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Political Science Minor Program

The Department of Political Science has recently revised its minor program to accommodate the interests and needs of students from a variety of majors who want to develop a coherent and intellectually sound educational program in our nationally ranked department.  These new, focused minors allow students to gain foundational knowledge in various sub-fields of political science in preparation for their post-college careers.

For each of the programs except the General Political Science minor, students must complete one required course plus an additional 20 hours of electives. For a list of all required and elective courses, please download the Minor Programs brochure from the department website.  Students are encouraged to consult with one of the academic advisors in Political Science before starting a minor program.  Appointments can be arranged by calling 614-292-2880.

NOTE: These minors are not available to Political Science majors.

Campaigns and Elections (423):

The Campaigns and Elections minor is intended to accommodate the interests and the needs of students from a variety of majors who want to develop a coherent educational program in a sub-field of Political Science.  This minor will provide students with knowledge and analytical tools necessary to understand the election process and political campaigning in the United States.

Comparative Politics (473):

Comparative politics is a subfield of political science that studies the various forms of government found throughout the world. Comparative politics attempts to analyze different governments through understanding the history, geography and people that live under the sovereignty of that government.  The Comparative Politics minor is intended to give students in-depth knowledge of the politics of contemporary nation-states and tools for comparative analysis to prepare them to work more effectively in an increasingly global environment.

Judicial Politics (043):

The Judicial Politics minor will allow students to gain foundational knowledge in judicial politics and judicial behavior in a nationally-ranked subfield of American Politics.

Political Decision Making (432):

The minor in Political Decision Making is designed to accommodate the interests and the needs of students from a variety of majors who want to develop a coherent educational program in a sub-field of Political Science.  This minor will provide students with the knowledge necessary to understand the methods by which citizens and elites arrive at solutions to political problems.  

Political Theory (019):

The Political Theory minor is intended to accommodate  the interests and the needs of students from a variety of majors who want to develop a coherent educational program in a sub-field of Political Science.  This minor will allow students to gain foundational knowledge inpolitical theory and will help students develop informed attitudes on contemporary political issues.

World Politics (134):

The World Politics minor is intended to give students foundational knowledge in international relations including the political and economic interactions of the global system and relations between countries and international institutions, in order to prepare them to better understand and to work more effectively in an increasingly globalized environment.

General Political Science Minor (395):

The general political science minor consists of 25 credit hours and is intended to accommodate the interests and the needs of students from a variety of areas who want to develop a coherent educational program from the courses offered.  Students are expected to organize their program to develop a focus on a particular aspect of the political world. Of the 25 credit hours required, a maximum of 10 may be at the 200 or 300 level; the remaining hours must be at the 500 and/or 600 level.  A maximum of five hours of courses graded S/U may be applied to the minor.  No more than five hours of transfer credit may apply.