Bachelor of Arts or Science in Political Science
The B.A. and B.S. in Social Science Composite with a Political Science Emphasis are also available.
Program leading to the associates degree and the B.A. or B.S. in Political Science
Political Science. The study of political science pulls together the drama of politics and public issues with the development of skills of analysis and communication - skills that are useful in everyday life and a wide range of professions.
Careers. The political science program meets the career needs of two different sets of students. Some want primarily the traditional liberal arts education that provides a foundation to deal with a broad range of ideas and challenges. With today's economy, in which most people experience several major career changes, this is a valuable foundation. Other students want courses that will prepare them for specific career goals.
The majority of our graduates work in private business and have been quite successful. Others attend the major Texas law schools, teach (from junior high to university level), work in public service (at the federal, state, county, or city level), or go into political life (such as state legislator, judge, county commissioner, or lobbyist). There is an increasing need for trained people to work in nonprofit organizations. The department has implemented a program to provide the skills in administration, research, and writing that will prepare graduates to enter this exciting area. The department also advises pre-law students.
Degree Options. At SHSU, students can earn a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Political Science. The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Social Science Composite with a Political Science Emphasis are also available. As part of the program, students take a minor in another area, such as criminal justice, environmental studies, or business.
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Transfer |
SHSU |
Hours |
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GOVT 2301/2302 |
POLS 2301 (POL 261) and second 2000 level course | 6 |
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One course from SPCH 1315, 1321, 2335, DRAM 1351, 2336 |
One course from COMS 1361, 2382 (COM161, 282, 284), THEA 1364, 2336 (THR 164, 231) |
3 |
| BCIS 1305 or COSC 1301 | CSTE 1330 (CS133 or CS143) | 3 or 4 |
Applicants wishing to completing the B.A. must satisfy the university foreign language requirement and complete an additional fine arts course. The department requires applicants for the B.A. degree select a 3 hour Philosophy course from the university core (satisfies core and department degree requirements). Those wishing to receive a B.S. must complete 16 hours of lab science.
The Core Curriculum at Sam Houston State University contains 42 semester credit hours, encompassing six component areas. Each component area has a minimum credit-hour requirement and a set of specific courses that may be used to satisfy the requirement. The chart below details the Sam Houston State University courses and their Texas Common Course Number (TCCN) equivalents that comprise SHSU's core curriculum. Course requirements to meet the university foreign language component of the Bachelor of Arts degree have been included for convenience.
Many departments require specific courses from core component areas to meet degree requirements. Selecting departmentally specified core courses to complete university core requirements reduces the total number of hours required to graduate.
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Component Area 1 Communication
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| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
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ENGL 1301 |
ENGL 1301 | 3 |
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ENGL 1302 |
ENGL 1302 | 3 |
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Component Area 2 Mathematics
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| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
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MATH 1332 or 2312 or 2413 or 1316 or 1324 |
MATH 1332 (MTH 164) or MATH 1314 (MTH 170) or MATH 1420 (MTH 142) or MATH 1316 (MTH 163) or MATH 1324 (MTH199) | 3 |
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MATH 1350 & MATH 1351 (both required) |
MATH 1385 (MTH 184) & MATH 1385 (MTH 185) | 6 |
Credit for MATH 1385 (MTH 184) & MATH 1385 (MTH 185) is applicable only towards elementary/middle school certification.
