policy (3 cr.)
POL – 204: Comparative Politics (3 cr.)
or
POL – 210: International Politics (3 cr.)
POL – 205: Political Ideas Seminar (3 cr.)
POL – 334: Research Design and Methods (3 cr.)
POL – 380: Political Science Internship (3 cr.)
POL – 498: Honors Thesis in Political Studies (3 cr.)
and
POL – 499: Senior Research (3 cr.)
or
POL – 480: Advanced Fieldwork (3 cr.)

Electives12 credit hours chosen from the following:
(Must take at least 6 hours in POL courses)
BIO – 204: Women in Science (3 cr.)
COM – 425: Media, Culture & Society (3 cr.)
ECO – 100: Principles of Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
ECO – 101: Principles of Microeconomics (3 cr.)
ECO – 301: Intermediate Microeconomics (3 cr.)
ECO – 302: Intermediate Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
ECO – 311: Environmental Economics (3 cr.)
ECO – 323: Health Economics and Policy (3 cr.)
EDU – 232: Schools and Social Change (3 cr.)
POL – 207: Campaigns and Elections (3 cr.)
POL – 235: Applied Quantitative Research (3 cr.)
POL – 282: The Modern Middle East (3 cr.)
POL – 301: Civil Liberties (3 cr.)
POL – 310: Women and Politics (3 cr.)
POL – 320: International Political Economy (3 cr.)
POL – 322: Public Opinion and American Politics (3 cr.)
POL – 330: Modern US Foreign Policy (3 cr.)
POL – 331: Environmental Politics & Policy (3 cr.)
POL – 340: State & Local Political Systems (3 cr.)
POL – 351: Political Leadership (3 cr.)
POL – 370: World Politics Simulation (varied course cr.)
POL – 450: Politics Practicum (3 cr.)
RES – 344: Bioethics and Society (3 cr.)
RES – 345: Environmental Ethics (3 cr.)
SOC – 231: Social Problems (3 cr.)
SOC – 242: Deviance and Society (3 cr.)
SOC – 335: Race and Ethnic Relations (3 cr.)
SWK – 330: Social Welfare Policy (3 cr.)