Political Science and Geography Department

Political Science & Geography Department

Areas of Study

The Political Science and Geography Department offers two bachelor (BA) degree options and two minors. Please make sure you download the application for the right major- the forms are not interchangeable!

(1) Political Science major or minor application (PDF Format)

      Political Science major or minor application (Word Format)

Those students seeking a BA in political science at SPU are able to organize their studies according to one of three tracks:

  • The general track provides the most flexibility while giving the student a solid political science base.
  • The public policy and law track is especially appropriate for those considering careers in government or who plan to attend law school.
  • The international affairs track is designed for those interested in global politics and policy as well as careers in the US State Department,

(2) ApplicationforGlobalDevStudies-WordFormat_000 Please note that a hard copy of your transcript needs to be included, as noted on the form.  You can print this out yourself from Banner but it MUST show your grades.  Any application turned in without the transcript will be disqualified from consideration.

To qualify for admission to the major, a student must have taken at least two classes on the list for the major and have achieved at least a 2.5 in each of the classes they have taken that count for the major. Attainment of the minimum GPA standard does not guarantee admission to the major, as the total number of admissions may be limited by capacity. Students meeting the minimum GPA but not admitted to the Global Development Studies Major will automatically be offered entry to the Political Science major.

The next deadline for applications to the Global Development Studies major will be in February, 2014.

Please note that new requirements for the GDS major have been approved by the university and will be shown in the upcoming catalog and posted here by Fall 2013. Students already in the major will continue under current major requirements.

A BA in Global Development Studies prepares students for vocations in global development through a liberal arts knowledge base, applied skills training, and direct, cross-cultural experiences.

The minor in Geopolitics allows students of other majors an opportunity to add a global perspective to their degree. Political science and Global Development studies majors can also use this minor to enhance their degree.

The minor in political science gives students a chance to take 30 credits of political science across the variety of the discipline.

For those interested in Pre-Law this department offers the above public policy and law track as well as a suggested list of courses.