Political Science BS

Tuition Fee

Start Date

Medium of studying

Duration

Details

Program Details

Degree

Bachelors

Major

Politics | International Relations

Area of study

Social Sciences

Course Language

English

About Program

Program Overview

Political Science Bachelor of Science Degree

Overview

RIT’s Political Science BS integrates the fields of government and international relations to prepare you to become a principled leader and responsible citizen.

Why Study Political Science at RIT?

Four Dynamic Tracks: Target your political science studies. Select a track option: digital politics; government, economics, and public policy; international and global security; politics, ecology, and the life sciences.
Interdisciplinary Senior Project: A capstone course where you’ll apply the knowledge and skills you’ve acquired to solve a real-world problem or issue.
Real-World Experience: Completing an optional cooperative education or internship means you’ll gain hands-on, full-time, paid work experience in industry.

The Political Science Curriculum

In the political science BS, your political science undergraduate courses begin with core courses designed to introduce you to the general themes of political science. You will be required to take political science electives in American politics/Constitutional studies and international relations/comparative politics.

In addition, you’ll choose a track in:

Digital politics: The influence, impacts, and implementation of technology in politics.
Government, economics, and public policy: Applied politics, humanitarianism, economics, and the study of power in our society as studied through the lens of behavioral science and institutional interactions.
International and global security: The study of world power interaction and the role played by the state in both traditional and non-traditional ways, including human, cyber, and global security.
Politics, ecology, and the life sciences: An in-depth study on the political impact of modern biology, biotechnology, and environmental changes, and their influence on how we understand ourselves as human beings and citizens.

The political science major culminates in a capstone course, which ties together the themes of the major through a seminar and a significant writing project.

Double Major Pathways

Double majoring in a discipline that complements your political science studies lets you further explore a secondary area of study and can give you an advantage in the job market.

Double Major in Cybersecurity and Political Science: With this double major pathway, your RIT education can prepare you for a career in cyberpolitics or cybersecurity, both highly specialized and in-demand career paths.

Furthering Your Career in Political Science

Pre-Law Program

Law schools welcome applications from students majoring in a wide range of academic programs. RIT’s pre-law program will help you navigate the admission process for law school, explore a range of legal careers, and guide you through course selection to ensure you build the skills and competencies required of competitive law school applicants.

Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees

Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.

Political Science BS/Sustainable Systems MS: An accelerated dual degree that builds a foundational understanding of the political and economic forces at play nationally and globally and prepares grads to make informed decisions when applying sustainability science principles to address the world’s most challenging issues — from peacekeeping and pollution to food scarcity and fast emerging technology issues.
+1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program.

3+3 Accelerated BS/JD Programs

RIT has partnered with Syracuse University’s College of Law and University at Buffalo School of Law to offer accelerated 3+3 BS/JD options for highly capable students. These programs provide a fast track to law school where you can earn a bachelor’s degree at RIT and a Juris Doctorate degree at Syracuse University or University at Buffalo in six years.

RIT’s Teaching Partnership Programs

Whether your goal is to go into early childhood or elementary education, become a secondary education teacher with a content area specialty at the middle or high school level, or work in the higher education or counseling fields, RIT’s partnership programs with local universities provide a guided pathway to a career in teaching.

These 4+1 or 3+2 programs enable you to earn your bachelor’s degree at RIT and a master’s degree in education at one of our partner universities.

Careers and Experiential Learning

Typical Job Titles

Attorney/Lawyer
Business and Management Analyst
Campaign Manager
Economist
Intelligence Analyst
Legislative Aide
Lobbyist
Market Research Analyst
Mediator
Policy Analyst
Political Campaign Staff
Political Consultant
Public Relations Manager
Research Analyst
Urban Planner

Graduates work primarily in the Government (Local, State, Federal) industry.

Cooperative Education and Internships

What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart.

Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. A liberal arts co-op provides hands-on experience that enables you to apply your knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between coursework and real-world applications.

