Political Science, Public Administration Concentration, B.A.

Requirements for the Political Science Major

39 total credits are required to fulfill this major’s requirements, as defined below:

12 credits of Political Science Core courses
12 credits within the chosen concentration
15 credits of additional Political Science electives

Students pursuing the Interdisciplinary Options for Law and International Studies concentrations should expect to complete 18 credits within their concentration, and 9 credits of elective coursework.

Students transferring in coursework from other schools must complete a minimum of 18 credits in Political Science at Westfield State University.

The Department of Political Science encourages students to participate in internships. Students may apply up to 6 Internship credits toward the 39 credit major.

3 of these Internship credits may be applied to the concentration.
Up to 3 of these Internship credits may be applied toward the 18-credit minor.

For details about Political Science Internship credits, please click here to view the department’s Internship manual, or contact the department.

Required Major Core Courses (12 credits)

Required Major Courses
POLS 0101 - American National Government Credits: 3
POLS 0206 - Political Analysis Credits: 3
ENGL 0204 - Composition II: Rhetoric and Research Credits: 3
Students must select one of the following political theory courses:
POLS 0215 - American Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0301 - Classical Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0302 - Modern Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0335 - Feminist Political Thought Credits: 3
POLS 0340 - Politics and “The Family” Credits: 3
(Additional theory courses may qualify with department chair approval)

Required Electives (9-15 credits)

Students must complete 15 credits of additional Political Science coursework.

Students pursuing the Interdisciplinary Options for Law or International Studies concentrations should expect to complete 9 credits in this area.

Public Administration Concentration (12 credits)

This concentration offers courses that allow students to explore how public policies are made and enforced in the United States, and how government agencies and regulatory bodies function.

12 total credits are required for this concentration. Choose four courses from below:

POLS 0103 - State and Local Government Credits: 3
POLS 0204 - Introduction to Public Administration Credits: 3
POLS 0205 - Metropolitan Politics Credits: 3
POLS 0318 - Public Management Skills Credits: 3
POLS 0320 - Politics of Budget-Making Credits: 3
POLS 0321 - American Public Policy Credits: 3
POLS 0323 - Selected Topics in Political Science Credits: 3
POLS 0327 - Administrative Law Credits: 3
POLS 0397 - Political Science Internship Credits: 3 or 6
POLS 0398 - Washington Internship Credits: 15
POLS 0399 - Independent Study Credits: 3
Additional courses may count with department chair approval.

Additional Graduation Requirements

All students must meet the University Graduation Requirements and complete a general education or common core of studies, distributed among the different academic areas as detailed in General Education: WISE or Common Core .