愛荷華大學

Learning Outcomes

Graduates will:

possess a basic understanding of American and world politics,
be able to apply a theoretical approach in political science to understand American or world politics,
have effective written and oral communication skills, and
be able to conceptualize problems and apply analytical tools to solve them.

Overview

Most of the political science course work required for the major is the same for B.A. and B.S. students, but the major for the B.S. includes a political science research component. The major for the B.S. also requires a set of mathematics/statistics courses, while the major for the B.A. does not.

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in political science requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including 36 s.h. of work for the major (all in political science courses). At least 18 s.h. of course work for the major must be taken at the University of Iowa. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in all courses for the major and in all UI courses for the major. They also must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core.

Credit earned in POLI:1000 First-Year Seminar, POLI:3124 Political Science Des Moines Internship Program, and POLI:4900 Government and Politics Internship does not count toward the major, but grades in these courses become part of a student's grade-point average.

A recent surveyed showed that graduates with political science degrees have higher average salaries than graduates in all other social sciences, excluding students with economics degrees. The Department of Political Science organizes career workshops for its students throughout the year. The workshops are led by former political science students who have achieved distinction in business, law, campaign operations, local government, elected office, or other fields.

Online B.A.

The Department of Political Science offers an online B.A. degree with a major in political science intended for students who are not able to attend courses that meet on campus. The online program enables students to complete their B.A. degree from anywhere in the world.