Curriculum

Political Science, BS degree, typical course sequence

First Year
- POLS-110: American Politics
- POLS-120: Introduction to International Relations
- YOPS-10: RIT 365: RIT Connections
- General Education – First-Year Writing (WI)
- General Education – Global Perspective
- General Education – Social Perspective
- General Education – Scientific Principles Perspective
- General Education – Mathematical Perspective A
- General Education – Mathematical Perspective B
- General Education – Elective
- Political Science Elective
Second Year
- POLS-290: Politics and the Life Sciences
- POLS-295: Cyberpolitics
- Political Science Electives
- General Education – Artistic Perspective
- General Education – Ethical Perspective
- General Education – Natural Science Inquiry Perspective
- General Education – Immersion 1, 2
- Open Elective
Third Year
- Political Science Track Courses
- Political Science Electives
- Open Electives
- General Education – Immersion 3
- General Education – Electives
Fourth Year
- POLS-530: Political Science Capstone (WI-PR)
- Political Science Track Course
- Political Science Electives
- General Education – Electives
- Open Electives

Program Tracks

Politics, Ecology, and the Life Sciences
- BIOL-201: Cellular and Molecular Biology
- BIOL-265: Evolutionary Biology
- BIOL-293: Evolution and Creationism
- BIOL-321: Genetics
- POLS-215: Tech, Ethics, & Global Politics
- POLS-285: Environmental Ethics and Political Ecology
- POLS-340: Medicine, Morality, and Law
- POLS-410: Evolutionary International Relations
- POLS-415: Evolution and the Law
- POLS-420: Primate Politics
- STSO-421: Environmental Policy
Digital Politics
- COMM-343: Technology-Mediated Communication
- CSEC-140: Introduction to Cybersecurity
- CSEC-201: Programming for Information Security
- ISTE-140: Web & Mobile I
- ISTE-230: Introduction to Database and Data Modeling
- ISTE-240: Web & Mobile II
- ISTE-305: Rapid Online Presence
- ISTE-330: Database Connectivity and Access
- MGIS-320: Database Management Systems
- MGIS-425: Database Systems Development
- POLS-215: Tech, Ethics, & Global Politics
- POLS-280: Artificial Intelligence and the Political Good
- POLS-305: Political Parties and Voting
- POLS-365: Anarchy, Technology & Utopia
- POLS-370: Cyberwar, Robots, & the Future of Conflict
- PUBL-363: Cyber Security Policy and Law
International and Global Security
- POLS-210: Comparative Politics
- POLS-220: Global Political Economy
- POLS-320: American Foreign Policy
- POLS-325: International Law and Organizations
- POLS-335: Politics in Developing Countries
- POLS-370: Cyberwar, Robots, & the Future of Conflict
- POLS-375: Grand Strategy
- POLS-440: War & the State
- POLS-445: Terrorism & the Political Violence
- POLS-541: Peacekeeping & Conflict Transformation
- POLS-542: War, Diplomacy, and State-Building
Government, Economics & Public Policy
- ECON-101: Principles of Microeconomics
- ECON-201: Principles of Macroeconomics
- ECON-401: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
- ECON-402: Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
- ECON-422: Benefit-Cost Analysis
- ECON-430: Managerial Economics
- POLS-220: Global Political Economy
- POLS-310: The Congress
- POLS-315: The American Presidency
- POLS-335: Politics in Developing Countries
- POLS-345: Politics and Public Policy
- POLS-445: Terrorism and Political Violence
- PUBL-101: Foundations of Public Policy
- PUBL-210: Introduction to Qualitative Policy Analysis
- PUBL-301: Public Policy Analysis
- PUBL-302: Decision Analysis
- PUBL-530: Energy Policy

Political Science Electives

Students are required to take seven courses (21 semester-credits) from the following two areas, with a minimum of three courses (9 semester-credits) in each area.

