Political Science: National and International Security Concentration, BA

About the Program

Politics touches every aspect of our lives. Governments around the world make laws and decisions that affect individuals, societal groups, organizations, and businesses. Political scientists use methods of scientific inquiry to explore fundamental questions about political institutions and policy processes as well as political identities, attitudes, and behaviors. Scholars and practitioners of politics seek to understand what factors shape governance choices, program effectiveness, the accountability of leaders, domestic and international conflict, global cooperation, international economic relations, human and environmental security, and other important societal outcomes.

As a political science major, you will hone the writing, communication, and analytical skills that are critical to a liberal arts education and that will prepare you for professional careers or for further study of politics and law. Political scientists go on to work in government and nongovernmental organizations, law, journalism, nonprofits, national or international security, lobbying, education, activism, research, and business. Political science training also provides valuable preparation for participating in politics and civic life.

This concentration explores issues related to international security, including conflict, war, conflict resolution, terrorism, political violence, foreign policies of states, and emerging threats to human security. Students who select this concentration will explore the underlying logic of global and domestic security issues, the institutions that address them, and why security issues emerge and change over time. This concentration prepares students for private, public, or nonprofit careers related to international security in domestic or international organizations, governments, businesses, or academia.

Please visit Political Science for more information.

Degree Requirements

120 Credits Required

Liberal Arts Curriculum

Each liberal arts major is designed as a four-year plan of study and includes three types of courses: Major, Core, and Elective. Most students take five courses per semester, with some of each type.

Professional academic advisors meet individually with each of our students on a regular basis to help with course selection, academic planning, and career development, as well as to help students find additional resources on campus.

Political Science: Departmental/Program Major Courses (21 credits)

Political Science: National and International Security Concentration (12 credits)

Optional Concentration

• Research Intensive Concentration in Political Science  

Other Departmental - Liberal Arts Core (36-73 credits)

The College of Liberal Arts Other Departmental area is designed to be experiential, informative, and relevant to life in a rapidly changing universe. It combines courses that fulfill University Core foundational outcomes, discipline diversity, social diversity, and other languages to produce a well-rounded background for students. Coursework is integrative and collaborative and fosters insight, understanding, independence, initiative, and the desire to reach across divides and redefine our relationship to the peoples and the worlds that surround us.

Electives (14-51 credits)

Grade Requirements

• Political Science Majors must earn a “C-” or better in any course used to fulfill a major requirement.  The P/NP option is not available for this requirement.

GPA Requirements

• 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

College of Liberal Arts Pass/No Pass Option Policy

• P/NP cannot be used to satisfy Liberal Arts Core, Liberal Arts major, minor, or certificate requirements.

University Requirements

Additional Information

• Liberal Arts offers a streamlined plan of study for students pursuing a second degree outside of CLA. Contact the CLA Advising Office for more information.

Sample 4-Year Plan

Pre-Requisite Information

For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

World Language Courses

World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS-Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course

The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer

The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.