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Component Area 3 Natural Science
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| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
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Select two courses with Labs |
8
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BIOL 1308 & 1108 |
BIOL 1308 & 1108 |
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BIOL 2306 & 2106 or 2406 |
BIOL 1301 & 1101 |
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BIOL 1311 & 1111 |
BIOL 1311 & 1111 |
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BIOL 1313 & 1113 |
BIOL 1313 & 1113 |
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BIOL 2401 |
BIOL 2401 |
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CHEM 1305 & 1105 |
CHEM 1306 & 1106 |
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CHEM 1307 & 1107 |
CHEM 1307 & 1107 |
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CHEM 1311 & 1111 |
CHEM 1311 & 1111 |
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CHEM 1312 & 1112 |
CHEM 1312 & 1112 |
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| GEOL 1305 & 1105 |
GEOL 1305 & 1105 |
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GEOL 1303 & 1103 |
GEOL 1303 & 1103 |
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GEOL 1304 & 1104 |
GEOL 1304 & 1104 |
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GEOG 1301 |
GEOG 1301 & Lab 1101 (lab required @ SHSU) |
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PHYS 1311 & 1111 |
PHYS 1311 & 1111 |
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PHYS 1312 & 1112 |
PHYS 1312 & 1112 - subject to THECB approval |
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PHYS 1305 & 1105 |
PHYS 1305 & 1105 |
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PHYS 1301 & 1101 |
PHYS 1301 & 1101 |
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PHYS 1302 & 1102 |
PHYS 1302 & 1102 |
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| PHYS 2425 | PHYS 1411 | |
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Component Area 4 Humanities & Visual & Performing Arts
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| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
| Select 3 hrs from visual and performing arts: |
9
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ARTS 1301 |
AGRI 2399 |
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ARTS 1301 |
ARTS 1301 |
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ARTS 1311 |
ARTS 1311 |
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ARTS 1316 |
ARTS 1316 |
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ARTS 1303 |
ARTS 1303 |
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DANC 2303 |
DANC 1372 |
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DANC 1301 |
DANC 1301 |
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MUSI 1308 |
MUSI 2348 |
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MUSI 1301 |
MUSI 1301 |
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MUSI 1310 |
MUSI 2364 |
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MUSI 1306 |
MUSI 1306 |
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DRAM 1330 |
THEA 1330 |
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DRAM 1351 |
THEA 1364 |
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DRAM 1310 |
THEA 1366 |
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DRAM 1341 |
THEA 2330 |
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DRAM 2336 |
THEA 2336 |
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| Select 3 hours from Literature or Philosophy: | ||
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ENGL 2331 or 2332 |
ENGL 2331 |
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ENGL 2342 |
ENGL 2342 |
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PHIL 1301 |
PHIL 2361 |
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PHIL 2306 |
PHIL 2306 |
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| Select 3 hours from Cultural Studies: | ||
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NO TCCN |
BESL 2301 |
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FREN, GERM, SPAN 2311/2312 (Sign and other languages may be substituted) |
FOLG 2312- FREN, GERM, SPAN 2312 |
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GEOG 1303 |
GEOG 2355 |
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GEOG 1303 |
GEOG 2356 |
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HIST 2311 |
HIST 2311 |
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HIST 2312 |
HIST 2312 |
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SOCI 2319 |
SOCI 2319 |
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Component Area 5 Social and Behavioral Sciences
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| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit | |
| 15 | |||
| 3 | |||
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HIST 1301 |
HIST 1301 |
3
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HIST 1302 |
HIST 1302 |
3
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GOVT 2301 or 2306 |
POLS 2301 |
3
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GOVT 2302 or 2305 |
POLS 2302 |
3
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| Select 3 hours from: | |||
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SOCI 1301 |
AGRI 2360 |
3
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ECON 1301 |
ECON 2300 |
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ECON 2302 |
ECON 2302 |
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ECON 2301 |
ECON 2301 |
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GEOG 1300 |
GEOG 1321 |
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PHIL 2303 |
PHIL 2303 |
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PSYC 2301 |
PSYC 1301 |
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PSYC 2315 |
PSYC 2315 |
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SOCI 1301 |
SOCI 1301 |
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SOCI 1306 |
SOCI 1306 |
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NO TCCN Local Political Systems |
POLS 2331 |
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NO TCCN State Political Systems |
POLS 2332 |
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NO TCCN Politics of Ethnic Minorities and Gender |
POLS 2335 |
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NO TCCN Comparative Survey of World Political Systems |
POLS 2365 |
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NO TCCN Introduction to Public Administration |
POLS 2366 |
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NO TCCN American Foreign Policy |
POLS 2381 |
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Component Area 6 Institutionally Designated Option
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| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
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Select 1 hour from: |
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| PHED 1164 | KIN 215 | |
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B.A. Foreign Language Component |
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language 1411 |
FOLG 1411 |
| language 1412 | FOLG 1412 |
| language 2311 | FOLG 2311 |
| language 2312 | FOLG 2312 |
Degrees require a minimum of 120 hours with 42 advanced hours (3000-level and 4000-level courses). Some degrees require additional hours. All students are required to complete at least six writing-enhanced courses accumulating a minimum of 18 semester hours towards degree completion. Six of the hours must come from the student’s major field of study. SHSU students MUST complete ENGL 1301, ENGL 1302, Core Composite Area 2, and one-half of Composite Area 3 prior to enrollment in any upper-level class. In general, the Bachelor of Arts degree requires 8 hours of lab science and the Bachelor of Science degree requires 16 hours of lab science. Applicants for the Bachelor of Arts degree should consult their major department web page for foreign language requirements. Many colleges and programs have additional prerequisites for upper-level classes.
Prior to enrolling in core classes, students are encouraged to review specific degree requirements for their major. Selection of major-specified core courses may reduce the total number of hours required for graduation.
Students are encouraged to select the university catalog offering them the most advantages with respect to degree completion. The respective university and/or college catalog selected for graduation determines final degree requirements.
Sam Houston State University
A Member of The Texas State University System