International Relations & Comparative Politics
- POLS-205: Ethics in International Politics
- POLS-210: Comparative Politics
- POLS-215: Tech, Ethics & Global Politics
- POLS-220: Global Political Economy
- POLS-280: Artificial Intelligence and the Political Good
- POLS-285: Environmental Ethics and Political Ecology
- POLS-320: American Foreign Policy
- POLS-325: International Law and Organizations
- POLS-330: Human Rights in Global Perspective
- POLS-335: Politics in Developing Countries
- POLS-350: Politics of East Asia
- POLS-351: Politics of China
- POLS-360: International Political Thought
- POLS-370: Cyberwar, Robots, & the Future of Conflict
- POLS-375: Grand Strategy
- POLS-380: Gender and Political Thought
- POLS-390: Greece and the Political Imagination
- POLS-410: Evolutionary International Relations
- POLS-440: War and the State
- POLS-445: Terrorism and Political Violence
- POLS-455: Comparative Public Policy
- POLS-525: Special Topics in Political Science
- POLS-541: Peacekeeping and Conflict Transformation
- POLS-542: War, Diplomacy, and State-Building
American Politics & Constitutional Studies
- POLS-115: Ethical Debates Amer Politics
- POLS-200: Law & Society
- POLS-230: Tech and the Law
- POLS-250: State & Local Politics
- POLS-280: Artificial Intelligence and the Political Good
- POLS-300: Rhetoric & Political Deliberation
- POLS-305: Political Parties and Voting
- POLS-310: The Congress
- POLS-315: The Presidency
- POLS-340: Medicine, Morality, and Law
- POLS-345: Politics and Public Policy
- POLS-355: Political Leadership
- POLS-365: Anarchy, Technology, & Utopia
- POLS-380: Gender and Political Thought
- POLS-390: Greece and the Political Imagination
- POLS-415: Evolution and the Law
- POLS-420: Primate Politics
- POLS-425: Constitutional Law
- POLS-430: Constitutional Rights and Liberties
- POLS-435: American Political Thought
- POLS-460: Classical Constitutionalism, Virtue & Law
- POLS-465: Modern Constitutionalism, Liberty & Equality
- POLS-481: Women in Politics
- POLS-485: Politics Through Fiction
- POLS-490: Politics Through Film
- POLS-525: Special Topics in Political Science

Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees

The curriculum below outlines the typical course sequence(s) for combined accelerated degrees available with this bachelor’s degree.

Political Science, BS degree/Sustainable Systems MS, typical course sequence

First Year
- POLS-110: American Politics
- POLS-120: Introduction to International Relations
- YOPS-10: RIT 365: RIT Connections
- General Education – First-Year Writing (WI)
- General Education – Global Perspective
- General Education – Social Perspective
- General Education – Scientific Principles Perspective
- General Education – Mathematical Perspective A
- General Education – Mathematical Perspective B
- General Education – Elective
- Political Science Elective
Second Year
- POLS-290: Politics and the Life Sciences
- POLS-295: Cyberpolitics
- Political Science Electives
- General Education – Artistic Perspective
- General Education – Ethical Perspective
- General Education – Natural Science Inquiry Perspective
- General Education – Immersion 1, 2
- Open Elective
Third Year
- Political Science Track Courses
- Political Science Electives
- Open Electives
- General Education – Immersion 3
- General Education – Electives
Fourth Year
- POLS-530: Political Science Capstone (WI-PR)
- Choose one of the following:
  - ISUS-702: Fundamentals of Sustainability Science
  - ISUS-706: Economics of Sustainable Systems
  - ISUS-806: Risk Analysis
- Choose one of the following:
  - ISUS-704: Industrial Ecology
  - ISUS-808: Multicriteria Sustainable Systems
  - PUBL-810: Technology, Policy, and Sustainability
- Political Science Track Course
- Political Science Electives
- General Education – Electives
- Open Electives
Fifth Year
- Choose two of the following:
  - ISUS-702: Fundamentals of Sustainable Systems
  - ISUS-706: Economics of Sustainable Systems
  - ISUS-806: Risk Analysis
- Choose two of the following:
  - ISUS-107: Industrial Ecology
  - ISUS-808: Multicriteria Sustainable Systems
  - PUBL-810: Technology, Policy, and Sustainability
- Choose one of the following:
  - ISUS-780: Graduate Sustainability Capstone
  - ISUS-790: Thesis
- Graduate Sustainability Elective

Admissions and Financial Aid

First-Year Admission

First-year applicants are expected to demonstrate a strong academic background that includes:

4 years of English with a strong performance is expected.
3 years of social studies and/or history with a strong performance is expected.
3 years of math is required and must include algebra, geometry, and algebra 2/trigonometry.
2-3 years of science.

Transfer Admission

Transfer applicants should meet these minimum degree-specific requirements:

A minimum of college algebra is required.

Financial Aid and Scholarships

100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.

RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.

Faculty

Ray Dongryul Kim: Department Chair
Benjamin Banta: Associate Professor
Nathan Dinneen: Associate Professor

Facilities

Center for Statesmanship, Law and Liberty

Events

August 29: Donuts with the Dean in the College of Liberal Arts
September 25: Donuts with the Dean in the College of Liberal Arts
October 24: Donuts with the Dean in the College of Liberal Arts

Contact

Heather Roth: Assistant Director of Recruitment and Retention Outreach
Dean’s Office: College of Liberal Arts
585-475-5456
heather.roth@rit.edu

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