2026-2027 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Degree Core Requirements | ||
| Required Political Science Courses | ||
| PSCI/IS 1034 | Introduction to International Studies and Political Science | 3 |
| PSCI 2014 | Introduction to Political Theory | 3 |
| PSCI/PPE 2024 | Research Methods in Political Science | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to World Politics | ||
| The Global Economy and World Politics | ||
| Required Political Science Core Elective Courses 1 | ||
| Select nine hours of courses in Political Science, six of which must be at the 3000 or 4000 level | 9 | |
| Subtotal | 21 | |
| Political Science Major Requirements | ||
| PSCI 1014 | Introduction to United States Government and Politics | 3 |
| or PSCI 1014H | Honors Introduction to United States Government and Politics | |
| PSCI/IS 1024 | Comp Gov & Politics | 3 |
| or PSCI 1024H | Honors Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics | |
| Advanced Theory and Practice in Political Science | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Political Theory | ||
| Political Theory | ||
| Seminar in Diplomacy and Security | ||
| Seminar in Global Political Economy | ||
| Seminar in Global Development | ||
| The Politics of Cybersecurity | ||
| Future of Security: Integrative Solutions for Complex Security Systems | ||
| Climate Change and the International Policy Framework | ||
| Senior Seminar in Political Behavior | ||
| Senior Seminar in Political Institutions | ||
| Senior Seminar in Constitutional Law | ||
| Senior Seminar in Public Administration | ||
| Senior Seminar in Comparative Politics | ||
| Senior Seminar in International Relations | ||
| Senior Seminar in Policy Analysis | ||
| Senior Seminar in Political Theory | ||
| Internship Program | ||
| Independent Study | ||
or PSCI 4974H | Independent Study | |
| Undergraduate Research | ||
or PSCI 4994H | Undergraduate Research | |
| Subtotal | 9 | |
| Requirements for the Political Science Major (Social and Political Justice Option) | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Food Politics | ||
| Topics in Global Public Policies | ||
| Global Development | ||
| Global Development | ||
| The Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Gender | ||
| The Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Gender | ||
| Judicial Process | ||
| Global Environmental Issues: Interdisciplinary Perspectives | ||
| Constitutional Law: Civil and Political Rights | ||
| Politics of Global and Comparative Migration | ||
| Comparative Politics of Immigrant Inclusion | ||
| State and Local Government | ||
| Urban Politics | ||
| Administrative Law and Policy | ||
| Human Rights: Global Issues | ||
| Indigenous Peoples and World Politics | ||
| The U. S. Policy Process | ||
| Poverty and Welfare Policy | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| American Political Theory | ||
| Contemporary Democratic Theory | ||
| Marxian Political Analysis | ||
| Origins of the State | ||
| Seminar in Global Political Economy | ||
| Seminar in Global Development | ||
| Senior Seminar in Constitutional Law | ||
| Senior Seminar in Public Administration | ||
| Select a minimum of 3 additional hours of courses in Political Science 2 | 3 | |
| Select four of the following: | 12 | |
| African American Leadership for Social Change | ||
| Community Education and Development | ||
| Systems of Justice | ||
| Economic Justice | ||
| Economics of Poverty and Discrimination | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Public Economics | ||
| Economics of Health Care | ||
| Language and Ethnicity in the United States | ||
| Gender and Linguistics | ||
| Appalachian Literature | ||
| The Postcolonial Novel | ||
| Ethnic American Literature | ||
| Literature and the Law | ||
| Community Writing | ||
| Intercultural Issues in Professional Writing | ||
| Environmental Justice, Resources and Development | ||
| The U.S. City | ||
| Community Analytics | ||
| Issues in Aging | ||
| Family Challenges and Change | ||
| Women in U S History | ||
| Women in U S History | ||
| American Environmental History | ||
| Native American History | ||
| The Holocaust | ||
| Age of Globalization | ||
| Mesoamerica and the Andes | ||
| International Communication | ||
| Social Media Analytics | ||
| Social Media Theory and Practice | ||
| Communication Ethics | ||
| Free Speech in Cyberspace | ||
| Ethical Theory | ||
| Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Ethical Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence | ||
| Political Philosophy | ||
| Rural Health | ||
| Public Health Policy and Administration | ||
| Global Society, Violence and the Prospects for Peace | ||
| Schools, Violence, and Justice | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Gender Relations | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Environmental Justice | ||
| Appalachian Communities | ||
| Gender and Work in the U.S. | ||
| Appalachian Community Research | ||
| Sociology of Law | ||
| Medical Sociology | ||
| Sociology of Mental Illness | ||
| Future of Cities | ||
| Data and the Art of Policy-Making and Planning | ||
| Science and Technology in Modern Society | ||
| Technology and Disability | ||
| Medical Dilemmas and Human Experience | ||
| Energy and Society | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Science, Technology, and Society | ||
| Gender and Science | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning | ||
| Law of Critical Environmental Areas | ||
| Sustainable Land Use and Environmental Planning | ||
| Legal Foundations of Planning | ||
| Global Feminisms | ||
| Subtotal | 24 | |
| Free Electives | ||
