Program Overview

BA in Political Science

Program Requirements and Policies

The BA in Political Science requires ten courses in Political Science and at least 30 Semester Hour Units (SHUs). All courses must be taken as graded courses, and students must receive a grade of C- or higher. Courses taken as Pass/Fail will not count towards the PS major.

• Eight of the ten political science courses must be taken in the Tufts Department of Political Science.
• All other requirements of the major, including the two foundation courses, the course in each of the four major subfields, the methodologically-focused course, and the advanced seminar, must also be fulfilled in the Tufts Department of Political Science.
• Cross-listed courses sponsored by another department are considered courses taken within the department.
• Advanced Placement courses cannot count toward the 10 Political Science courses.
• Foundational courses and Advanced Seminar courses will not count towards a major concentration requirement if taken abroad.

Course Requirements

• Two of the following Foundational or Category I Courses:
  • PS 11: Introduction to American Politics
  • PS 21: Introduction to Comparative Politics
  • PS 41: Western Political Thought I
  • PS 42: Western Political Thought II
  • PS 61: Introduction to International Relations
• One Course in Each of the Four Major Subfields:
  • American Politics and Government: 10 to 19, 100-102, 104-119, 165, and 190-197
  • Comparative Politics and Government: 21 to 39, 120-139, and 176
  • Political Theory and Philosophy: 41 and 42
  • International Relations: 60-69, 125, 142, and 160-189
• One Methodologically Focused Course:
  • The following courses have fulfilled the methodology requirement in the past:
    • PS 15 Sophomore Seminar: Politics & the City
    • PS 103: Political Science Research Methods
    • PS 104: Seminar: New Media, New Politics
    • PS 108: Public Opinion and U.S. Democracy
    • PS 109: Seminar: The Politics of Ethnicity and American Identity
    • PS 111: Political Psychology
    • PS 112: US Elections: Rules, Strategies, and Outcomes
    • PS 113: Seminar: Nonprofits and Civil Society
    • PS 117: Politics in the American South
    • PS 124 Seminar: Comparative Political Economy of Advanced Industrial Democracies
    • PS 130 Seminar: African Political Economy
    • PS 135: Comparative Revolutions
    • PS 160: Force, Strategy and Arms Control
    • PS 166: Seminar: Causes of Modern War
    • PS 176: Migration, Refugees, And Citizenship In A Globalized World
    • PS 181: Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
    • PS 184: Seminar: Better Than the Truth
    • PS 188: Conducting Research in International Politics
    • PS 195: Seminar: U.S. National Elections
    • PS 198, 199: Senior Thesis
• One Advanced Seminar:
  • The following courses have fulfilled the advanced seminar requirement in the past:
    • PS 104: Seminar: Seminar on New Media, New Politics
    • PS 109: Seminar: The Politics of Ethnicity and American Identity
    • PS 113: Seminar: Nonprofits and Civil Society
    • PS 119: Seminar In American Politics
    • PS 120: Seminar: Power and Politics In China
    • PS 121: Seminar: Political Culture in Comparative Perspective
    • PS 124: Seminar: Comparative Political Economy of Advanced Industrial Democracies
    • PS 130: Seminar: African Political Economy
    • PS 132: Seminar: Comparative Politics of Post-Communism
    • PS 139: Seminar In Comparative Politics
    • PS 145: Seminar: The Political Thought of Machiavelli
    • PS 147: Seminar: The Political Philosophy of Nietzsche
    • PS 148: Seminar: The Political Philosophy of Montesquieu
    • PS 151: Seminar: The Political Philosophy of Hobbes
    • PS 152: Seminar: Plato's Republic
    • PS 159: Seminar in Political Thought
    • PS 166: Seminar: Causes of Modern War
    • PS 184: Seminar: Better Than the Truth
    • PS 185: Seminar: Nuclear Weapons and International Politics
    • PS 189: Seminar In International Relations
    • PS 190: Immigration: Public Opinion, Politics, and Media
    • PS 195: Seminar: U.S. National Elections

Additional Information

• Majors and prospective majors are encouraged (though not required) to take one of the Sophomore Seminars offered each semester, which are open only to current sophomores.
• PS majors who earn a grade of or higher in PS 198: Senior Honors Thesis Seminar, but who do not complete the thesis in the spring semester, would still earn 4 SHUs toward the overall requirement of 120 SHUs for the BA/BS degree; and earn 4 SHUs toward the 30 SHUs required to complete the PS major; and Fulfill the “methodologically focused” course requirement of the PS major. However, the student could not use PS 198 to fulfill the advanced seminar requirement of the PS major or use PS 198 to fulfill any of the subfield requirements of the PS major.