| Select remaining courses to complete 120 credit hour graduation requirement | 30 | |
| Subtotal | 30 | |
| Pathways to General Education 3 | ||
| Pathways Concept 1 - Discourse | ||
| Select one of the following: | 6 | |
| First-Year Writing and First-Year Writing | ||
| Communication Skills and Communication Skills | ||
| Select 3 credit hours in Pathway 1a | 3 | |
| Pathways Concept 2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities | ||
| Select six credits in Pathway 2 | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences (Met by Major Requirements) | ||
| Introduction to United States Government and Politics (Met by Major Requirements) | ||
or PSCI 1014H | Honors Introduction to United States Government and Politics | |
| Comp Gov & Politics (Met by Major Requirements) | ||
or PSCI 1024H | Honors Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics | |
| Pathways Concept 4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences | ||
| Select six credits in Pathway 4 | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 5 - Quantitative and Computational Thinking | ||
| Select six credits in Pathway 5f | 6 | |
| Select three credits in Pathway 5a | 3 | |
| Pathways Concept 6 - Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts | ||
| Select six credits in Pathway 6d and Pathway 6a | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States (Met by Major Requirements) | ||
| Pathways Concept 7 is currently suspended effective Fall 2025. Please refer to the Pathways Page for more information. | ||
| Introduction to United States Government and Politics (Met by Major Requirements) | ||
or PSCI 1014H | Honors Introduction to United States Government and Politics | |
| Subtotal | 36 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Courses that are cross listed with PSCI may count as PSCI electives
Limit on Repeatable Courses: No more than six credit hours in any one of the following courses may contribute toward the hours required by the major: internship (PSCI 4754 Internship Program), independent study (PSCI 4974 Independent Study or PSCI 4974H Independent Study), or undergraduate research (PSCI 4994 Undergraduate Research or PSCI 4994H Undergraduate Research).
PSCI majors (all options) must complete the requirements for the Pathways to General Education. More details and course listings can be found at the following link: https://www.pathways.prov.vt.edu.
All students must meet the following minimum criteria to be certified as making satisfactory progress toward a degree:
Students are responsible for ensuring that all graduation requirements are met and should consult their academic advisor regularly for assistance with degree planning.
To graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (major in Political Science with Social and Political Justice Option), students must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours. All courses used to meet major requirements must be taken for a letter grade (A–F), unless otherwise specified. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis may not be used to satisfy major requirements.
All courses in the Degree Core, Major Requirements, and Option Requirements are included in the in-major GPA calculation.
Some courses required for this major have pre-/co-requisite and/or enrollment requirements. Please refer to Undergraduate Course Catalog or consult your advisor for information about pre-/co-requisite and enrollment requirements.
In accordance with university guidelines, courses satisfying degree core requirements may not be double counted to satisfy other areas of a degree (e.g., Pathways).
The Department of Political Science offers majors in Political Science, International Studies, International Relations, National Security and Foreign Affairs, and Environment, Development, and Global Economy as well as minors in Political Science, International Studies, International Relations, National Security and Foreign Affairs, and Global Development and Political Economy. Courses for the majors and minors overlap significantly. Therefore, Political Science majors may not pursue multiple majors and/or minors within the department.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| PSCI 1034 | Introduction to International Studies and Political Science | 3 |
| PSCI 1014 | Introduction to United States Government and Politics | 3 |
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| Pathway 4 | 3 | |
| Pathway 5f | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PSCI 1024 | Comp Gov & Politics | 3 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| Pathway 5f | 3 | |
| Pathway 4 | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PSCI 2014 | Introduction to Political Theory | 3 |
| PSCI 2024 | Research Methods in Political Science | 3 |
| Pathway 1a | 3 | |
| Pathway 2 | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PSCI 2054 or PSCI 2064 | Introduction to World Politics or The Global Economy and World Politics | 3 |
| PSCI 1XXX/2XXX/3XXX | 3 | |
| Pathway 2 | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PSCI SPJ Course | 3 | |
| PSCI 1XXX/2XXX/3XXX | 3 | |
| SPJ RF Course | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PSCI SPJ Course | 3 | |
| PSCI 3XXX/4XXX | 3 | |
| SPJ RF Course | 3 | |
| Pathway 6d | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PSCI SPJ Course | 3 | |
| PSCI 3XXX/4XXX | 3 | |
| SPJ RF Course | 3 | |
| Pathway 5a | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PSCI Advanced Theory and Practice | 3 | |
| SPJ RF Course | 3 | |
| Pathway 6a | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
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